G. Stanley Hall once said “Man is largely a creature of habit, and his activities are more or less automatic reflexes from the stimuli of his environment.”. This quote from the late psychologist speaks volumes to the question: “Are we all products of our environment?” and to both of the Wes Moores. Both started their lives in Baltimore which was a very difficult place to grow up in at the time. Both didn’t have a father in their life. Although they started on equal grounds why did one get sentenced to life in prison and the other become a Rhodes Scholar and become one of the youngest officers in the entire U.S. Army? I believe that we are all products of our environment because of who we look up to, how we are houses are run, and the environment we live in.
Some of the habits we make occur because those who we look up to have them as well. In other words monkey see monkey do. This is directly true for the Baltimore Wes Moore. Wes had his older half brother Tony to look up to, which is typical for any younger brother to do. Tony though was not the best person to look up to, he was becoming a big name in drug dealing by the time Wes was eight years old. Every time Wes came to a crossroads in his life he always wanted to be like Tony and would take the road that would make him more like Tony. It was never Tony’s intention to get him in the drug game he in fact he says “How many times do I have to tell you to leave this stuff alone, man?” (Moore 70) referring to the time when
A big statement that Wes Moore says is that, “The chilling truth is that his story could have been mine. The tragedy is that my story could have been his. ” I completely agree with this statement. The way they lived and were raised was very similar meaning that either one of them could have taken either path. There were small differences that could have maybe been the deciders of why each Wes Moore’s fates ended like they did like how they were raised by their mothers. Either way, both Wes’s had very high chances of choosing each others paths.
Wes Moore (author) lived a similar life when he's compared to the other Wes Moore. The author Wes Moore didn’t have a father either but unlike the other Wes his father died when he was a young age, but he had siblings just like the other Wes. The difference between the two when it comes to siblings is the Wes Moore the authors siblings didn’t encourage him to do things that didn’t benefit his future. Wes Moore’s mom was really involved with Wes and wanted what was best for him so she sent him away because of his grades and petty crimes to a military school called Valley Forge Military Academy to try and
Many factors come into play when we assess the lives of both Wes Moores introduced in the short novel The Other Wes Moore some of these factors are the expectations that shaped each man’s life. “The expectations that others place on us help us form our expectations of ourselves” (Moore126) some people are able to help encourage free minded individuals that are able to discover for themselves how to better judge their actions in society for a more positive outcome. Expectations from others have a strong impact on the choices an individual makes, and both Wes Moore’s choices were strongly influenced by the expectations of their role models and mentors. Although, both Wes Moores lived in the ghettos of the east coast and encountered bad influences
Moore was a troubled kid, getting into fights, getting in trouble for graffiti, running away was sent to many different schools. He was the poor kid in a sea of rich kids (so he didn’t fit in). But he was given the opportunity to change when he was forced to go to a Military boarding school. He eventually decided that he wanted to be apart of something bigger than himself and this was it. He knew he wanted to change. When deciding how he could change he thought, “Aside from my family and friends, the men I trusted most all had something in common: they all wore the uniform of the United States of America,” (Moore pg. 132). He decided he wanted to become a Lieutenant and be someone other people could look up to. This was a major moment in Moore’s life. But Wes, on the other hand, experienced the same bad childhood and never got out of the “bad”. He never had a defining failure where he said ‘this is when I change’. He got onto a path and started making patterns with his decisions and never made the right one to get him to where he needed to be, unlike the other Wes.
Throughout “The other Wes Moore”, The Wes’ were faced with surprisingly similar situations that were handled in very different ways. These situations were key turning points in each of their lives and shaped them into who they are. Even though each Wes had hardships in their environment and faced many trials and tribulations, ultimately, their choices during these times are what produced each Wes. Because of their series of different choices that each Wes Moore made during their lifetime and the outcome of their choices, we are not just products of our environments, but also products of the choices we make.
In conclusion, both Wes Moore’s had critical moments and different standpoints throughout the entirety of their lives. Though they both had individual accountabilities it was the choices that they individually made that ultimately determined there fates. “Wes and I stared at each other for a moment, surrounded by the evidence that some kids were forced to become adults prematurely. These incarnated men, before they’d even reached a point of basic maturity, had flagrantly-and tragically-squandered the few opportunities they’d
The Other Wes Moore is a book about two young African-American lives that share the same name, Wes Moore. Both Wes Moores grew up with similarities, they both grew up in the same hometown. One of the Wes Moore is free and the other one is spending his life in jail. They both grew up without fathers. The author's father died in front of him when he was just three years old and the other Wes Moore barley knew his dad. The Author's father wasn’t there because he couldn’t be, and the other Wes Moore, father wasn’t there because he chose not to be. Both mothers were working hard towards setting their families and to support and care for their sons.
The reasoning as to why I believe the other Wes Moore could have went down a path to success is if the other Wes Moore had the same family support as the author Wes Moore and if his brother who had a big influence on Wes, was not involved in the drug game. While both Wes Moore’s are both fatherless, the author Wes Moore was a lot luckier than the other Wes Moore, because he had his grandparents to help raise him. With the support of his grandparents, Wes had someone to look after him and also help steer him in the right direction if needed. His grandparents gave Wes and his sisters a set of rules and chores to do every single day. Compared to the other Wes Moore, he did not have any sort of discipline or rules to go by in his house due to the fact his mother and brother were never really at home. Furthermore, with the other Wes Moore, he only had his mother and his brother Tony, who both were not a good influence on him at all. The other Wes Moore looked up to his brother and wanted to be exactly like Tony. For example, when Wes got into a small
“I sat back, allowing Wes's words to sink in. Then I responded, "I guess it's hard sometimes to distinguish between second chances and last chances"(Page 67). In "The Other Wes Moore" the environment of both Wes Moore's were completely different from each other. They both made some stupid decisions over time but who is perfect? It is expected of everyone to make some mistakes, in my opinion the main influence on their choices came from their environment. In their environment they had peers that would influence them to do things that they did not necessarily want to do. This caused them to get into trouble, but at the same token, their environment also gave them some opportunities to make it through some rough times. For Example: Wes #2
Tony, Wes’s older brother, tried to tell him to stay away from drugs but he didn’t listen. The narrator, on the other hand, grew up with a mother who made it a point to learn right from wrong. When the narrator was little his mother said, ”I told you, don’t you ever put your hands on a woman(Moore 5)!” His mother made sure that he knew that it was not okay to treat people like that which showed that he would learn right. These differences may seem very small, but they are a major cause for why they both turned out so
The author Wes Moore’s family greatly influenced him and definitely helped him become a successful person today. As a kid, Wes often struggled in school. His mother made many sacrifices, worked many jobs so her son could go to school out of the neighborhood.went to school out of the neighborhood because his mother wanted him to stay on positive path. His mom made many sacrficies for her son because she wanted him to get the education he needed to become successful. When Riverdale wasn’t helping him to get the education he needed, his mother sent him away to military school.In order to do this, his mother made more sacrifices. His mother worked several jobs so she could pay off military school. Also, his grandparents gave his mother the money
Both Wes Moores did not grow up in the best circumstances. In the beginning of the book when the men were talking about their lives, the other Wes Moore says, “Your father wasn’t there because he couldn’t be, my father wasn’t there because he chose not to be” (3). Both of these men lost
“Children learn more from who you are than what you teach,” stated W.E.B DuBois. As illustrated by the quote, the people and the environment that an individual surrounds themselves with affects their future. The Other Wes Moore: One Name, Two Fates by Wes Moore, is a narrative that tells the story of two males, who share the same name but take two different paths in life. The two Moores experience similar situations, however surround themselves with different types of people, resulting in different paths. One Moore is successful while the other is incarcerated, proving an individual’s environment influences ones future. Ultimately, after analyzing Wes Moore’s novel and Terry Pratchets quote in the excerpt, it is evident that the
Humans have come to a conclusion that all lives are different, but all go through many hardships and tragedies. The impact from a slight difference can vary to be very vast to very small, such a slight difference, however, can change a person’s life as a whole. In the book, The Other Wes Moore: One Name, Two Fates by Wes Moore there is a difference that can be identified between the author’s life and that of the other Wes. This difference, though can be very critical and is ultimately able to lead to a path of triumph or failure for an individual. The lack of involvement a mother has for their child can fundamentally deprive them from succeeding, and parent involvement has the opportunity to
Discovering Wes Moore is full of different conflicts, but most of them are the same type: man vs. society. Throughout the course of the novel, Wes runs into several problems with society. First of all, Wes never did well in school as a child. This does not really sound like it is against civilization, and more like it is against himself. However, this made his childhood very different than how it would have been if he did well in school. Failure in every class led to being sent to military school, which is something nobody, including Wes, wanted to happen. His grades caused him to take part in small crimes and get into arguments with his mother, which is not good at all. Next, Wes commits small crimes. He takes part in vandalism with a friend