Honor In The Other Wes Moore

In his book, “The Other Wes Moore: One Name, Two Fates,” Wes Moore (2011) tells a true story about two men from Baltimore who have identical names but have different outcomes in life. He also illustrates the similarities of their life’s situations when they were younger, the decisions they made in life and their impacts, and the roads they took that ultimately led them to where they are today.

During the late 1700’s, the colonies in America were upset and resentful of the British tyranny. In order to make the separation between the two groups official, Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence. Two hundred years later, women were facing the same injustice, only it was from men; and to protest against the unfair treatment, Elizabeth Cady Stanton wrote the Declaration of Sentiments and Resolutions. Both parties of oppression fought against the same outcome, unjust treatment, yet, each fought against different causes and in different ways.

“One name, two fates,” that what the author of the Other Wes Moore stated on the cover of his book. Two boys that were born in the same neighborhood in Baltimore, and had a difficult childhood since they both grew up fatherless. The coincidence was that the two boys were called Wes. They both shared a lot of similarities from living in a poor neighborhood and growing up in Baltimore street corners with their squads. However, their futures were completely different as one achieved the impossible and the other was a convicted murderer serving a life sentence. People may think that how could this happen since they both were living the same circumstances. However, in the book Wes Moore, the boys did not have equal opportunities in terms of parenting, education, and environment.

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.

A person’s success or failure can be determined by their environment, education, choices; a number of different things. The autobiography The Other Wes Moore takes a look at two boys with the same name and eerily similar circumstances who end up in very different places in life. Wes Moore spoke at convocation about his book and what he hoped that people would get from it. In the book he says “The chilling truth is that his story could have been mine. The tragedy is that my story could have been his.” (Moore xi). These two men didn’t share the same fate because they each made a choice about what they wanted their life to become. The book truly demonstrates how the choices you make, make you. One Wes

Intrinsic and extrinsic factors like family, expectations, perseverance, and motivation impact the way a person turns out to be. In the novel, The Other Wes Moore, by Wes Moore, the author speaks about another man with the same name that grew up in the same area and compares how they went in different paths based upon intrinsic and extrinsic factors.

In the book, The Other Wes Moore it is difficult to believe the great similarities in the lives of the two Moores, who share a name and other aspects of life. The two were raised fatherless and were born in the late 1970’s in the neighborhood of Baltimore, Maryland. They also happen to have encountered similar experiences when growing up, but at one point one of them became a criminal and the other a scholar (the author of the book). The author of the book seems to be interested in the similarities of the two boys as opposed to their different experiences. The story is interesting and makes one imagine what would have become of the writer if he did not by any chance come across the people who guided him to become what

“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

How do two boys with the same name who live within the same community end up with lives on two completely different paths? The author, Wes Moore, begins life in a tough Baltimore neighborhood and ends up a Rhodes Scholar, Wall Streeter, White House Fellow, etc. The other Wes Moore starts in the same place in Baltimore but ends up in prison FOR LIFE.

“The chilling truth is that his story could have been mine. The tragedy is that my story could have been his.” In the story The Other Wes Moore there is two men named Wes Moore, they both grew up during the same time and lived just a couple blocks away from one another. The book talks about both Wes Moores one being in prison the other being a writer. The environment in which they lived could have change the path each boy took, also the relationships each boy had. Anyone can end up in each position but its is all based on how they handled the situation given at hand. I think the quote means that he could have easily been in his shoes facing prison charges as he could have been reading it in the news paper. When the writer found out that they

The Novel, The Other Wes Moore, written by Wes Moore expresses the idea that discipline is integral in development and to form a law abiding citizen. The author expresses this sentiment further when saying, “My mother had noticed the way I had changed since leaving for military school. My back stood straight, and my sentences no ended with “sir” or “ma'am” (Moore 115). Through the discipline of military school, Wes Moore has learned to conduct himself in a more proper way and has turned around a life. Wes is disciplined in a way he had not been before and this added discipline reformed him into a stand out representation of what the military school was trying to achieve. This is a far stretch from who was earlier described. A kid who came from

The stark weight of expectation on a person’s shoulders is enough to make even the best man fall to the ground of the ones he worships. A man that stands over six feet and two inches, with the strongest of bones, can be torn down with the shackles placed upon his feet by the environment of higher authority. That man was the other Wes Moore. The book The Other Wes Moore brings to light how two young boys can become sucked into the whirlpool of evil expectations. While one was able to pursue a life beyond his childhood horrors, the other will spend a lifetime paying for the crime of his childhood expectations. People everywhere are influenced by those who surround them and the town they grew up in. Children walk the streets of Ohio doing drugs

With the signing of the Declaration of Independence in 1776 came more than solely the independence stated in the “legal” document. The Declaration brought about a component of equality unanticipated by any signer or drafter that would soon shape the future and the mindset of many citizens. This sensation of equality spread rapidly through the country and could be seen in different time periods throughout American history where a group of people realized the government’s failure to behave in such a way that reflects the words of the Declaration of Independence, “…that all men are created equal…”. Though no longer a thriving feeling today due to our own natural human ability to dissolve equality in our quest for it, this sensation, while it lasted, significantly benefitted the greater good of society.

When people think about how a person follows a crowd, they can think of “A choir [which] is made up of many voices, including yours and mine. If one by one all go silent, then all that will be left are the soloists. Don’t let a loud few determine the nature of the sound. It makes for poor harmony and diminishes the song,” (Vera Nazarian). People let others control them and their actions which cause serious consequences and few virtues. Violating the social standards, like in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter, is how people begin to collaborate differently. When Hester’s story is revealed to the civilization, ignominy follows her and the ones closest to her. While The Other Wes Moore, written by Wes Moore, where it is the norm to do dreadful things. The story is the chilling truth of two men with the same name, that were raised in comparable neighborhoods, yet end up with two extremely different lives. Wes Moore turned into a military man, while the “other” Wes Moore will spend the rest of his life in prison. They both had the chance to do something outstanding, but the people around them affected where they are today. Involving or excluding a character of society can change the events in their lives, which is shown through imagery and direct characterization in a crafty technique by both authors.

The laws of our society at its best do not depict equality to every substantial entity that graces the land of the United States of America. The turmoil that is documented and/or reported that flourish our different media outlets, struggles in people day to day lives, or the great strain against indivisibility or a simple liberty or justice for all. Everyone will not always agree if ever. Some may choose to be belligerent with their voice—where others may bid for peace. Perhaps is it greener on the other side—may be it is—may be it is not.