Second Chance In The Other Wes Moore

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

“The Other Wes Moore” is a story that follows two boys with the exact same name who start off living very similar lives in Baltimore, Maryland. One of the boys live on to be an extremely successful man and the other one is living the rest of his life behind bars. The two men wondered how their strikingly similar path diverged into two completely different fates and then an argument formed. Are people products of their choices or their environment and expectations thrown upon them? The book proves that people are products of their choices. Both Wes Moores were raised by a single mom in the tough streets of Baltimore and they both were rebellious children who got arrested at a young age. Their similarities lessened as their choices and their mom’s choices contrasted. The more fortunate Wes was sent to Military school and he chose to make the most of it and become the best version of himself. His determination and hard work trumped his previous hooligan mindset, therefore his future was bright and fulfilling. The other Wes chose to follow his brother,

Many people would say we are all just products of our environment. For two young boys from Baltimore, this could not be truer. In “The Other Wes Moore: One Name, Two Fates,” written by Wes Moore, two fatherless, young boys growing up in the same neighborhood with the same name, end up on two entirely different paths of life. The author becomes a Rhodes Scholar, college graduate, veteran, and much more, while the “other” Wes gets deeply involved with the drug game and spends most of his life in trouble with the law. When these boys come from such similar backgrounds, how is it that they take such different journeys in life? The reason why one Wes Moore became mixed up with drugs and the law, and

The author of the book The Other Wes Moore, says to the other Wes, “I guess it's hard sometimes to distinguish between second chances and last chances.” This conversation happens while the author interviews the Other Wes in the visiting room of the prison where he’s serving a life sentence for robbery and the death of a State Trooper. What does a “second chance” mean? What is each Wes’s “last chance”? Both Weses encounter first, second, and last chances throughout their stories. However, each one uses those chances in different ways, and the ways they use those chances lead to completely different lives. Two major differences are: the Other Wes tries to change his life by going to Job Corps, but he tries to make the changes by himself without support and the second major differences Wes the author’s life changed when his mom forced him to the Military School where he developed a larger community of support (beyond his family).

The author from the book The Other Wes Moore, says to the other Wes, “I guess it's hard sometimes to distinguish between second chances and last chances.” What does a “second chance” mean? What is each Wes’s “last chance”? Both Phases encounter first, second, and last chances throughout their stories. However, each one uses those chances in different ways, and the ways they use those chances lead to completely different lives. Two major differences are: the Other Wes tries to change his life by going to Job Corps, but he tries to make the changes by himself without support and the second major differences Wes the author’s life changed when his mom forced him to the Military School where he developed a larger community of support (beyond his family).

“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

“This is a story of two boys living in Baltimore with similar histories and an identical name: Wes Moore. One of us is free… The other will spend every day until his death behind bars...” (Moore, XI) In The Other Wes Moore, the author, Wes Moore, and the other Wes Moore both grew up in similar, yet different, circumstances and had completely different outcomes. This captivating narrative demonstrates how the choices you make, make you. In the introduction, the author Wes Moore validates this statement by saying, “The chilling truth is that his story could have been mine. The tragedy is that my story could have been his.” (Moore XI) The author, Wes Moore, shows the readers that a person’s environment, circumstances, education (or lack

The book, The Other Wes Moore, by Wes Moore tells a story about two men with the same name and last name but with different outcomes. The author tells his story and the other Wes Moore’s story, how they started off in the same neighborhood and made similar choices but one ended up in prison for life and the other with his freedom. There are several reasons that the two Wes Moores ended up in different situations such as the way their mothers raised them and the different choices that were made by them throughout their life as young adults. The statement that the author wrote at the end of the book is true to the extent that they both grew up in the same type of neighborhood and both were raised by single mothers.

When most people hear the name Wes Moore, they think of the Wes Moore that is a decorated veteran and author, but when Wes Moore hears his name, he thinks about not himself, but the Wes Moore serving life in prison for first-degree felony murder. They both grew up in similar settings and both had trouble with the police, but there lives are the complete opposite now. Most people wonder how that could happen. Each Wes ended up on totally different paths as evidenced by actions and events that took place in each of their lives. Throughout the following paragraphs, how each Wes’s life slowly became different will become clear.

The book "The Wes Moore", tells "the story of two boys living in Baltimore" who shares a similar life history within the "same black community", in addition to having identical names (Moore & Smiley, 2010). Written by Wes Moore and Tavis Smiley, it recounts the real life stories of the two "Wes Moores", the different journeys and destinies of their life. One Wes Moore ends up as a "phi beta kappa graduate of the John Hopkins University", a "white house fellow", an "army officer" and as the co-author of the book (Sragow, 2010). The "other Wes Moore" ends up as a thief, drug dealer and "a convicted killer"; a sharp difference in comparison to the life of the "lucky" Wes Moore (Moore & Smiley, 2010). As can be seen in the book, it is not luck

While Wes Moore was able to change his situation and begin to make better decisions, the other Wes Moore was never able to accomplish such task. During one of their conversations, the incarcerated Wes said, "From everything you told me, both of us did some pretty wrong stuff when we were younger. And both of us had second chances. But if the situation or the context where you make the decisions don't change, then second chances don't mean much, huh?" (66). In the same conversation, about ¼ of the way into the book Moore realized an important aspect in life, "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.'" (Moore 67).

There are about 7.5 billion people on Earth and out of all those people, no two are the same. This is due to many factors, some of which include geography, culture, and religion. In the book, The Other Wes Moore by Wes Moore, the author gives us an insight to his life and the life of another person who shares the same name. Not only do they share the same name, but they both also grew up in Baltimore around the same time. The author’s goal or purpose in writing this book was to determine how two people who have the same name and who also grew up in the same city end up having such different lives and accomplishments. But in the end of the book, the author states that he himself doesn’t know the answer to his question.

One’s childhood has a lasting impact on their entire life. Moore’s upbringing and the loving family he was born into, no matter how trivial it may seem, greatly contributed to his success. Wes seemingly grew up the same as any other kid in the Bronx – in a single-parent household, surrounded by bad influences… what separated him from the crowd? His support system: his family, and their ultimate support and sacrifices made all the difference. As a teenager, Wes seemed to be going down the wrong path. He constantly skipped school, his academic failures were overwhelming, and he was even arrested for vandalism. In the case of the other Wes, his family simply let these actions slide, and decision after decision ultimately landed him with a life sentence in prison. The author Wes’s mother, however, refused to allow this behavior to continue. As a method of intervention, she forced Moore to attend Valley Forge, and in doing so, probably saved his career. The extent of his family’s sacrifice was evident on page 95 when Wes realized that “my grandparents took the money they had in the home in the Bronx, decades of savings and mortgage payments, and gave it to my mother

The book, “The Other Wes Moore,” is mainly about two African American men that share the same name, Wes Moore. One Wes Moore gets a life sentence in prison, while the other becomes a author, a Rhodes scholar, and a decorated combat veteran. They both however live in the same city. The story starts off around the 2000s when the Baltimore Sun put out a small piece of Wes Moore. The piece was about a robbery in which a police officer was killed. Ironically the police was hunting two brothers, one named Wes Moore.