Spartanburg High School introduced author and Goodreads Choice Awards Best Memoir & Autobiography nominee, Wes Moore. Not only is he an author, he’s also a social entrepreneur, producer, political analyst, and decorated US Army officer. He has appeared on numerous national broadcasts, wether it was from: Oprah, CBS Sunday Morning, The View, Syndicated Solutions, Sirius XM Satellite Radio, Ebony Magazine, USA Today, People, Essence, and many more. He’s not only known from the broadcasts he has been featured on, but from one of his New York Times Bestsellers book, The Other Wes Moore. During his lecture he gives us a brief summary about his childhood. He tells how he saw his father killed in front of him and how he and his sisters grew up in
Both Weses had several circumstances in common that happened early on in their lives. Moore narrates that he lost his father at a young age due to a medical misdiagnosis. The author says that with the loss of his father, his family had to move to the Bronx to live with his grandparents. The author Wes was the second of three children, and with the absence of his father, his mother Joy had to work multiple jobs to send him and his siblings to school. Moore adds that he was enrolled in a private school but skipped his classes often and was put on academic probation. On the other hand, the
“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.
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
In chapter 1, the author Wes Moore slowly had to watch his father die. Wesley (his father) was “no longer in the picture” and Wes Moore was nothing but confused about his father’s death. One of the very few memories he had of his father was that he was his “protector” (Moore 11) and always felt safe around him. Wes, at the age of four was already dealing with lots of emotions and he felt like he was “standing in a field when a powerful gust of wind suddenly blows: everything around you vanishes” (Moore 14). I can’t relate to losing a parent; however I can relate to the feeling where everything around you suddenly vanishes and you feel like everything has taken over. You feel like life has been put in pause and still can’t seem to comprehend
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
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
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.
Parents experiencing poverty may struggle to provide for their children and can become very stressed from dealing with the monotonous monetary requirements. Within poverty stricken households extreme variations of parenting and guidance can be observed, from little to no presence or direction, all the way to the other side of the spectrum with severe overreactions. “Higher levels of stress negatively affect parenting style, and these parents tend to be more authoritarian or inconsistent.” (Katz, 18) Family structures, living environments, mental health, personalities, and educational backgrounds are all likely to be contributing factor to both parenting
This semester I am reading the book The Other Wes Moore: One Name, Two Fates by Wes Moore . The culture of this book is growing up in the same place and the same culture but having very different outcomes to the success of their life. Two boy had the same name, Wes Moore, and they grew up one street aways from each other but yet their lives changed so drastically as they got older. Both of the boys grew up in poverty and this shows the major theme of nature vs nurture. One of the Wes Moore’s grew up to be a successful Rhodes Scholar and the other one ended up in prison for committing a crime. I decided to read this book because I am interested in the fact of nature vs nurture. I am currently in AP psychology and we talked about this earlier
There's a theory where any given person has infinite paths of life. For every action there is a new path, and the paths keep dividing and extending, each one having new sets of outcomes and opportunities for the person to encounter. The book The Other Wes Moore, by Wes Moore, is a philosophically interesting book as it talks about these paths. Two boys named Wes Moore grew up in similar situations, yet their actions led to them going on two different paths, leading to two completely different lives. The book gives some insight into how these two Wes’ actions as youth led them on their paths. One theme occurring in the text was chances, and specifically second chances, which shaped Wes and Wes throughout their youth. While both Wes’ got their first and second chances, they each treated them differently.
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 Other Wes Moore was a book that was pretty easy to read although in certain aspects it was difficult. As I was reading the book since it was put into the views of two people it was kind of confusing to notice who was who in the book. Whether Wes Moore who was a successful business leader was talking or the Wes Moore who ended up going with a life sentence in prison was speaking. Sometimes I would get confused and think that one Wes Moore’s family member was the others. Although in certain aspects I would get confused it was all in all a really good book.