Valley Forge: A Young Boy's Future

When a person is in a stressful situation on instinct they have two options, fight or flight. In war the same is true. War is not always bayonets and bullets, it’s the decisions you make during times of hardship. A soldier has to make the decision whether to keep fighting for what they believe in no matter what the stakes or to flee. In December of 1777, George Washington and his troops arrived at Valley Forge. Since the summer of 1775, all has gone well for the Continental Army. More recently Washington was presumably unable to stop General Howe and his British soldiers from claiming the national capital of Philadelphia. With Howe and his army of approximately 18,000 comfortably quartered in Philadelphia,

“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,

The Other Wes Moore: Q & A How well does Moore describe the culture of the streets, where young boys grow up believing that violence transforms them into men? Talk about the street culture—its violence, drug dealing, disdain for education. What creates that ethos and why do so many young men find it attractive?

Role models play a huge role in shaping an individual and the paths that they go down in their lifetime. Whether it is a good or bad influence, it will depend which path they will take that will determine their fate. Often family members, especially parents, act as the most influential factor in a person’s life. Coincedientaly, The Other Wes Moore, is about two boys who have the same name and who have lived in the same city. One went on to become a Rhodes Scholar, combat veteran and a White House Fellow. Whereas, the other Wes Moore is sentenced to life a in prison for robbery, which led to the death of a police officer. In this book, both Wes Moores’ are influenced by at least one significant other that has influenced them to become the people

The tragedy is that my story could have been his.” This statement is moving because of the reality. Something as simple as personal responsibility decided the outcomes of their entire lives. If the author had not decided to let the military school help him, he could have very well ended up in the other Wes’ position; consequently, the same can be said about the other Wes—if he had decided to continue trying, instead of succumbing to the “norm” he grew up with, he could have been a successful man—or at least, he could have avoided

The author Wes had and accomplished goals. Specific achievements he’s made include, military school, getting acknowledged for his basketball talent, and receiving the Rhodes Scholarship. It all started when his mom decided to put him in military school. It took time for Wes to accept the military ways. Later the acceptance would cause him to actually “enjoy the school”(130). He’d work his way up from plebe to “paratrooper”(130). Wes was “one of the youngest officers in the entire United States Military”(134). It was a huge, story worthy experience for Wes. His high school sports career was astonishing too, enough for “The New York Times to run a two-page article”(130) about it. Eventually, the publication of his well-doing, “attracted colleges”(130) and gave him a chance to play with “NBA members, like Kobe Bryant”(130).

Death is all around you,what do you do? Valley Forge was a winter camp in 1777 to 1778 for the George Washington and his army. Valley Forge was 18 miles outside of Philadelphia. The winter at Valley Forge was long, cold, harsh, and horrible. Soldiers 9 month terms were about to end many wanted to go home. The question to us is would you re-enlist or not re-enlist? I have decided to re-enlist for three reasons which are less soldiers, hard times, and support. It would not matter to me what happened I,am a loyal soldier.

During the winter of 1777-1778, the Continental Army (consisting of about 11,000 men), with General George Washington, resided at the headquarters of Valley Forge, Pennsylvania. The American soldiers suffered from a lack of resources and housing throughout these months. The army made huts for shelter from the cold season, but with the deprivation of blankets and food, more than 3,000 men passed away. On the other hand, the British army, with the help of the Loyalists, received a healthy diet, warm housing, and engaged in many social activities. Valley Forge was the most disheartening time in the Revolutionary War for the Patriots, but with the help of the French and a hopeful spirit, they emerged stronger than before.

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 author Wes faced numerous challenges in his childhood that forced him to make difficult choices. The first challenge results from the fact that Wes and his family moved to the Bronx shortly after his

Led by future President George Washington, Valley Forge grew to have many problems which swayed many soldiers into leaving. While it may seem unpatriotic at first, a look into documented conditions shows the terrible conditions soldiers saw. In fact, the conditions were so bad that the soldiers that quit may have actually made the best choice. When faced with death, it makes sense that soldiers would prioritize their lives. “50% of the soldiers are sick on February 1, 1778”

Wes started school at a private school and he felt external and out of place so he started to skip school and started getting in trouble on the streets, “I hoped you listened to what I told you, opening up the other cuff to let both my hands both my hands free” (Wes Moore 84). The Author Wes Moore uses tone as he is getting released from the cop that had caught him and his friend for doing graffiti. The tone of the story now gets serious as Wes finally realizes that he can not offend anymore mess ups, “It is hard sometimes to distinguish between second chances and our last chance” (Wes Moore 87). This shows indirect characterization as Wes becomes more humble for his live and his taking all his choices to heart now as one misstep can affect his entire life.

British are taking over, men are falling at gun shot, chaos consumes us all. There are countless deaths among us, the men fall from sickness and murder. With every fallen soldier there is another family without a son, father, or husband. This war needs to end, soon. I have decided to re-enlist for three reasons which are to fill in for others that left or died, the Congressmen are here to support us, finally if we do not win this war we are nothing but slaves to the British.

Wes, currently in prison, had recently been arrested for charging at a kid with a knife over being punched during football. Wes decided to hide his arrest from his mom and have Tony pick him up. Then Wes Moore, the author, said that by the time the mom found out her son was arrested it was too late. This foreshadows how Wes, currently in prison, has started doing more illegal acts and has looked up to Tony even

Wes and Wes had very different educations which impacted their lives significantly. Both of them had troubles as teens but only one of them made a change. For the successful Wes, his life turned around when he started attending Valley Forge Military Academy. However, for the other Wes this change never came. The Wes who now sits in prison fell into selling drugs to make money which later evolved into violence and arrests. After the death of successful Wes’s father, Wes’s mother took him and his sisters to live in the Bronx with their grandparents. Wes’s family made some big sacrifices for him to attend Riverdale Country School. Riverdale was a primarily white private school and his friends from the Bronx gave him a lot of grief for going to