Wes Moore Manhood Analysis

Neither Wes nor Tony really knew how to act, with no father figure and a somewhat careless mother. At the end of this chapter, the two ended up moving in with Mary's parents in

Many of the problems seen in modern times are due to events that many Americans pass off as “typical” in relation to misfortunes and injustices. The Other Wes Moore perfectly exemplifies these exact afflictions that a multitude of people face in the United States, partially due to ethnicity or cultural background. The instances of poverty, economic injustice, drugs, and family influence in The Other Wes Moore contribute to significant findings in socioeconomic structure that relate to considerable matters in the present day. An in-depth analysis on the story of both Wes and Moore in the eyes of a student of National Security and Foreign Affairs, and through the perspective of an Intelligence Officer, reveals small factors that both

In the novel The Other Wes Moore: One Name, Two Fates it tells the story of two boys with the same name but two very different mindsets in life. “Life and death, freedom and bondage, hang in the balance of every action we take” (xiv). Wes Moore (1), the author, has had many things that impacted to his mindset that led to good and evil choices thought-out his life. Wes Moore (2) had made decisions that set a wrong mindset that would leave him in one place for the rest of his life. The mindsets of Wes Moore (1) and Wes (2) impacted their chances with the law, their choices with education and their opportunities with employment.

Wes’s decision to leave school for an easier life of street dealing guided him down a path of misfortunes. The first of many came with his violent outburst to defend his pride. After a woman in relations with Wes Moore sees her boyfriend show up to his house, he angrily punches Wes in the face. In shock, Moore “could only see red. He was blind with rage. Instincts kicked in. Tony’s words rang through his mind. Send a message” (104). Proceeding the attack, he grabbed a gun out of his drawer and shot the man to prove a point that you do not mess with him. He was incarcerated for six months. To no surprise, what occured later in his life was the infamous shooting of a police officer in the midst of a robbery. This landed Wes Moore in a life sentence for murder. It all started with drug dealing and ended in indefinite incarceration for murder.

Public shame is never a pleasant occurrence, but every society has its own way of punishing others who have committed a crime. Humiliation is present in everyday life and in novels. The Scarlet Letter and The Other Wes Moore both deal with public degradation. The Other Wes Moore by Wes Moore is the story of two men who live very different lives, but share the same name. Both faced similar difficulties in their youth, although they went down opposite paths in their adult lives. The other Wes Moore chose a path of drugs and violence, which led to him committing murder during a robbery. After his arrest, Moore’s mugshot was shown all over the news and he had a criminal trial. In The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, Hester Prynne has committed a horrible sin in her Puritan community, she has committed adultery. Her punishment was being branded with a piece of scarlet cloth shaped like the letter A on her chest for the rest of her life. Hester must deal with the continuous judgement of the townspeople with her daughter Pearl. Hawthorne and Moore both described in their novels the effect humiliation has on an individual's life and how public shame is present in all societies, past and present, through the use of tone and descriptive imagery.

Author Wes had many role models presented to him that gave him a representation of what correct path he should take in life. As for the Other Wes, his role models wasn't as adequate for that task. Other Wes role model was his brother Tony who in which was the eldest. The other Wes moore didn’t have a father figure so he depended on his older brother to show him the ropes of manhood but Tony didn't live up to that role. Tony was a known drug dealer where he lived in Baltimore but he try to steer his younger brother Wes away from it. When Tony would give him advice on avoiding this lifestyle, Wes would completely ignore it cause he wanted so badly to be like his older brother Tony. Stated by Moore, “Tony was the closest thing Wes had to a role model. But the more he tried to be like his brother, the more his brother rejected him.The more

Tony felt his little brother's life could be saved, even if he felt his own had already, at age fourteen, passed the point of no return." (Moore 27). On the other hand, Wes Moore has no such close relation or relationship dragging him down.

When they were both teenagers, they did not have the best surroundings. Wes Moore eventually let the conditions around him influence his actions. He began to have academic and disciplinary issues at his new school in the Bronx. This leads to him going on academic probation. Once his dean called his mom, listing all of the things he has done, she knew it was the last straw. She decided to send him to military school, which changed his future. He meant lots of new people that will soon become his best friends and role models. He also met Colonel Bratt, who taught him the true meaning of honor and courage. The other Wes Moore also started off in a terrifying environment, but he never got away from it. His bad behavior first started when he was a child. He grew to be taller than most of the kids in his grade, which made him think he was superior. He also got advice from his older brother, Tony, on how to be tough. One day this all backfired on him, “‘ Put down the knife.’ Wes didn’t hear him. Wes continued to move towards the boy. His grip on the knife handle tightened. His forearms flexed. Send a message” (Moore 34). He believed that he needed to be like his brother, dangerous and fearless, in order to succeed. Tony wanted his younger brother to do his best and go down the right path, but he couldn’t stop him. Wes, soon, followed his brother to pursue a life of crime. They would sell drugs and beat people up. Wes had so

Wes Moore lived only miles away from a boy with the same name and incredibly similar upbringings. Although they both chose to do some very questionable things as kids, they both got second chances to make things right. While Wes Moore, the author was interviewing the other Wes Moore, he states “From everything you told me, both of us did some pretty wrong things 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 too much, huh?” This just shows that anything can change things no matter how small the incident. The major moment that I believe to have changed Wes Moore’s life is that he didn’t have any positive adult role models in his life. Even though his mother often tried to help him stay out of the gang violence and the drugs, she was unable to get through to him. After flushing the drugs he had intended to sell she said, “Not only did you lie to me but you were selling drugs and keeping them in my house! Putting all of us in danger because of your stupidity. I don’t want to hear your sob story about how much money you owe. You will stop selling that stuff. I will be checking your room, and I don’t want to ever see it in here again.” So his mother continued to try but was unsuccessful and Wes’s brother, Tony, was no help either. “Tony, who was about to become a father – making Mary a

In the book The Other Wes Moore, it tells the story of two different men with the same name but different lives. Wes one had a family who loved and cherished him. Wes two however, wasn’t so fortunate, his family did not put the time and effort into spending time with him. I have never had a personal situation like this, but if you grow up like Wes two did, you will do anything in your power to keep who you care about and yourself in good relations. However, I do know a close friend of mine who did as Wes two and chose the wrong path in life. You choose your own life using your own free will and good judgement.

In The Other Wes Moore: One Name, Two Fates ( New York: Spiegel & Grau, 2010), the first Wes tells the story about two kids with the same name and very similar lifestyles, growing up, but ending up in two completely different places with their lives.

Wes 2 could look up to, so, Wes 2 ended up following in his footsteps. Moore wrote, “Tony now

In the book, The Other Wes Moore written by Wes Moore, shows us a glimpse into two men’s lives growing up in Baltimore in the late 70s. The entire memoir is based off of both of the Wes’ lives, significant stories, and events that lead them to the places they are today. This gives us a peek into how it was like to grow up surrounded by the war on drugs. Wes explains how he wasn’t so far from the other Wes and the chances of him having the same fate wasn’t so far fetched for a large chunk of his life.. We see drugs directly affect both of the boys from selling, to knowing someone addicted. Being around this was normal for both of them; it’s possible the reason the author escaped a similar fate because his mom worked for him to be removed from

We’re going to mourn their absence in different ways.” (Moore, 1). Wes let his father’s death keep him from doing something good in his life. The other Wes decided to take his father’s absence and use it to push him to accomplish his goals. They both had a choice on how to react to it. Unlike children who grow up in the good neighborhoods of town, he has to learn how to stand up for himself and let people know that they can't mess with him.. This is especially seen in the chapter "Lost" where Wes and some members of a drug operation want to shoot a man who attacked him. Moore writes, "Tony's words rang through his mind. Send a message." (Moore, 104). Wes has free will and ultimately decides to shoot the man, but he has been taught that that’s what he is supposed to do from the day he was born. It was how he was raised and it is what was expected. Because of this reason much of his decision to shoot the man can also be because of fate. Wes did not choose to have Tony teach him how to fight when he was young and did not know any better. Nobody told him that it wasn’t okay or was there to teach him right from wrong so his experiences when he was growing up are things that continue to affect him later on and even into his adult life.

The Other Wes Moore The Other Wes Moore is a book about two children with similar lifestyles when they were growing up and the same names, but ending up in different places in their lives. The story is about the other Wes Moore, who was convicted of first degree murder and sentenced to life imprisonment and Wes Moore, the author, who faces poverty and has an ambition of receiving proper education (Moore, 2012).