“Today is not the victory – today is the opportunity,” newly elected governor of Maryland Wes Moore declared at the conclusion of his inaugural address on January 18, 2023. This mindset of taking events as opportunities for progress is part of the reason Moore reached the office he is in today. In his book The Other Wes Moore: One Name, Two Fates, Moore explores the path he took to his current successes in comparison to the journey of a man of the same name that grew up in the same neighborhood, but wound up in prison. Author Wes Moore (Moore) succeeded more fully than the incarcerated Wes Moore (Wes) partially due to Moore’s taking advantage of opportunities he was given, but also because of the luck Moore had to have specific role models …show more content…
Whereas Wes only had a distant older brother, Moore has both a younger and older sister, with whom he was very close. Nikki was seven years older than Moore, and he “spend nearly every waking moment around Nikki, and [he] loved her dearly.” (22i). Nikki clearly loved her little brother just as much, The Other Wes Moore is full of examples of Nikki helping her mother care for Moore, from helping him buckle his seatbelt (80i) to putting Moore on her lap while waiting for news of their dad in the hospital (36i), to taking responsibility of leading her siblings while showing emergency personnel into the house (34i). Nikki’s active role in caring for Moore contrasts with Tony’s contradictory warnings. Being a responsible role model who, despite struggling in high school, eventually does well for herself in life, makes her a positive influence on Moore, contrasting with Tony’s negative influence on Wes. Moore was lucky to have Nikki as one good role model, but luckier to have another in his younger sister, Shani, who “... was a prodigy: (149ibook) in the academic …show more content…
Part of each sibling’s shaping of each Wes Moore’s journey was due to luck. Moore was lucky to have siblings who weren’t involved in the drug business, were good influences, looked after him, and taught him responsibility. Wes was unlucky to have a distant, paradoxical brother who urged Wes to take a better path than he did but trailblazed a path into drug dealing. However, each Wes Moore was also responsible for learning from his siblings. Wes could have taken Tony’s advice not to be involved in drugs despite Tony’s own behavior, and Moore could have shirked his duties to care for Shani. Each man chose whether or not to take control of his own life, and the difference between their affinity to grab at opportunity or not remains in their mindsets in the present, clear when Wes claims, “‘[We’re all just] products of … others’ expectations that you take on as your own’” (239), and Moore “sympathized with him, but [he] recoiled from [Wes’s] ability to shed responsibility seamlessly and drape it at the feet of others,” replying, “‘True, but it’s easy to lose control when you were never looking for it in the first place.’” (239). This “Today is the opportunity” mindset helped Moore use the chances he was given to pave the path to his success
Where we’re from, who we know, and how our mental makeup is, is very important in our lives. It can be the deciding factor between life in prison and a life dedicated to giving back to others. In The Other Wes Moore, The lives of two young men are examined through three distinct lenses, how the role our environment, social capital (How we get ahead by helping each other) and how our mindset can dictate who we become later on in life. Both of these young men grew up in roughly the same environment, the ghettos of Baltimore, Maryland and the Bronx, New York, respectively.
Many younger kids are relied on to take care and “baby-sit” their older sibling because their brother or sister has special needs. That is exactly how Moose Flanagan lives with her sister, Natalie Flanagan. Natalie is way older than Moose, but huge responsibilities are put forth on Moose’s shoulders, especially since they live on Alcatraz Island. Literally... Moose and Natalie have a hunky-dory but sometimes unpleasant relationship because Moose responsibly takes care of Natalie.
Just imagine if you lost someone who was extremely immediate or someone you barely even knew. Afterall, they’re two completely different situations, but both Wes’s encountered one or the other. Many children experience this complication and don’t always turn out to be at their highest quality. Moreover, leaving them with a boundless affect, having they just lost someone remarkable to them. Although this may be true, could it affect them if they weren’t there at all.
The author highlighted the early similarities in the lives himself and the other Wes Moore to make it clear that, when their paths diverged, it was largely due to choices. Additionally, to ensure readers learned from the mistakes they made, Moore emphasized the consequences each man faced. Finally, the epilogue laid out the benefits of overcoming obstacles versus succumbing to the environment you grew up. In conclusion, the decisions the author made in terms of the plot helped him successfully communicate his purpose that working hard to overcome obstacles is
In life, there are many possible roads that a person can take. Some may be smooth and lined with gold bricks and success, and some may be bumpy and paved with dirt and frustration. The things that a person does in their lifetime that leads to the end of the road comes along with many accomplishments and even more failure along the way. There are some things that can prevent these defeating things from happening such as a good supportive family and having role models in life. As exemplified by the memoir The Other Wes Moore, the author suggests that regardless of environment, lives can end up entirely divergent due to family support, choices and consequences.
Lorenzo’s family gain strength from the other families that they became so close with who lost their children. In The Other Sister, besides Daniel there was not any other children or families with children with disabilities. Carla’s mom always felt like a failure and this was because she didn’t have strong friends beside her that could share in her pains and struggles. When Carla acted up her mother was always embarrassed, she knew people were looking at her and her family and judging. Carla’s
Sarah was a member of the Presbyterian Church and ran the children's group. The eldest of their son, Herman, was often seen by his dad's side. The Daughter, Katherine was the one who was friends with the Stillinger Sisters. Boyd and Paul, the youngest boys, were very young at the time of their deaths, unfortunately. It just so happened that that night two of Katherine’s friends were also found murdered, Lena Stillinger and her sister Ina Stillinger, both coming from the church that the Moores went to that day.
Kaeleigh starts to be known as the good girl she has good grades, school play, the right clothes, the right friends. Raeanne is the exact opposite, skipping school, pot smoking, and dangerous sex. Their mother is running for office and is basically gone. Their Dad is a judge who 8 years ago he was drunk, when he crashed their car. Their Mom has been having surgeries to fix it ever since the family is seriously broken.
A novel of mystery, political, vengeance and suspense is all one book, The Round House. This novel captures a story of a thirty-year-old man Joe, looking back into the beginning of his teen years by telling his own personal story. Joe begins the story by explaining of an attack that happened to his mother Geraldine. This attack changed Joe's life and lead him to do things that may or may not benefit him. In the novel, Joe will have to go through many hardships to help his mother overcome her fears of being traumatized and help figure out who the attacker was.
(Moore 89). This interaction was hurtful and embarrassing for Wes. He had an absent father who chose not to acknowledge and be there for him. A father has a big impact in their child's life, so the fact that Wes’s father couldn't even recognize his son tells us how absent he really was. This goes back to the point of how having an absent father negatively affected Wes because in the future, Wes becomes an absent father himself when he ends up in a life of imprisonment.
The Love We Hide It is Carl Rogers, a psychologist, who came up with the theory that all people were born good, but they were spoiled by the bad people of the world. We all are born with simple traits like love and compassion, but it’s our bring-up that determines who we will become. In The Help, we see two maids and one white woman convey their love and compassion, not just to better their own lives but to improve the lives of others like their bosses and the children they take care of. Notably, one of our first maids Aibileen demonstrates her loving care and compassion she holds for others and not just those of her own skin color.
Moore exhibits how, “… few lives hinge on any single moment or decision or circumstance,” and that there was not defining difference between him and the incarcerated man who shares his name (182). The main difference between him and the other Wes Moore is the collection of family, culture, and experience that Moore had in his upbringing. His mother and grandparents, by providing structure and the opportunity to go to private and military school, “… made it clear that they cared if [he] succeeded, and eventually so did [he]” (115). His mother and grandparents, through their constant attempts to keep Moore looking beyond his seemingly hopeless future, created expectations for him that he would ultimately want for himself. On the other hand, the other Wes Moore never seemed to have any meaningful expectations that he could seek.
The Awakening: 1995 Essay Prompt In this world where humans are creatures of habit, it is much easier to conform to a crowd and follow everyone else’s lead. One is much more likely to be judged and chastised for expressing individuality than for remaining a follower who does not think for him or herself. In The Awakening, as Edna Pontellier makes her way through the process of discovering herself through a spiritual awakening, she goes against the social norms and expectations that she is accustomed to, which ultimately leads to her alienating herself from all of the people around her.
The Other Wes Moore is a story around two young fellows with near establishments and practically identical conditions, encountering adolescence in equivalent neighborhoods. Honestly, at first look, the peruser might be obliged to see these young fellows as the same, and contemplate what made their lives to twist up so in a startling way. To that investigate the proper reaction is straightforward, the young fellows had one vital complexity that drastically affected their destinies. Wes Moore made The Other Wes Moore to exhibit that if kids don 't have strong parental figures they won 't be powerful in life. There are a couple of conditions in which "other" Wes ' mother, Mary, does not give the heading that her youngster so wildly needs.
A family has the faculty to become a person’s most colossal adherent, pushing them to be more proficiently adept at life. Albeit this may be true, in ‘A Raisin in the Sun’ Walter doesn’t feel as though his relatives fortifies his conceptions to advance himself along with the family, engendering a better life for them altogether. Walter Lee Younger is the oldest male in the household, who strives to be able to provide for his kin like his father once did, by creating his own business. Walter, at times, feels inferior in the house full of women, as they continue to shut his ideas down causing him to feel jealous of those who have succeeded. This causes him to be bitter towards the women in his life.