Character Analysis: The Other Wes Moore

Amanda Gorman, an American poet, and activist were quoted as saying “Change is made of choices, and choices are made of character.” This event relates to the choices and changes made by the “other” Wes Moore in the memoir The Other Wes Moore. These choices have changed him from a convict to an altruistic person. These changes should allow him to be released from prison after 20 years. In Wes Moore’s The Other Wes Moore, the “other” Wes Moore had many obstacles growing up, from living in the crime-infested city of Baltimore to having a brother that is a drug lord, it is safe to say the “other” Wes Moore had problematic days of youth. He sold drugs. This action led him down a path that’s nearly impossible to leave. He was arrested in his early

But since then, he has participated in the making of The Other Wes Moore. He did this to veer others down a different path than the one he took. And this event takes a lot of change. It shows that he has had a change of heart and wants to do something with his life bigger than selling drugs for profit. That is why he should be released from prison after 20 years. Growing up Wes was always surrounded by crime whether it was in his community or even with family. It's unfair for society to expect kids to grow up in these conditions and not make mistakes. Although it may be true that Wes started dealing drugs, a more valid argument is how did the community help to prevent drugs? The answer is they didn’t. Drugs in Baltimore were nearly inescapable for Wes, for anyone. At one point the author describes the rising crime rates in Baltimore "Baltimore was now averaging over 3 hundred murders a year". (Moore 148). This is a clear example of a neighborhood that creates crime and doesn’t support its youth. This shows that Wes had to face diversity and challenges as soon as he was born. His neighborhood had fewer opportunities to do something good than something completely illegal. And this set Wes up from

Similarly to the first quote this quote also demonstrates that Wes has learned a lot while in prison and has now applied himself to change. Islam is a religion based on the Quran and the teaching of Muhammad. This transition to the Islamic faith for Wes shows him how to find peace. It cannot be denied that Wes has changed, with these changes he now wants to help others and use his story to educate kids around the world. Because of this, he deserves to be let out of prison early. In conclusion, there isn’t just one reason that Wes should be let out early, he was set up from birth, convicted too harshly, and became a better person while in prison. But we can conclude that Wes had finally found himself. Some people may think he is still dangerous, and there are no excuses for the murder of Prothero but Wes has proved that he shouldn’t be in prison indefinitely even if that means he only gets a little time out of