In the short story “Life and Death” the lives of the two main characters, both named Wes Moore, were extremely identical. Suddenly, everything changed when one of them made a mistake that led to his imprisonment while the other one became a successful businessman. Well, if you are wondering how that happened it is because of 2 words “ Being resilient ”.The different outcomes happened because of access to opportunities, supporting systems, and willingness to take responsibility for their actions and learn from their mistakes.
First off, Wes Moore's success was largely a result of his access to nice opportunities. While both Wes Moores were raised in poverty in Baltimore, the author "Wes Moore" was able to enroll in the prestigious Valley Forge Military Academy. He needed to get enrolled there because he wasn’t taking responsibility for his grades.” By the age of 12, his grades had slipped. He skipped school to hang out on the streets ".(Page 32) After that, He graduated as one the highest ranking students out of 750 cadets. This eventually provided him with many opportunities. On the other hand, Wesly Moore had less access to educational
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His family members supported him and believed in his ability to succeed. For example, his mother Joy was very important in his life, “the rock of our family”.(Page 50) For Wes's benefit, she sent him to a military academy “I lost my husband and I’m not going to lose my son”.(Page 31). The academy is one of the few things that helped Wes become so successful! In contrast, the imprisoned Moore had no support. His brother Tony influenced him to engage in drug dealing and other bad activities. Also, Tony didn’t even support his brother and mom. Sadly Wes was gaining lots of influence from Tony.” Wes’s half-brother, Tony didn’t live with Wes and his mother, but Wes saw Tony often and looked to him for guidance”.(Page