In “The Other Wes Moore” by Wes Moore, two characters share the same city and names but follow divergent paths in life. Both kids reside in Baltimore, a city plagued by drugs and poverty. Violence pervades the narrative, and both boys experience encounters with the criminal justice system. The education of both Wes Moore boys is marked by difficulties in attending school regularly and academic struggles. Although their stories begin similarly, each boy grows up to lead vastly different lives.
Both Wes Moores grew up in the same neighborhood and were influenced by the same surroundings, yet their lives took different paths, which is ironic. Also, it is ironic how the actions of women impacted both of their lives. Wes faced police trouble and difficulties at school, leading his mother to enroll him in a military school to prevent him from succumbing to the drug culture. Conversely, the other Wes Moore’s mother gave up on her sons, allowing them to make their own choices. This decision resulted in a cycle of drug use and violence in the other Wes’ life. The mothers in “The Other Wes Moore” played a crucial role in shaping their sons into the men they are today.
Wes Moore, who becomes a Rhodes Scholar, decorated veteran, White House fellow, and successful business man, contrasts sharply with the other Wes Moore, who will spend the rest of his life in jail for murder. Therefore, the quote “The chilling truth is that his story could have been mine. The tragedy is that my story could have been his,” highlights the potential for their situations to have easily been reversed. It could have just as easily been Wes who ended up facing a life sentence in jail, while the other Wes could have been molded into a successful individual.
Wes’ situation was different from the other Wes. Wes received assistance from his mother to escape the violence and she played a significant role in steering his life towards a better direction. She made every effort necessary to ensure her son did not get entangled further into the world of violence. In contrast, the other Wes did not have a support system like that. His mother did not actively attempt to create new opportunities for her sons. She observed passively as her sons sank deeper and deeper into a life dominated by violence, ultimately resulting in Wes being imprisoned.
The story of the other Wes Moore is a tragedy because he lacked the same support system that Wes Moore had. Unlike Wes, the other Wes’s mother did not take the actions necessary to provide him with a better life. If she had made more efforts to protect her children from violence and drugs, the other Wes might have had a chance to succeed instead of spending his nights behind bars.
According to the book (Moore & Smiley, 2010), personal responsibility plays a crucial role in determining an individual’s “final destiny”. The “other Wes Moore” consciously chooses a life of crime to achieve his goals. His personal decisions along his journey to adulthood are influenced by the values he adopts. After multiple attempts to escape from military school, the “lucky” Wes Moore decides to stay and focus on his studies. This decision paves the way for success in his future endeavors, as he learns to overcome challenges and achieve his goals. The differing reactions of the two Wes Moores to their situations sets them on different paths in life. By examining the various factors that shape their lives from childhood, we can identify ways to guide younger generations in the black community towards a successful future instead of self-destruction (Sragow, 2010).
The Author Wes Moore hailed from a family with a strong educational background, where everyone had graduated from four-year colleges. On the other hand, the mother of the other Wes Moore had an associate’s degree but had to abandon her college education due to insufficient government funding. The disparity in educational opportunities between the two Wes Moores influenced their respective perspectives on achieving success. In his book, the Author Wes Moore emphasized that education held the key to future success and without it, life appeared to lack meaning. Ultimately, a person’s triumphs or failures could be attributed to various factors such as their surroundings, education, and choices.
