The Other Wes Moore: An Analysis

Life is a complicated state of existence. It has ups and downs and twists and turns, that we have to face. Through all these struggles a decision has to be made along the way, whether it be made by us or for us, something will change. But the only way to modify the way we live our lives, our habits, and our morals is to change it ourselves. I believe that our future can be transformed by someone else’s decisions, but our future will only truly be changed by our own decisions.

In Wes Moore’s The Other Wes Moore, two males with identical names, both struggle through their adolescence. Both missing their father, their mother is left in charge of taking care of them. The author Wes Moore’s mother, Joy, seems to be more engaged in her son’s life than the other Wes Moore’s mother, Mary, is. Joy disciplines her son by sending him to

military school when he starts to get out of hand, while Mary does not want to deem the corrupt things her son is accused of doing. I believe this is part of the foremost reason that author Wes Moore results in being a Rhodes Scholar, White House Fellow, Veteran and business leader. The other part is what Wes Moore does himself. He has to choose what kind of life he wants to live. “The choices we make about the lives we live determine the kinds of legacies we leave” (Moore 185). Meaning, he has to want to change his life and the decisions he makes to develop into a successful man. Joy made some decrees to help Wes get on the right path, but from there he decided to take hold of his own life and became as prosperous as he did. He apprehended his life was going downhill and needed to be turned around quickly. Moore said, “the possibility of losing control of my life was like a depthless black chasm that had suddenly opened up in front of me” (83). Indicating that Moore knew he was making unsuitable decisions and needed to change immediately before he turned out like the other Wes Moore.
On the other hand, the other Wes Moore never really had any decisions made for him. He did not have someone to get him on the accurate path like author Wes Moore did. He just kept failing, but never realized it. “If the situation or the context where you make the decisions don’t change, then second chances don’t mean too much, huh?” (qtd. in Moore 66). Signifying, if you do not change how you want your life to turn out you are going to keep making the identical mistakes over and over again. I think the other Wes Moore finally recognized this when he was in prison for robbery. Maybe now he gathered that the decisions he makes, affects the whole entirety of his life.
Nevertheless, the decision making process is not just susceptible in Wes Moore’s situation but in my own.

My parents have made most of my decisions about my life up until this point, where I go off to college. They have created a life for me and now it is my turn to take over and start making my own decisions. These decisions my parents have made for me have made it simpler to realize what I want my future to be like; how I want to live, who I want to be, and where I want to go with my life. They have shaped me into the woman I am today, and I cannot thank them enough for that, but now I understand I have to start making my own decisions. I feel I am prepared to manage my life and make my own judgements. But no matter what happens my parents will always be there to help guide me. Along with my parents help, I will be able to use the resources the Ohio State Marion campus offers me. If I ever require help in a class I know I can go to the tutoring center. I will have the library to utilize for studying and attaining any books I need to borrow. And lastly, I will also have professors and friends that I can confide

in.
Though life is truly complicated with all sorts of decisions and opportunities, if you want to be successful you are going to have to make those inflexible decisions. Decide for yourself what you want in your life and go after it. No one ever got to be successful by not putting in the hard work, time and effort. So from the wise words of Wes Moore, “when it is time for you to leave this school, leave your job, or even leave this earth, you make sure you have worked hard to make sure it mattered you were even here” (133).