3. Should we blame ourselves for our mistakes or should we blame our parents? In my opinion, people should take the blame for our own mistakes. Our parents raised us but we make our own choices. Our parents may have raised us but it’s our responsibility to make the right choice. As we come into adulthood, we must learn to take responsibility for our actions and accept the consequences that follow. We must deal with our consequences and avoid putting the blame on others. In the book, The Other Wes Moore, Inmate Wes’s mother tried several different things to keep him away from drugs and drug dealing. She worked and moved her residence several times in order to keep him out of the drug path. Unfortunately, he always found his way toward drug involvement. Some people grew up seeing their parents put the blame on others, …show more content…
while others grew up being taught to take responsibility for their actions. Too often we as a society allow others to be blamed for our mistakes and actions. Imagine If we were to allow everyone to put the blame on one another. There would be more serial killers who would have gotten away with murder just by saying “wasn’t me’ and putting the blame on someone else. If we were to allow people to blame others for their mistakes many innocent people would be sitting in jail for someone else’s actions and mistakes. In The Other Wes Moore inmate Wes tells author Wes of his innocence stating “ I wasn’t even there that day.” Those who put the blame on others are only trying to get out of the consequences that come with their actions. My motto is “my mistake my consequence”. The bottom line is-The blame is on us not those around us. 7. Do you agree with Wes’s opinion that the expectations that others place on us help us form our expectations of ourselves? I do agree that the expectations that others have for us help shape who we are today and help us create expectations for ourselves. Many people have expectations for not only themselves but for those others in their life. Expectations help people to become better citizens and to achieve the things wanted in life. Without expectations, some people will have a more difficult time getting where they want to be in life. Author Wes’s mother put expectations on him to help him stay focused on school and away from the drug problems going on around him. Author Wes’s mother put him in military school to keep him safe and away from trouble. He would have preferred to stay with his mother but understood why she sent him away. On the other hand, inmate Wes’s mother moved in order to keep him away from drug and the drug trade but he always found his way back to selling drugs. Both author Wes and inmate Wes’s mothers’ had expectations for them. These expectations led to very different lives. Some people set low expectations while others set high expectations. Expectations help keep one focused on the important things and to behave appropriately. I always grew up with expectations of being able to cook and clean for myself so I wouldn’t have to depend on anyone. As you grow you will learn to set expectations for yourself. Many people have dreams and goals that they want to achieve but don’t behave appropriately in order to achieve them. 2. Wes 1 and Wes 2 started off in the same place. Both grew up in single-parent households with working-class mothers, in neighborhoods filled with crime and drugs. At what point do you think their paths diverged, leading one to success and another to a life of crime? What was that life changing moment? Though they may have grown up around the same crime and drug filled neighborhoods, their paths have diverged over the years. Author Wes went to military school and inmate Wes went into dealing drugs. I believe that if author Wes didn’t go to military school he would have ended up in a bad situation somewhere. There is a lot of peer pressure on the streets which can lead to people to do things that they normally wouldn’t do otherwise. Inmate Wes went to Job Corps to try and get away from drug dealing.
He wasn’t successful. He then made the choice to sell drugs again in order to help provide for his children and his mother; who was raising not only his children but his brother Tony’s as well. Both men experienced life changing moments that directed their paths. Author Wes’s moment was when his mother sent him to military school where he could focus and stay away from crime and drugs. Inmate Wes’s moment was when he agreed to a robbery that ended in homicide. Though they were raised in the same type of household both men had a choice: To either lead a life of drugs and possibly crime or walk away. Author Wes made the choice to stay away from drugs, while Inmate Wes chose to start dealing drugs that ended with a robbery and jail time. It is amazing to think that by making one decision, the roles could have easily been reversed. 15. Why did young Wes, who ran away from military school five times, finally decide to stay put? Direct quotes need to be provided. What impact did this have on his future? What do you think would have happened to him if he had run away for
good? Author Wes decided to stay put in military school instead of running away because he realized it was much harder than he thought to escape military school. The last time he ran away he stated: “ I had never wanted anything more in my life than to leave that school, and I was slowly coming to the realization that it was not going to happen.” Once he realized that he wasn’t able to escape it impacted him and his future because he put more effort into his studies and into the military. I believe, if he had run away for good I don’t think he would have made it back home. After he realized he was given wrong directions he stated “The directions he had given me were fake. They’d led me nowhere but to the middle of the woods”, where he was dazed and confused. He went back to campus without a fight, where he had to talk to Colonel Battaglioli. While he was at the military school they were allowed “no phone calls, no televisions, no radios, and no visits.” Though an exception was made that night for him to call and talk to his mother. In my opinion, they allowed him to make the phone call to his mother in hopes that she would talk him into not running away anymore. During his phone call with his mother, he learned that she contacted every family member for money so she would be able to put him in the school. 9. Why do you think the incarcerated Wes continues to proclaim his innocence regarding his role in the crime for which he was convicted? How does this impact your opinion of him? In my opinion, I think he continues to proclaim his innocence in the crime he was convicted of. He doesn’t want to spend the rest of his life behind bars, thus missing out on his children’s lives. While he was in Job Corps, all he could think about was his daughter and how she was growing up and he was missing out on her milestones growing up. My opinion of him is not impacted because of the crimes he committed or the fact that he is missing out on his children’s lives. It’s impacted because of his choice to stay in the drug game rather than create a better life for himself and his family.
The novel guides you through the 8 crazy years that led to Wes Moore 1's success and Wes Moore 2's life sentence in prison. Wes Moore 1 definitely did not have the perfect life but his life had more positives than Wes Moore 2. Wes's family, friends and the military impacted his decision making and life choices that make him successful today. But the more he tried to be like his brother, the more Tony pushed back.”
Wes was abandoned by his father soon after he was born and Tony, Wes’s brother, who was often at the Murphy Home Projects left Wes to be the “man of the house”. The absence of an older male figure made Wes more independent and, with Mary’s low paying job, made him have to provide for himself. Having to equip himself for day to day life built the base for Wes to experiment with the drug trade and, eventually, got him arrested multiple times. Tony wanted to keep Wes from the drug trade, in one instant he beat Wes up for being involved, but he knew that “his mission as a big brother was to toughen him up for the battles [he] knew Wes would have to fight as he got older”. As a young boy, Wes wanted to be exactly like his older brother, but as a hypocrite, Tony wanted Wes to stay out of the drug trade while he, himself, was deeply involved in the trade. The older Tony got, the more he realized how inevitable it was that Wes would engage in the drug trade. Once he realized Wes would become involved, he began to prepare him through fights and him protective advice. By being a drug dealer, Tony injured Wes’s future, and when Tony associated Wes with the jewelry store robbery, he destroyed Wes’s future. The men that influenced Wes Moore throughout his lifetime were the ones that made him the human destined to spend the rest of his life in
In the passage from The Other Wes Moore, author Wes Moore uses an event to display a moment when he matures and realizes if he screws up his life, he may never get control of his fate back. After getting caught spray painting a wall, Author Wes Moore, AWM, states, “he had control of my destiny–or at least my immediate fate. And I couldn’t deny that it was my own stupid fault”(83).
Therefore, one of the two Wes Moores became a prisoner, convicted for robbery and murder. And the other one is Rhodes scholar and become a famous author. Even though they grew up in the same environment, but there is a big difference: the author Wes’s parents graduated from college and well educated, while the other Wes’s parents even didn’t finish school. So, according to the book, the most significant effect in the two Wes Moores lives is the education level of their parents.
The Other Wes Moore was a book written by Wes Moore about two boys who were very similar growing up. They both grew up with out their dad and in a rough lifestyle. The two boys lived in same rough Baltimore neighborhoods with activity going on always. The difference is one grew up to have a successful life and the other is spending the rest of his life lock up as a convicted murderer.
The path of Wes, the felon, was a life filled with drugs, anger, and reckless choices. His mother and brother were the major
Why have the two boys, with the same name and grew up fatherless in the similar poverty-stricken neighborhoods, developed into two dramatically different individuals: a Rhodes Scholar and a convicted inmate? While the book The Other Wes Moore goes to great length to answer the question profoundly, I also mull over just how and why the two Wes Moores have chosen their own paths to the opposed destines. According to the book, environment, family, education, others’ expectation, and opportunities are the primary factors contributing to the two Wes Moores’ failure and success. On the top of those factors, I find that the role models, the supports of their mothers, and the choices they made are surely worth
“I guess it’s hard sometimes to distinguish between second chances and last chances” (Moore 67). This is a powerfully central theme to the book The Other Wes Moore, written by Wes Moore. For the two men this book is about, it all begins with a wide-open future. The mothers that gave birth to them and the influences they had, along with their own powerful choices, sealed their fate . People don’t ever stop growing or improving and the two Wes Moore’s are no different. Throughout their lives, they are constantly changing and in some places calling the shots. One chose correctly, and one did not.
The other Wes’s father was not a good father because he was a drunk, and cannot guide his son better. The author Wes’s father gave positive influence to him, although they lived together just a short amount of time. The author Wes writes “I tried to copy his walk, his expression. I was his main man. He was my protector” (11). After the Wes did not know why his mother mad at him, his father patiently explained that Wes could not hit people especially women and you should defend them rather than fight them. Later, his father also led the Wes apologize to his sister and mother. As a matter of fact, the series of behaviors have deeply affected the Wes. Therefore he wanted to copy his father and become a good man. For the other Wes Moore, The author writes, “Finally, after some more jostling, his father’s eyes cracked open. He saw Wes standing over him. Still squinting, he looked his son in the eyes. “Who are you?” (102). When he met his father on his aunt’s house, his father was sleeping on the couch. At that time, the Wes had not seen his father in years. Therefore, his father did not care about his life. Although the other Wes considered leaving the house, he still intended to say hello to him. As a result, his father said that who was Wes when he woke up. Obviously, the other Wes did not feel any love from his father, and he was not responsible for the Wes’
The story of two men growing up in the same neighborhood with similar backgrounds with the same name and eerily similar circumstances that leads and ultimately has each character ending up in very different places in life. Taking completely different paths to their futures is the setting of this story “The Other Wes Moore”. The way a person is shaped and guided in their developmental years does undoubtedly play a huge role in the type of person they will become in life. The author Wes does a good job of allowing you the ability to read this story and the circumstances surrounding the character his mother joy played such an important role in his success, while comparing the roll of Mary the other Wes’s mother. Both boys grew up with strong, hardworking black women in their lives and yet it still allowed for two completely different journeys. I think the lack of fathers and having not so good male role models was also a contributing factor.
After getting to know the lives and minds of some of the boys in jail, I truly believe that the prison system is the worst way to go on the journey to healing these kids. It may be most physically safe, but it will also produce a society that has not changed before and after going through the system. One of the most astounding discoveries I made, however, was realizing how rarely I thought about incarcerated youth, simply because it never seemed to crop up in my life.Never thought the system would be so tough on them and unforgiving as they were in the book. I believe that the best way to change the system and prevent youth from being tried as adults is to do exactly what Mark has done, provide an insight into the true soul and nature of youth, regardless if incarcerated or not, and fully understand their ability and
Growing up Jack’s dad’s had a “keen eye for spotting criminals of all stripes was impressive” because he would always point out people that he thought were druggies, criminals, or ex-convicts. He would tell him as a kid that there is no coming back from certain things and being in jail was one of them (Gantos 7). “His eye “wasn’t perfect. He never pegged [Jack] for being one of them” (Gantos 7). Along with his dad trying to help his son not become a criminal his high school tried to help the community as well, In the town's high school there was a presentation where criminals came to share their stories and how they regret doing the things they did because doing the time and wasting their life was not worth it. Jack believed this to be useless, “What could they say that could possibly change my life? I was enjoying my life just fine. I wasn’t going to become a criminal. I was going to be a writer. And if not a writer, I wasn’t sure what I might do, but I certainly had no interests in becoming a criminal,” (Gantos 28). Little did he know that later in life he would become a prisoner
Richard killed Frank, an innocent young man and Kyle killed an innocent young couple. Their “choices” to kill—accident or not—changed their lives forever. When Kyle chose to drive while intoxicated, he received negative consequences, living with the fact he murdered an innocent couple and serving jail time. This is something that never leaves his mind and on no
was fighting a fire on duty as a firefighter, Derek blamed “blacks, brown, yellows, its all their fault” and that lead him down a dark path. Disgruntled and confused, Derek became a leading member in a Neo-Nazi group, which he called the D.O.C. Danny, his young brother, watched, listened, and breathed every word Derek spoke. He too bought into the world of hatred. During the time Derek spent in jail for killing three black burglars, Danny tried to do everything possible so his brother would respect him when he got out. But the time in jail transformed Derek. He rethought his whole life when his former black principal visited him in jail to ask, “Has anything you’ve done made your life better?” (Kaye).
Numerous people in the world make mistakes everyday just like Greg Ousley who killed both of his parents at age 14, yet it doesn’t prevent a person from becoming a dynamic character like Greg Ousley. Greg Ousley killed his parents due to them not understanding him, but Ousley didn’t really understand why he killed them and how he was going to be changed until serving his sentence of 60 years. “Yet during this same period, Greg somehow managed to become a model inmate.” Ousley’s childhood was filled with trouble like telling friends he was going to kill his parents in 7th grade, running away from home, use of firearms, and getting high; this trouble stilled continued in prison with Ousley getting written for countless minors. Greg Ousley changed