Wes Moore Life At Home Analysis

476 Words1 Page

In this quote, Wes Moore, the author, explains that it is his first morning at Valley Forge Military Academy, in Pennsylvania, which Joy had sent him to after he was put on academic and disciplinary probation at Riverdale. On the same day he was put on probation, Wes was sitting next to Shani at home, punching her arm out of boredom. At one point, he misses and splits her lip open. Infuriated, Joy slaps him across the face, and for a moment it seemed as if Wes might hit her back. Joy breaks down in tears, scared that she is “losing” her son. Life at the institution is strict and draining, requiring a great level of discipline. The new arrivals (plebes) are treated as “less than nothing,” and their first names and life stories are never mentioned. …show more content…

The map was completely fake. The boys take Wes to the office of Colonel Battagliogli, a respected and enthusiastic retired Army officer in charge of the plebes. Colonel Battagliogli tells Wes that he will allow him to talk on the phone for five minutes. Wes calls his mother and instantly begins to apologize for his past behavior and begs to go home. Before he can finish, Joy cuts him off and tells him that he is not going anywhere, his family is proud of him and have already sacrificed too much for him to be there. At the time Wes doesn’t understand his mother’s words, but years later learns that Valley Forge is even more expensive than Riverdale, and that his mother was forced to write to family and friends for help in paying the fees. After some time, Wes’s grandparents decided to use their retirement savings in order to pay for Wes’s first year at Valley Forge. Joy repeats that she loves him and is proud of him and that “it’s time to stop running.” This quote is significant because Wes’s brief conversation with his mom reminded him that it is more than just his own personal experience at stake. His entire community has made sacrifices in order to support him in making a

Open Document