Wes Moore's Short Stories

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Not far from each other lived two men who shared the same name, Wes Moore. Both men had the same name but had different paths that lead one to be a Rhodes Scholar meanwhile the other would spend the rest of his life behind bars. In the introduction to the book, the author, Wes Moore says, "The chilling truth is that his story could have been mine. The tragedy is that my story could have been his" (Moore, xi). Wes Moore wasn't often the brightest of all teenagers and it would not be until he was sent to military school where he would figure out what life meant with out his mother and the obstacles he had to face. The other Wes Moore tried to fix his life and provide for his four kids; however, making money the correct way wasn't something that It's also a personal connection to some people who live in the struggle and have their parents take on multiple jobs to make sure that the family can be supported. In addition, the other Wes shows how emotional it is to be a father of four and a husband. The author describes Wes's actions, "Tears welled in Wes's eyes but never fell. He'd realized long ago that crying does no good" (Moore, 145). Moore describes how Wes's pain to try to support his family is difficult. Wes's tears symbolize his struggles to try to thrive and overcome the obstacles of being a father. However, tears mean nothing since it doesn't propel you to move on forward to become more successful. Evidently, Wes had to change the way he made more money, which would eventually end up costing him his rights of being a free human. The description was "After grabbing $438,000 worth of watches and jewels from the store, one of the robbers yelled "Let's go"… Once the thieves cleared the door, these few quickly rose to their feet. Sergeant Prothero followed his instincts and ran out after the robbers. Drawing his weapon from his holster, he sprinted through the entrance… a black-gloved hand reached out of the window holding a handgun and let off three shots, striking Prothero at point-blank range" (Moore, Wes was fortunate to have a mother that cared for him and didn't want to see him end up failing like the other Wes Moore, and therefore ended up in Military school. He learned that playing pro-basketball isn't meant for everyone and would need to back it up with something more realistic. Going to South Africa and connecting with Zinzi was symbolically good for Wes because it showed Wes that anyone can be successful without doing the same things you did. Wes, being underprivileged due to his income and lack of care for school mirrors what most children in public schools suffers. However, he proves that if you try and commit yourself to being the best, you will receive opportunities to succeed. Wes says, "His tribes influence in making him a man was obvious and indelible. At that moment, I realized the journey I took was never mine alone either" (Moore, 171). Everyone is different, but finally, Wes lets the reader know that in order to be given great opportunities, you must overcome obstacle to let the new opportunities come to

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