The Other Wes Moore Analysis

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Family Ties in The Other Wes Moore James Baldwin once said, “Children have never been very good at listening to their elders, but they have never failed to imitate them.” In any family, one can see how parental guidance makes or breaks a child’s future. The author of The Other Wes Moore, Wes Moore, explores this idea by contrasting the outcomes of two men with the same name. As a decorated veteran, Rhodes scholar, and White House Fellow, the author hears of a man with his name wanted for murdering a police officer. Haunted by the coincidence, he reaches out to the “other” Wes Moore after he is imprisoned years later. From there, Wes Moore uncovers countless decisions, sacrifices, and mistakes that diverged the two men’s seemingly similar lives, …show more content…

In youth and throughout life, children look to their parents for answers. Providing advice, tough love, and unconditional support is part of the job description for many parents. In The Other Wes Moore, the audience witnesses first-hand accounts of having a mother that takes on both “mother” and “father” roles. Wes’s mother is strong, courageous, and compassionate, while the Other Wes Moore’s mother is just as compassionate, but naive and in denial of her child’s faults. Wes’s mother, for instance, held high expectations for her son in school, considering the sacrifices she made to send him to the school she wished she could attend in her youth. When hearing of Wes’s grades she says, “Well your grades aren’t bad because you can’t pick this stuff up or because you are stupid, you are just not working hard enough” (76). From there, she proceeds to send Wes to military school, which …show more content…

In The Other Wes Moore, the author discusses the importance of parents and activity in their children’s lives by revealing how expectations from his family influenced his self-motivation and goal-setting. “With our mother working so much, and our grandparents obviously slowing in energy, my sisters and I were supposed to look after one another. Nikki was older, so she was always the one looking after me, and it was my responsibility to look after Shani” (77). Here, Wes discusses how Nikki was someone he wanted to emulate. Despite Nikki’s “turbulent” high school experience, she was always there to look after Wes and guide him. In addition to his mother, Wes’s sister was also a role model for him. When he didn’t have his mother around to ask for advice, he was always able to talk to Nikki and receive thoughtful advice. Additionally, Wes was responsible and accountable for his sister, Shani, which resulted in character growth and an understanding of what was expected of him. Throughout the book and in interviews, Wes Moore states that expectations are crucial.“Do you think that we 're products of our environments? I think so, or maybe products of our expectations. Others ' expectations of us or our expectations. I mean others ' expectations that you take on as your own. I realize how difficult it is to separate the two. The expectations that others place on us

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