Lab Report

Boys’ Code of Conduct
In the article “How Boys Become Men”, written by John Katz, he analyzes situations he experienced while growing up. Katz believes that boys become men by not showing fear or feelings and not ratting on others. As in the novel, The Other Wes Moore, both Weses are forced to become men at an early age. They experience events that push them to make decisions that make them grow and think like men do. Katz details the maturation process for boys, as the book, The Other Wes Moore, does with both Weses. They make decisions and take actions to mature and become a men.
“Boys live in a world with its own Code of Conduct, a set of ruthless, unspoken and unyielding rules”, stated Katz. He remembered a scene of two boys, one swinging his bag towards the head of his friend, who kept ducking away from it. When the boy called his friend “Chicken”, the friend braced himself and stopped still, letting the boy slam him across his face with the bag. “I am no Chicken”, said the boy, sending a message and not admitting the fear he was feeling inside. Both boys were becoming men; one testing the other and the other boy proving that he had nothing to fear because he had become a man.
The other Wes was 8 years old when he learn the Boys Code of Conduct. Wes was playing football with a group of boys from his neighborhood. A fight broke out between one of the boys and Wes. The boy, much smaller than Wes, punched him in the face. Wes’s focus was elsewhere. He ran to his house, leaving the boy standing there all confused. Wes remembered Tony’s words, “Send a message”. He was not scared, he never admitted the fear he was feeling inside. Wes grabbed a knife from his mother’s kitchen, and ran towards the boy to send his massage. He had to prove that he was now a man, not a child, and that no one could mess with him.
“Boys are supposed to learn to handle themselves, and never rat”. Katz learn these two rules the hard way. He remembered a fist fight he had in fifth grade with a bigger boy; it ended with a bleeding lip. When he got home his parents made him confess; he asked them not to call the boy’s mother. Katz knew he had broken the rule of “never rat”. He knew that Barry, the boy he fought, was now going to come after him. The next day, Barry was looking for him. Katz was feeling ashamed for telling and he was also frightened. “You did ask for it”, his friend Justin told him. He knew it was his consequence, for being a goody-goody and telling his parents.
In the book, The Other Wes Moore, Shea asked Wes if he wanted to tag. Wes couldn’t say no. When Wes moved to the Bronx, the streets had expectations. Shea, was a runner, and one of the most respected young hustlers in the neighborhood. Wes didn’t have a chance to act like a goody-goody. He had to meet Shea’s expectations if he wanted to show he was becoming a men. They both pulled out cans of spray paint, and began to tag; Wes’s tag was a KK with a circle around. Seconds later, a police cruiser pulled up and both Shea and Wes ended in the back sit of the police car. Wes was terrified; he didn’t know what was going to happen next. He was fearful of disappointing his mother, but too full of pride to act like it mattered. He didn’t want to act like a goody-goody. “Boys live in a world with its own Code of conduct; a set of ruthless, unspoken and unyielding rules”. Katz gives examples of how boys become men; they grow cold hearts and are afraid to show any weakness. The novel, The Other Wes Moore, conforms to Katz explanations. Both Weses hide their emotions and grow cold hearts. Both boys have to make decisions and take actions, to show maturation; to become men.