The Other Wes Moore Research Paper

What Can Affect Us Today When you’re walking down the street and see the kids out and about, what are some things that you see that can affect their behavior or even their future possibly? The things that go on in today’s society have played a major role in how this generation, along with others turn out. An individual being raised in a single-parent home, in an immoral community, or maybe even losing someone that meant everything to them can affect their lives in ways that can either send them down the right or wrong road. Also, a person’s choices or decision-making skills can affect their life in a major way. “Your choices will determine your future” was always something I was told as a youth. When reading The Other Wes Moore these problems
played a major role in both Weses’ lives; they determined not only their future but also their fate. A single-parent home can truly affect an individual’s life in many ways.
Being without a father in the home is more normal than not having a mother in the home. In the book, the other Wes made a rich comment about how both would mourn over their father’s absence by stating “Your father wasn’t there because he couldn’t be, my father wasn’t there because he chose not to be. We’re going to mourn their absence in different ways” (pg.3). When he made this statement he was referring to the fact that author Wes lost his dad to a sudden death, while the other Wes dad picked not to be in his life. The author used the good memories of his dad, while the other Wes looked up to his oldest brother Tony as his father figure. Even though Tony wanted Wes to stay away from the drug game and the streets, he turned to what he had seen Tony doing. The writer Wes used his good memories of his dad to make him a stronger and wiser man. He saw how his dad did what he had to do to provide for his family. From personal experience I know how it feels to not have your dad in the home. Your home feels incomplete and all you can do is hope that daddy will come home one day. My dad left when I was two because of the problems between him and my mom. He was never abusive nor an addict; he just left me. I used to blame myself for him leaving, but he eventually explained everything to me. When you grow up missing a parent in the home it can lead to drug/ alcohol abuse, emotional distress, suicide, and other
harmful things and that’s what happened with the other Wes Moore. A person’s community can also determine their lives.
If an individual lives in an immoral or ruthless community, they are subjected to immoral and ruthless actions. One may think a community is just a place where one resides but it is much bigger than that, it’s a second family. It was stated that “The basketball court is a strange patch of neutral ground, a meeting place for every element of a neighborhood cohort of young men…We were all enclosed by the same fence, bumping into one another, fighting, celebrating. Showing one another our best and worst, revealing ourselves—even our cruelty and crimes—as if that fence had created a circle of trust. A brotherhood” (pg.45). The streets can teach one various life skills that a parent cannot, especially in a rough neighborhood in the heart of Maryland. The author Wes and his family moved into his grandparents’ home and the same rules that applied to his mother applied to him. “… My grandparents figured if these rules had helped their children successfully navigate the world, they would work on their grandkids too” (pg.42) states the author Wes as he discussed how he had to be in before the street light would come on. His family was sterner on him and his sister because they wanted what was best for them. They lived in the nicest community and went to the nicest white school for the reason that their mom wants her kids to stay away from all the trouble and how bad Harlem had changed since she left. Not saying the other Wes’
mother didn’t want what was best, but she wasn’t always around to enforce the rules. Tony was the head man and whatever Tony did Wes did. Wes looked up to his big brother and when Tony found out about Wes being in the drug game it really frustrated him because he did all he could to keep Wes away from it, yet his community only drew him in. He lived in a community were the drug dealers ran the streets, the citizens were afraid of the crack heads, and were the poverty was higher due to lack of education; without an education, there is no chance in someone finding a job. Finally, the choices one make will determine whether your life sinks or floats. Everyone makes mistakes in life but as Wes says “…sometimes it’s hard to distinguish between second chances and last chances” (ch.4 intro). My family has always told me that “everyone deserves a second chance, no matter right or wrong” and I find this to be true. An individual can be sweet as honey and go out a mess up one time and that’s their life; gone forever. I personally feel as though some choices or decision can be made off of the crowd someone is following, and following the crowd will have your future either ideal or torment. By the other Wes following the crowd and doing what he saw others do his life will be spent behind bars for murder, while the author Wes will be spending his life doing something he loves and that is writing.