Encompassing the teenage years of both Wes Moores, the
chapters “Marking Territory”, “ Lost”, and “Hunted” from Wes Moore’s The Other Wes Moore, mark the
transformations of both men into their future lives based on the choices they
make and opportunities given. Entitled
“Choices and Second Chances,” Wes Moore has appropriately named his second
collection of chapters to align with his purpose of illustrating the importance
of the decisions each person makes in shaping their own lives. Faced with many choices and even second
chances in their lives, both Wes Moores made major decisions in this section,
their lives transforming into what they currently may resemble.
Wes Moore effectively includes many examples to show the
consequences and importance of the decisions the two Wes Moores make, showing a
correlation between the title of the section and the chapters. As the author himself stated, “These forks
in the road can happen so fast for young boys; within months or even weeks,
their journeys can take a decisive and possible irrevocable turn.” (Pg. 95) Moore
clearly emphasizes that in a person’s life, everything can change rapidly due
to decisions made, and oftentimes, it is not possible to return to old
ways. Further demonstrated is the
importance in making the right choices and thinking through decisions. The author, Wes, began to contemplate
his decisions, saying “I thought about my mother and how she would feel if this
escalated any further. I thought about my father and the name he chose for me.”
Pg. 121 Here it is possible to see the choice to not only think of your own
future, but that of those you love as well. In addition, both Wes Moores are offered second chances in
their experiences, yet the difference comes in what they chose to do with such
chances. The second Wes’s brother, Tony, warning him several times not to get
into the drug game, stating that “if you won’t listen, that’s on you. You have
potential to do so much more….” Ignoring such warnings, the second Wes only
gets deeper into the drug game, and eventually, to the point of no return.
Meanwhile, the first Wes learned to embrace military school and honor the
sacrifices his family made for him, to better his life.
By appropriately aligning the section title to the chapters,
Wes Moore is able to demonstrate that each individual person will be faced with
difficult choices in life, which will shape the person they are. The decisions
of the two Wes Moores clearly altered their futures, one becoming a successful
writer (among other professions), while the other ended up in jail. The actions
of both of the men were decisive in determining their futures, making the title
“choices and second chances” a strong fit for this section of the lives of the
two Wes Moores.
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