Theme 1: Life Choices
1) "A year after completing the Job Corps training, Wes realized the only consistency in his employment was inconsistency. That, and the fact that none of these jobs paid over nine dollars an hour." (144)
- Many people, particularly in America, would like to think that if you work hard and strive to do better at all times, then you will prosper and be successful. Wes 2, despite the fact that he had a criminal record and no high school diploma, went into Job Corps training in the hopes for finding a profitable, stable job other than selling drugs. Even though Wes spent nine months in Job Corps, working hard and learning how to build, he still couldn't find a job that would cover his expenses and support his family. Who is to blame in this situation? The boy who came from poverty in Baltimore that was introduced to drugs in his pre-teens? Wes 2 is mostly to blame for his actions and the fact that he is in jail today, but it's not fair to say that Wes did not try to make a new life for himself and his family. Even though there are opportunities to change ones life for the better, and stay away from illegal business, these opportunities don't necessarily change peoples lives for the better. Instead they negatively affect people's lives and cause them to return to the illegal and more profitable way of life, such as selling drugs.
2) "As the baking soda swirled in the rapidly heating pot, Wes held the plastic bag with both hands and poured in nine ounces of cocaine." (145)
- Despite his attempt at finding a better life, Wes opted for the job that would pay him the most money. In communities, like the one where Wes grew up, that are ridden with crime and drugs, the only clear and straight forward job to do is to sell drugs. Drugs have a high price on them, and a high toll, and so the sellers are guaranteed a stable income if they are loyal to the business. It's difficult for a person to walk away from the drug business for a job that pays minimum wage with the only satisfaction of the job being ethical. A person who was committed to a business such as this for most of their life can't get up and walk away and expect an easy transition. Even if a person makes a conscious choice to change and be better, that one choice has very little value if all the other choices that he/she made, benefitted them in a negative way.
Theme 2: Role Models
3) "As I started to think seriously about how I could become the person I wanted to be, I looked around at some of the people who had the biggest impact on my life." (132)
- In order to figure out what people want to do with their lives, the common response is to observe the people who affect their life in some way. This could mean admiring a family friend who is always seen reading the news paper and keeping up with the changing times, or admiring a professor who shows no mercy but also desires his/her students to learn and experience life. This could also mean, observing the family member who always asks to borrow money from others. Whether a person in your life has a negative or a positive effect on you, it's important to take note of how their actions made you feel because this can better help you figure out what kind of person you want to be.
Theme 3: Drugs
4) "The sight of her coming off of her high, stumbling to the bathroom, disgusted Wes... The people who would line around the corner for drugs... He knew these people because he was the one who got them what they needed. It was his job." (138)
- Wes 2 knew the dangers of drugs but he was now starting to feel the guilt of selling them once he saw that his children's mother was addicted to heroin. Many times it takes an actual experience, not just warnings, to understand the dangers of drugs. People like Wes were getting payed for selling drugs and couldn't be bothered with the correlation of drugs and bad neighborhoods. The buying and selling of drugs not only hurts the people taking and getting high off the drug, but it also hurts the people who sell the drugs. They are hurt because they are left with the choice of getting payed well for a job that they know best or facing unemployment or minimum wage for jobs that they aren't equipped for.
5) "Wes had to reconsider what it meant to be a father. He wanted to protect his young daughter, shelter her... Without a thought about what he was taking on, he announced that he wanted to build her a house." (142)
- Similar to what Joy and Tony Moore did to Wes when he was a young boy, Wes felt the need to protect his daughter from the drug and crime ridden streets of Baltimore. Although a small wooden house would not fully shield Wes's daughter from danger, it would at least comfort Wes and offer him a peaceful state of mind. This protection from the streets is thoughtful but also hopeless keeping in consideration the percentage of people who go into the drug ring and never come out. In order for a person to do well in school and not get involved in illegal business it takes self will, not just warnings and wooden houses that offer protection, to make that goal a reality.
Monday, March 31, 2014
Monday, March 24, 2014
Justification Paper #2
Choices and Second Chances
Imagine two boys who share the same name and lived similar lives. These two boys soon turned into men and even though their backgrounds are similar, both of them made choices that made one into a credentialed author and the other into a convict. Not all of the decisions that these boys made were good, and not all were bad, but the true test of character is making a choice and knowing that there won't be a second or a last chance to help you if the choice was wrong. The title, "Choices and Second Chances," for the chapters Marking Territory, Lost, and Hunted, describe the choices that both Wes Moores made, the second chances they did or did not receive, and the impact these choices and redemption had on their lives.
Wes 1 (the author) made more beneficial choices than Wes 2 (the convict) made. Wes 1, a boy with a loving family, grew up in the Bronx for most of his childhood until he moved to Pennsylvania to attend Military school for high school. What put him in military school was his decision to not care about school and to summon Kid Kupid. He had multiple behavioral problems at school, and he cared more about hip hop and basketball then he did homework. Kid Kupid, a spray painting alter ego to Wes 1, amplified Wes 1's defiance toward his mother and the rulers. Although Wes 1 would deny it at the time, military school was his saving grace from what he would have become. Kids like Wes 1 who had behavioral issues and who grew up in a drug and crime ridden place like the Bronx either don't make it our unscathed or don't make it at all. Military school was Wes 1's second chance to do better in school and set himself up for a better future and to redeem himself of his bad choices. But ultimately, what good is a second chance if you don't use it well. Wes 1 used it well and became a senior sergeant and leader of his platoon; admirable achievements. Wes 2, on the other hand, was not so lucky. Despite his family's warnings to not participate in the drug business, Wes 2 did. At first he started out small, just having a head set and helping the dealers, and then he made it to having his own crew and his own turf. He choose drugs and unstable money over an education. Tony, Wes 2's brother, and Joy, Wes 2's mother, tried numerous times to warn him and to protect him, but Wes 2 ultimately made the choices that put him where he is now, jail. Wes 2 got a girl pregnant. Wes 2 decided to shoot a boy his own age. Wes 2 decided to make and sell drugs. These decisions and careless actions added up and no second chance could get Wes 2 out of them because he was too deep into it. Bad choices are made all the time, but the trick is knowing how to make better choices next time and to use second and last chances to your own advantage.
While both Wes 1 and Wes 2 had many things in common, they differed in many ways. For one thing, Wes 2 played in the big leagues with the drug dealers and he chose to be there. Wes 1, was more content turning into Kid Kupid and spray painting his logo onto buildings; a minor offense. But however you look at it, both Wes 1 and Wes 2 are where they are today based on the decisions that they made and the 2nd chances that were given to them.
Imagine two boys who share the same name and lived similar lives. These two boys soon turned into men and even though their backgrounds are similar, both of them made choices that made one into a credentialed author and the other into a convict. Not all of the decisions that these boys made were good, and not all were bad, but the true test of character is making a choice and knowing that there won't be a second or a last chance to help you if the choice was wrong. The title, "Choices and Second Chances," for the chapters Marking Territory, Lost, and Hunted, describe the choices that both Wes Moores made, the second chances they did or did not receive, and the impact these choices and redemption had on their lives.
Wes 1 (the author) made more beneficial choices than Wes 2 (the convict) made. Wes 1, a boy with a loving family, grew up in the Bronx for most of his childhood until he moved to Pennsylvania to attend Military school for high school. What put him in military school was his decision to not care about school and to summon Kid Kupid. He had multiple behavioral problems at school, and he cared more about hip hop and basketball then he did homework. Kid Kupid, a spray painting alter ego to Wes 1, amplified Wes 1's defiance toward his mother and the rulers. Although Wes 1 would deny it at the time, military school was his saving grace from what he would have become. Kids like Wes 1 who had behavioral issues and who grew up in a drug and crime ridden place like the Bronx either don't make it our unscathed or don't make it at all. Military school was Wes 1's second chance to do better in school and set himself up for a better future and to redeem himself of his bad choices. But ultimately, what good is a second chance if you don't use it well. Wes 1 used it well and became a senior sergeant and leader of his platoon; admirable achievements. Wes 2, on the other hand, was not so lucky. Despite his family's warnings to not participate in the drug business, Wes 2 did. At first he started out small, just having a head set and helping the dealers, and then he made it to having his own crew and his own turf. He choose drugs and unstable money over an education. Tony, Wes 2's brother, and Joy, Wes 2's mother, tried numerous times to warn him and to protect him, but Wes 2 ultimately made the choices that put him where he is now, jail. Wes 2 got a girl pregnant. Wes 2 decided to shoot a boy his own age. Wes 2 decided to make and sell drugs. These decisions and careless actions added up and no second chance could get Wes 2 out of them because he was too deep into it. Bad choices are made all the time, but the trick is knowing how to make better choices next time and to use second and last chances to your own advantage.
While both Wes 1 and Wes 2 had many things in common, they differed in many ways. For one thing, Wes 2 played in the big leagues with the drug dealers and he chose to be there. Wes 1, was more content turning into Kid Kupid and spray painting his logo onto buildings; a minor offense. But however you look at it, both Wes 1 and Wes 2 are where they are today based on the decisions that they made and the 2nd chances that were given to them.
Sunday, March 23, 2014
Chapter 6: Hunted
Theme 1: Drugs and Crime
1) "All that mattered was that he was here. He had accomplished his mission of completing high school... But only eighty-seven seats were filled that spring morning." (109)
- In Woody's perspective, school was the big challenge that he had overcome and a challenge in which many of his peers had failed to face and to defeat. People like Daemon, White Boy, and Wes were only a few of Woody's friends who dropped out of school due to complications or in search of a real life job. If Maryland had the highest rate of high school graduates, one might wonder how in Baltimore only 38% of people who started high school actually graduated. A place overcome with poverty, crime, and drugs only produces 38% of high school graduates. To people like Wes and his crew, a head set and frightening credentials was more meaningful than a high school diploma. People who grow up in a drug and crime filled environment have a hard time trying to keep their head above water let alone graduate from high school. In a place were drugs and crime is the every day norm, the aspiration to learn decreases.
2) "It was a risk, and Wes knew it. But taking risks is at the heart of the drug enterprise, and scared money didn't make money." (113)
- Wes was suspicious of the man wanting to "buy some rocks," and his instincts were correct. However, because of the pressures from the drug enterprise, Wes decided to risk his freedom for the sale of $20 worth of crack cocaine. How brave. Wes became a soldier, along with many other boys, for the drug business and was arrested multiple times because of it. However, Wes had doubts about how much he was really making from selling drugs and he realized that his bosses were the real money makers of the whole thing. By this point, the drug dealers, such as Wes, are too caught up in the business to call it quits and it becomes a burden. Educations, good relationships, financial and physical safety, and morality are all sacrificed for the selling and buying of drugs. Selling drugs starts as a profession and turns into a lifestyle that people are willing to be arrested and killed for.
Theme 2: Life Choices
3) "Should I have stayed there in the middle of the street, waiting for the boys to come back, somehow gotten them out of their car, and tested them blow for blow? Part of me was aghast when I decided the answer was no." (121)
- After being called a nigger and violently hit in the mouth, the initial response is to be angry, hurt and hungry for a fight, all of which Wes was but he subdued those feelings and strategically retreated. This thought out action is a sign that Wes was responsible and knew how to react in maddening situations. Somewhere between the time Wes started military school and the moment when he was hurt by the drunk college, he decided to make a change. The decision to make peace with attackers and to make a non-violent solution is much less costly than one that would have been made if this had happened in the Bronx, a crime filled neighborhood. If this had happened in a rougher area which has gang violence, shootings, drug raids, and muggings Wes's decision to not fight back would have been unheard of. But this decision kept Wes from being further hurt by his attackers and it kept him and his friend safe.
4) "Not surprisingly, without a high school diploma or job training - and with a criminal record - Wes found it almost impossible to find a job to support his growing family." (110)
-Wes's decision to shoot a man and participate in the drug business hurt not only his chance at a better life, but also his family's. In most cases, Life does not give too many ultimatums. Instead, people make choices that are stringed together and that impact each other. Wes's first decision to try drugs, eventually landed him into the decision of wanting a headset to help the drug dealers and then eventually he chose to be a drug dealer. Small choices overtime can either become one big burden or positive things.
Theme 3: Overcoming Obstacles
5) "I was now a platoon sergeant, a cadet master sergeant, and the youngest senior noncommissioned officer in the entire corps. Three years ago I'd been one of the insubordinate kids first entering the gates of Valley Forge." (115)
- The obstacle that Wes faced was finding motivation in school. In the Bronx, he was bored with school, torn between his community and the people who went to his school, an also more interested in hip hop and basketball. This transformation from wanting no responsibilities to being in charge of a platoon and so on, shows how much Wes wanted to succeed. Although this may have been a gradual choice for Wes to take on more challenges and strive to do better at school, this change will drastically help his future. People who show a tremendous amount of growth in character and responsibility set themselves up better in life and are models for overcoming their own faults.
1) "All that mattered was that he was here. He had accomplished his mission of completing high school... But only eighty-seven seats were filled that spring morning." (109)
- In Woody's perspective, school was the big challenge that he had overcome and a challenge in which many of his peers had failed to face and to defeat. People like Daemon, White Boy, and Wes were only a few of Woody's friends who dropped out of school due to complications or in search of a real life job. If Maryland had the highest rate of high school graduates, one might wonder how in Baltimore only 38% of people who started high school actually graduated. A place overcome with poverty, crime, and drugs only produces 38% of high school graduates. To people like Wes and his crew, a head set and frightening credentials was more meaningful than a high school diploma. People who grow up in a drug and crime filled environment have a hard time trying to keep their head above water let alone graduate from high school. In a place were drugs and crime is the every day norm, the aspiration to learn decreases.
2) "It was a risk, and Wes knew it. But taking risks is at the heart of the drug enterprise, and scared money didn't make money." (113)
- Wes was suspicious of the man wanting to "buy some rocks," and his instincts were correct. However, because of the pressures from the drug enterprise, Wes decided to risk his freedom for the sale of $20 worth of crack cocaine. How brave. Wes became a soldier, along with many other boys, for the drug business and was arrested multiple times because of it. However, Wes had doubts about how much he was really making from selling drugs and he realized that his bosses were the real money makers of the whole thing. By this point, the drug dealers, such as Wes, are too caught up in the business to call it quits and it becomes a burden. Educations, good relationships, financial and physical safety, and morality are all sacrificed for the selling and buying of drugs. Selling drugs starts as a profession and turns into a lifestyle that people are willing to be arrested and killed for.
Theme 2: Life Choices
3) "Should I have stayed there in the middle of the street, waiting for the boys to come back, somehow gotten them out of their car, and tested them blow for blow? Part of me was aghast when I decided the answer was no." (121)
- After being called a nigger and violently hit in the mouth, the initial response is to be angry, hurt and hungry for a fight, all of which Wes was but he subdued those feelings and strategically retreated. This thought out action is a sign that Wes was responsible and knew how to react in maddening situations. Somewhere between the time Wes started military school and the moment when he was hurt by the drunk college, he decided to make a change. The decision to make peace with attackers and to make a non-violent solution is much less costly than one that would have been made if this had happened in the Bronx, a crime filled neighborhood. If this had happened in a rougher area which has gang violence, shootings, drug raids, and muggings Wes's decision to not fight back would have been unheard of. But this decision kept Wes from being further hurt by his attackers and it kept him and his friend safe.
4) "Not surprisingly, without a high school diploma or job training - and with a criminal record - Wes found it almost impossible to find a job to support his growing family." (110)
-Wes's decision to shoot a man and participate in the drug business hurt not only his chance at a better life, but also his family's. In most cases, Life does not give too many ultimatums. Instead, people make choices that are stringed together and that impact each other. Wes's first decision to try drugs, eventually landed him into the decision of wanting a headset to help the drug dealers and then eventually he chose to be a drug dealer. Small choices overtime can either become one big burden or positive things.
Theme 3: Overcoming Obstacles
5) "I was now a platoon sergeant, a cadet master sergeant, and the youngest senior noncommissioned officer in the entire corps. Three years ago I'd been one of the insubordinate kids first entering the gates of Valley Forge." (115)
- The obstacle that Wes faced was finding motivation in school. In the Bronx, he was bored with school, torn between his community and the people who went to his school, an also more interested in hip hop and basketball. This transformation from wanting no responsibilities to being in charge of a platoon and so on, shows how much Wes wanted to succeed. Although this may have been a gradual choice for Wes to take on more challenges and strive to do better at school, this change will drastically help his future. People who show a tremendous amount of growth in character and responsibility set themselves up better in life and are models for overcoming their own faults.
Monday, March 17, 2014
Wes Moore Characterization Sonnets
Wes Moore (Author):
Wes Moore, an author and credentialed person are ye.
A man with a voice,
light thou hast shed on one who will never be free.
Thou hast been grant'd redemption, despite periodically making the wrong choice.
A tragedy occurred, became the Bronx a new territory.
Down the streets thou sauntered, basketball at hand,
With Crack heads and Drug Dealers a new meaning became of predatory.
In thy ears blar'd hip-hop and nay school was the law of the land.
Thou wast protect'd by Nikki and the protect'r of Shani, a family man to be.
But can Kid Kupid, the streets from which he was born, be a protector?
A reputation thou art more concern'd of than thy family's well being, many would agree.
Thou art a pretender, poisons of the streets thou gulped like rich nectar.
A kind boy, have thou a good heart.
A good life thou hast made, but doth not let thy surroundings tear thou apart.
Wes Moore (2):
Wes Moore, ye art an obtuse creature.
A drug dealer became thou, with thy head hood'd
Unlike what Tony may believe, gone are thy hopes for a good future.
Nay good decision is made when one is nimble foot'd.
Fitting 'tis, what ye art destined to become
Surround'd by crime, with not yea a father to admire
predict'd most thou would be scum.
Thy face blood dripped, thy situation became dire.
Drug chinks, the only chinks thou found valuable.
Despite their warnings, a knife grabbed thou.
Betoken me, is the back of a police car honorable?
A prince of the streets, to thou wilt I bow.
Evasiveness, what a power thou behold!
But contrary to what you believe, thy story is aught but bold.
Wes Moore, an author and credentialed person are ye.
A man with a voice,
light thou hast shed on one who will never be free.
Thou hast been grant'd redemption, despite periodically making the wrong choice.
A tragedy occurred, became the Bronx a new territory.
Down the streets thou sauntered, basketball at hand,
With Crack heads and Drug Dealers a new meaning became of predatory.
In thy ears blar'd hip-hop and nay school was the law of the land.
Thou wast protect'd by Nikki and the protect'r of Shani, a family man to be.
But can Kid Kupid, the streets from which he was born, be a protector?
A reputation thou art more concern'd of than thy family's well being, many would agree.
Thou art a pretender, poisons of the streets thou gulped like rich nectar.
A kind boy, have thou a good heart.
A good life thou hast made, but doth not let thy surroundings tear thou apart.
Wes Moore (2):
Wes Moore, ye art an obtuse creature.
A drug dealer became thou, with thy head hood'd
Unlike what Tony may believe, gone are thy hopes for a good future.
Nay good decision is made when one is nimble foot'd.
Fitting 'tis, what ye art destined to become
Surround'd by crime, with not yea a father to admire
predict'd most thou would be scum.
Thy face blood dripped, thy situation became dire.
Drug chinks, the only chinks thou found valuable.
Despite their warnings, a knife grabbed thou.
Betoken me, is the back of a police car honorable?
A prince of the streets, to thou wilt I bow.
Evasiveness, what a power thou behold!
But contrary to what you believe, thy story is aught but bold.
Sunday, March 16, 2014
Chapter 5: Lost
Theme 1: Paralel Biographies
1) "She was devastated. She was losing her son, and she was not sure how to turn the tide."(89) Wes 1
Joy Moore felt as though she was losing her son. Wes was doing poorly in school, hanging with a questionable group of people, and he wasn't trying to do better. Similarly in Baltimore, Mary Moore felt that she was losing her son as well. Wes 2 was a drug dealer, he had gotten a girl pregnant, and he tried to murder a guy that had punched him. Both mothers were struggling with their sons who were acting out and both mothers had trouble finding solutions. Both Wes 1 and Wes 2 were defying their mothers and chose to go down unhealthy paths in life.
Theme 2: Single Mothers
2) "My mother had written to family and friends, asking them to help her however they could. 'I wouldn't ask if I didn't really need it,' she wrote. Weeks later, she was still thousands of dollars short." (95) Wes 1
This is a prime example Joy Moore's struggle as a single mother. If Wes Moore Sr. had not died, financially Joy would have been able to pay the tuition for Wes Jr.'s boarding school because there would have been two incomes rather than one. Because Joy was a single mother, it was harder for her to take care of all of her children's needs because she had two consuming jobs that payed very little. But, with the help of her parents and other family members and friends, Joy was able to send Wes to military school to correct his behavior. However, sending to military school would have financially been easier if Joy was not a single mother.
Theme 3: Absent Fathers
3) "All he knew was his mom. He had no idea what his role would be in this new situation - he wasn't even sure he had a role." (101) Wes 2
Because Wes had only met his father three times in his whole life, he did not have a real concept of what a Father was supposed to be. This troubled Wes because he was soon to be a father and, without a father in his life, he had no one to consult for help or to mimic. The fact that Wes's father was absent put a strain on Wes's life and how he would treat his son.
Theme 4: Life Choices
4) "Wes and his friend traded shots and finally heard Ray scream as he fell behind a black Toyota just fifty feet from his house." (105) Wes 2
Wes made the choice to get his gun after he was hurt by Ray and he made the choice to run after Ray and try to kill him. This violent choice to try and murder someone landed him the backseat of a police car, an environment Wes was used to. However, this illegal act was more serious than being caught using/selling drugs or as a young child attacking someone with a knife: this choice will follow Wes Moore for the rest of his life and possibly land him in jail for a very long time.
5) "Bad grades, absence from classes, and an incident with a smoke bomb were just some of the reasons he rattles off as my mother sat silently on the couch with the phone to her ear. Her conviction was increasing with every bad report." (87) Wes 1
Wes made the choice to do poorly in school and to not try, despite the fact that he was a smart person. He chose to act up and to hang with people like Shea who police gravitate towards. His poor choices convinced his mother to change her son's environment and to to send him to military school. In this chapter, Wes blamed numerous people for the fact that he was in a place he hated, but he never blamed himself. Wes was the one who was put on academic probation. Wes was the one that used a smoke bomb. Wes was the one who continually spray painted the walls despite a warning from the police. Wes made these choices, and the outcome was that he was put in military school.
1) "She was devastated. She was losing her son, and she was not sure how to turn the tide."(89) Wes 1
Joy Moore felt as though she was losing her son. Wes was doing poorly in school, hanging with a questionable group of people, and he wasn't trying to do better. Similarly in Baltimore, Mary Moore felt that she was losing her son as well. Wes 2 was a drug dealer, he had gotten a girl pregnant, and he tried to murder a guy that had punched him. Both mothers were struggling with their sons who were acting out and both mothers had trouble finding solutions. Both Wes 1 and Wes 2 were defying their mothers and chose to go down unhealthy paths in life.
Theme 2: Single Mothers
2) "My mother had written to family and friends, asking them to help her however they could. 'I wouldn't ask if I didn't really need it,' she wrote. Weeks later, she was still thousands of dollars short." (95) Wes 1
This is a prime example Joy Moore's struggle as a single mother. If Wes Moore Sr. had not died, financially Joy would have been able to pay the tuition for Wes Jr.'s boarding school because there would have been two incomes rather than one. Because Joy was a single mother, it was harder for her to take care of all of her children's needs because she had two consuming jobs that payed very little. But, with the help of her parents and other family members and friends, Joy was able to send Wes to military school to correct his behavior. However, sending to military school would have financially been easier if Joy was not a single mother.
Theme 3: Absent Fathers
3) "All he knew was his mom. He had no idea what his role would be in this new situation - he wasn't even sure he had a role." (101) Wes 2
Because Wes had only met his father three times in his whole life, he did not have a real concept of what a Father was supposed to be. This troubled Wes because he was soon to be a father and, without a father in his life, he had no one to consult for help or to mimic. The fact that Wes's father was absent put a strain on Wes's life and how he would treat his son.
Theme 4: Life Choices
4) "Wes and his friend traded shots and finally heard Ray scream as he fell behind a black Toyota just fifty feet from his house." (105) Wes 2
Wes made the choice to get his gun after he was hurt by Ray and he made the choice to run after Ray and try to kill him. This violent choice to try and murder someone landed him the backseat of a police car, an environment Wes was used to. However, this illegal act was more serious than being caught using/selling drugs or as a young child attacking someone with a knife: this choice will follow Wes Moore for the rest of his life and possibly land him in jail for a very long time.
5) "Bad grades, absence from classes, and an incident with a smoke bomb were just some of the reasons he rattles off as my mother sat silently on the couch with the phone to her ear. Her conviction was increasing with every bad report." (87) Wes 1
Wes made the choice to do poorly in school and to not try, despite the fact that he was a smart person. He chose to act up and to hang with people like Shea who police gravitate towards. His poor choices convinced his mother to change her son's environment and to to send him to military school. In this chapter, Wes blamed numerous people for the fact that he was in a place he hated, but he never blamed himself. Wes was the one who was put on academic probation. Wes was the one that used a smoke bomb. Wes was the one who continually spray painted the walls despite a warning from the police. Wes made these choices, and the outcome was that he was put in military school.
Monday, March 10, 2014
Chapter 4: Marking Territory
Theme 1: Life Choices
1) "'That was over four thousand dollars in drugs! I have to pay someone back for that!' Wes had completely forgotten about his conspiracy argument. The only thing on his mind was trying to figure out how on earth he was going to come up with four thousand dollars- and fast." (74)
-Because Wes 2 had made the choice to sell drugs, he was put in the crisis of having to come up with four thousand dollars after getting caught. His choice to be a part of the drug circle caused his mother to distrust him and made his older brother, Tony, to become disappointed in him. If Wes had focused more on school and had steered clear of illegal acts, his relations with his family members would be better and he would probably not be in jail today.
2) "I had added my indelible mark to Laconia Avenue, a testament to the world that Wes Moore lived- or at least Kid Kupid. Nobody could ever deny I was there. Not even me as a police cruiser rolled up around the corner." (81)
- Wes Moore (author) was fully aware of what he was doing. Despite some hesitation, he took the spray paint from Shea and painted his logo on the wall. This choice landed him in the backseat of a police car, waiting to hear his fate. Even though the officer set the boys free and warned them not to do it again, Wes continued to spray paint on walls. His defiance to any sort of authority will catch up to him and second and third chances will become last chances.
3) "The problem was that I wasn't even showing up half the time. It's tough to do well in school as an eleven-year-old when you're picking and choosing which days to go." (78)
- Wes purposefully chose not to go to school and not to learn even though he was fully capable of learning and was given wonderful opportunities. Obviously, at some point in time, Wes decided to take a hold of his future and graduate from high school and continue on to write a book, but before his lack of dedication to school was disappointing to his mother. He made the choice to focus on friends, music, and basketball instead of school, and that hurt his education (His younger sister was better at reading than him) and his relationship with his mother.
Theme 2: Overcoming Obstacles
4) "In my struggle to reconcile my two worlds, it was an essential asset... My obsession with hip-hop kept me credible with the kids in my neighborhood. It let them know that, regardless of my school affiliation, I still understood." (76)
-Even though hip-hop music did not help his education, it helped Wes feel more comfortable with the kids in his neighborhood and feel closer to them regardless of his school. Hip-hop helped Wes's status with the neighborhood kids and took away the issue of where he went to school. This music helped Wes's social life for the better and helped to give him an identity with the people he lived around.
Theme 3: Single Mothers
5) "With our mother working so much, and our grandparents obviously slowing in energy, my sisters and I were supposed to look after one another."
- Because Joy Moore was a single mother it was harder for her to watch and be completely present in her children's lives. After Shani was hurt by another girl, Wes and Aunt BB were the ones to confront the bully, not Joy. Also, because Joy was working so much, it was harder to see exactly why Wes was struggling so much in school and his methods to avoid school at all costs. If Joy was not raising her children on her own, it would be easier to see how her children were struggling and she would be the one to help them.
1) "'That was over four thousand dollars in drugs! I have to pay someone back for that!' Wes had completely forgotten about his conspiracy argument. The only thing on his mind was trying to figure out how on earth he was going to come up with four thousand dollars- and fast." (74)
-Because Wes 2 had made the choice to sell drugs, he was put in the crisis of having to come up with four thousand dollars after getting caught. His choice to be a part of the drug circle caused his mother to distrust him and made his older brother, Tony, to become disappointed in him. If Wes had focused more on school and had steered clear of illegal acts, his relations with his family members would be better and he would probably not be in jail today.
2) "I had added my indelible mark to Laconia Avenue, a testament to the world that Wes Moore lived- or at least Kid Kupid. Nobody could ever deny I was there. Not even me as a police cruiser rolled up around the corner." (81)
- Wes Moore (author) was fully aware of what he was doing. Despite some hesitation, he took the spray paint from Shea and painted his logo on the wall. This choice landed him in the backseat of a police car, waiting to hear his fate. Even though the officer set the boys free and warned them not to do it again, Wes continued to spray paint on walls. His defiance to any sort of authority will catch up to him and second and third chances will become last chances.
3) "The problem was that I wasn't even showing up half the time. It's tough to do well in school as an eleven-year-old when you're picking and choosing which days to go." (78)
- Wes purposefully chose not to go to school and not to learn even though he was fully capable of learning and was given wonderful opportunities. Obviously, at some point in time, Wes decided to take a hold of his future and graduate from high school and continue on to write a book, but before his lack of dedication to school was disappointing to his mother. He made the choice to focus on friends, music, and basketball instead of school, and that hurt his education (His younger sister was better at reading than him) and his relationship with his mother.
Theme 2: Overcoming Obstacles
4) "In my struggle to reconcile my two worlds, it was an essential asset... My obsession with hip-hop kept me credible with the kids in my neighborhood. It let them know that, regardless of my school affiliation, I still understood." (76)
-Even though hip-hop music did not help his education, it helped Wes feel more comfortable with the kids in his neighborhood and feel closer to them regardless of his school. Hip-hop helped Wes's status with the neighborhood kids and took away the issue of where he went to school. This music helped Wes's social life for the better and helped to give him an identity with the people he lived around.
Theme 3: Single Mothers
5) "With our mother working so much, and our grandparents obviously slowing in energy, my sisters and I were supposed to look after one another."
- Because Joy Moore was a single mother it was harder for her to watch and be completely present in her children's lives. After Shani was hurt by another girl, Wes and Aunt BB were the ones to confront the bully, not Joy. Also, because Joy was working so much, it was harder to see exactly why Wes was struggling so much in school and his methods to avoid school at all costs. If Joy was not raising her children on her own, it would be easier to see how her children were struggling and she would be the one to help them.
Monday, March 3, 2014
Title Justification Paper #1
Part 1: Fathers and Angels
Two boys named Wes Moore roamed the streets of Baltimore, Maryland and both lacked fathers. As the boys got older, their stories became less similar but one thing that was prevalent throughout both of the boys lives was the influence of their families and friends. What schools and neighborhoods the boys grew up in was all determined by their mothers, but the activities and social interactions that the boys participated in were influenced by people who did not share their same DNA. The title Fathers and Angels, embodies the role that families and friends played in both of the boys lives and the role that their Fathers played in their lives.
Wes Moore 1, the author, and Wes Moore 2 both had absent fathers but they both were guided by their other family members and their friends. Both boys had brief memories of their fathers but the absence of their Fathers greatly affected the boys lives. Wes Moore 1had fond memories of his father, a calm radio host, who tragically died of a virus that could have been treated. Wes 1 described his Father as his "protector" and the man that he looked up to. (11) While Wes 1 was only a three year old when his Father suddenly died, the actions of his mother after her husbands death altered Wes 1's life. Joy Moore decided to move back with her parents after the death of he husband because the pain of his death was to hard to deal with along with raising three children. This set Wes Moore 1 in the Bronx: a culturally diverse area of New York that had succumbed to drugs and crime. The death of Wes Moore Sr. changed where his family resided and altered the atmosphere of Wes Moore 1's world. Wes 1 was now surrounded by drugs, murder, and general danger but he was also in the company of his loving grandparents who were advocates for hard work and change and friends like Justin who encouraged Wes 1 to do better in school. Wes 1 also found refuge at the basketball courts. Wes 1 and his basketball buddies showed one another their, "best and worst, revealing ourselves- even our cruelty and crimes- as if that fence had created a circle of trust. A brotherhood." (45) These people who had become a greater part of Wes 1 life because of his fathers death, helped guide him through life. Wes Moore Sr. in this case, identifies as the Angel in the title and is a positive force in Wes 1's life. In contrast, Wes Moore 2 did not have the pleasure of having pleasant memories of his father. When Wes 2 was just a baby, his father showed up to his ex girlfriends house and was "drunk and crazy." (24) A couple years later, Wes 2 officially met his father at his grandmother's house but little connection was made. Bernard Moore, Wes 2's father, was the reason Mary Moore moved to a different neighborhood. Bernard Moore had no role in Wes 2's life, but he was still considered a negative force. During their first meeting, Bernard Moore could have cared less about his son and was only interested in the way Mary looked. By moving to many different neighborhoods, some dangerous and others not, Wes 2 was introduced to drugs and crime and because he had less of a positive support system than Wes 1 did, he was more vulnerable to participating in criminal acts. Where as Wes 1 had friends who took refuge in playing basketball, encouraged education, and made fun of druggies, Wes 2 had a brother who was a drug dealer, friends who encouraged drugs and skipping school, and violent experiences with playing football with other people. The absence of Wes 2's father helped determine what people were in his life and unlike Wes 1, most of the people in Wes 2's life had a negative affect. The Father portion of the title Fathers and Angels highlights the impact that the boys fathers had on their sons lives and the Angels portion refers to the family and friends that influenced many of the boys decisions.
The title Fathers and Angels, embodies the role that families and friends played in both of the boys lives and the role that their Fathers played in their lives. While the boys lives were similar at the beginning, overtime Wes 1 and Wes 2 started making different decisions and were surrounded by people who influenced them to do different things. Even in the first three chapters, it is clear that Wes 1 is headed down the more successful path of life and Wes 2 is not. Regardless of which path the boys are headed on, it is clear that their father's absence impacted many ways in which the boys lived. If Wes 1 traded his friends and family member with those of Wes 2, do you think his choices and general direction in life would change?
Two boys named Wes Moore roamed the streets of Baltimore, Maryland and both lacked fathers. As the boys got older, their stories became less similar but one thing that was prevalent throughout both of the boys lives was the influence of their families and friends. What schools and neighborhoods the boys grew up in was all determined by their mothers, but the activities and social interactions that the boys participated in were influenced by people who did not share their same DNA. The title Fathers and Angels, embodies the role that families and friends played in both of the boys lives and the role that their Fathers played in their lives.
Wes Moore 1, the author, and Wes Moore 2 both had absent fathers but they both were guided by their other family members and their friends. Both boys had brief memories of their fathers but the absence of their Fathers greatly affected the boys lives. Wes Moore 1had fond memories of his father, a calm radio host, who tragically died of a virus that could have been treated. Wes 1 described his Father as his "protector" and the man that he looked up to. (11) While Wes 1 was only a three year old when his Father suddenly died, the actions of his mother after her husbands death altered Wes 1's life. Joy Moore decided to move back with her parents after the death of he husband because the pain of his death was to hard to deal with along with raising three children. This set Wes Moore 1 in the Bronx: a culturally diverse area of New York that had succumbed to drugs and crime. The death of Wes Moore Sr. changed where his family resided and altered the atmosphere of Wes Moore 1's world. Wes 1 was now surrounded by drugs, murder, and general danger but he was also in the company of his loving grandparents who were advocates for hard work and change and friends like Justin who encouraged Wes 1 to do better in school. Wes 1 also found refuge at the basketball courts. Wes 1 and his basketball buddies showed one another their, "best and worst, revealing ourselves- even our cruelty and crimes- as if that fence had created a circle of trust. A brotherhood." (45) These people who had become a greater part of Wes 1 life because of his fathers death, helped guide him through life. Wes Moore Sr. in this case, identifies as the Angel in the title and is a positive force in Wes 1's life. In contrast, Wes Moore 2 did not have the pleasure of having pleasant memories of his father. When Wes 2 was just a baby, his father showed up to his ex girlfriends house and was "drunk and crazy." (24) A couple years later, Wes 2 officially met his father at his grandmother's house but little connection was made. Bernard Moore, Wes 2's father, was the reason Mary Moore moved to a different neighborhood. Bernard Moore had no role in Wes 2's life, but he was still considered a negative force. During their first meeting, Bernard Moore could have cared less about his son and was only interested in the way Mary looked. By moving to many different neighborhoods, some dangerous and others not, Wes 2 was introduced to drugs and crime and because he had less of a positive support system than Wes 1 did, he was more vulnerable to participating in criminal acts. Where as Wes 1 had friends who took refuge in playing basketball, encouraged education, and made fun of druggies, Wes 2 had a brother who was a drug dealer, friends who encouraged drugs and skipping school, and violent experiences with playing football with other people. The absence of Wes 2's father helped determine what people were in his life and unlike Wes 1, most of the people in Wes 2's life had a negative affect. The Father portion of the title Fathers and Angels highlights the impact that the boys fathers had on their sons lives and the Angels portion refers to the family and friends that influenced many of the boys decisions.
The title Fathers and Angels, embodies the role that families and friends played in both of the boys lives and the role that their Fathers played in their lives. While the boys lives were similar at the beginning, overtime Wes 1 and Wes 2 started making different decisions and were surrounded by people who influenced them to do different things. Even in the first three chapters, it is clear that Wes 1 is headed down the more successful path of life and Wes 2 is not. Regardless of which path the boys are headed on, it is clear that their father's absence impacted many ways in which the boys lived. If Wes 1 traded his friends and family member with those of Wes 2, do you think his choices and general direction in life would change?
Sunday, March 2, 2014
Chapter 3: Foreign Ground
Theme 1: Drugs
1) "Crack was different from the drugs that preceded it. It was crazily accessible and insanely potent- and addictive. My friends and I would regularly trade the most remarkable stories we'd overheard or witnessed." (51)
- People had very easy access to crack and other drugs and it was a part of life. For entertainment, Wes and his friend shared stories about crack and they saw drug addicts struggling to get by. With crack all around them, it was very easy for Wes and his friends to be sucked up into the hype of it all.
2) "There was so much money to be made that drug gangs rapidly expanded their ranks, sucking in some of our best friends, and turf wars became deadly, aided by the influx of sophisticated firearms. From the early 1980s to the end of the decade, there was almost 61 percent jump in the murder rate." (51)
- This neighborhood, that was once happy and family friendly, turned into a war zone and Wes was an innocent bystander in the midst of it all. Drugs induced murder and it was very likely for innocent people to be caught in all of the danger. All odds were against Wes because he drugs were completely open to him and danger was inescapable.
3) "But Wes rationalized. I am not actually selling drugs. All I'm doing is talking into a headset." (58)
- This is the very beginning of Wes 2's journey down a dangerous path. Despite what he witnessed with his brother who was in the hospital after a drug related fight, Wes still choose to start a job that promoted drugs. Despite his Mother's efforts to move to a better neighborhood and her encourages to stay in school, Wes 2 opted to be one of the hip guys and help dealers out. Although Wes 2 was not actually selling drugs, he still aided the dealers which put him in a very dangerous circle.
4) "As he lay in bed, he realized how time seemed to stop when he was high, how the drug- smoking it, feeling its effects, recovering from it- made him forget everything else. And he understood, faintly, how addictive that feeling could be, and how easy it would be to make some money off selling that feeling to people who needed it." (62)
-This right of passage of smoking weed for the first time helped Wes understand the addictions and troubles of drugs. Whether he liked that feeling of not, he now understood why drug dealers became drug dealers and how lucrative the business is. With this realization, Wes 2 was more vulnerable to the bad affects of drugs.
Theme 2: Crime
5) "We were starting to feel the fear that crept around the edges of our consciousness at dusk... Justin knew the rules; Never look people in the eye. Don't smile, it makes you look weak. Always keep your money in your front pocket, never in your back pocket. Know where the drug dealers are at all times. Know where the cops are at all times." (51)
-Wes and Justin were both greatly affected by the crime that surrounded and seeped into their neighborhoods and they were taught rules to make sure that they were never put in a dangerous situation. Their parents taught them to be fully aware of their surroundings and that the streets, even if you are with friends, is never a safe place. The Bronx succumbed to crime and violence and it greatly affected the families that lived their because it prevented them from living a normal, happy life. Instead, the people were in great fear of being attacked or put in danger at any moment.
1) "Crack was different from the drugs that preceded it. It was crazily accessible and insanely potent- and addictive. My friends and I would regularly trade the most remarkable stories we'd overheard or witnessed." (51)
- People had very easy access to crack and other drugs and it was a part of life. For entertainment, Wes and his friend shared stories about crack and they saw drug addicts struggling to get by. With crack all around them, it was very easy for Wes and his friends to be sucked up into the hype of it all.
2) "There was so much money to be made that drug gangs rapidly expanded their ranks, sucking in some of our best friends, and turf wars became deadly, aided by the influx of sophisticated firearms. From the early 1980s to the end of the decade, there was almost 61 percent jump in the murder rate." (51)
- This neighborhood, that was once happy and family friendly, turned into a war zone and Wes was an innocent bystander in the midst of it all. Drugs induced murder and it was very likely for innocent people to be caught in all of the danger. All odds were against Wes because he drugs were completely open to him and danger was inescapable.
3) "But Wes rationalized. I am not actually selling drugs. All I'm doing is talking into a headset." (58)
- This is the very beginning of Wes 2's journey down a dangerous path. Despite what he witnessed with his brother who was in the hospital after a drug related fight, Wes still choose to start a job that promoted drugs. Despite his Mother's efforts to move to a better neighborhood and her encourages to stay in school, Wes 2 opted to be one of the hip guys and help dealers out. Although Wes 2 was not actually selling drugs, he still aided the dealers which put him in a very dangerous circle.
4) "As he lay in bed, he realized how time seemed to stop when he was high, how the drug- smoking it, feeling its effects, recovering from it- made him forget everything else. And he understood, faintly, how addictive that feeling could be, and how easy it would be to make some money off selling that feeling to people who needed it." (62)
-This right of passage of smoking weed for the first time helped Wes understand the addictions and troubles of drugs. Whether he liked that feeling of not, he now understood why drug dealers became drug dealers and how lucrative the business is. With this realization, Wes 2 was more vulnerable to the bad affects of drugs.
Theme 2: Crime
5) "We were starting to feel the fear that crept around the edges of our consciousness at dusk... Justin knew the rules; Never look people in the eye. Don't smile, it makes you look weak. Always keep your money in your front pocket, never in your back pocket. Know where the drug dealers are at all times. Know where the cops are at all times." (51)
-Wes and Justin were both greatly affected by the crime that surrounded and seeped into their neighborhoods and they were taught rules to make sure that they were never put in a dangerous situation. Their parents taught them to be fully aware of their surroundings and that the streets, even if you are with friends, is never a safe place. The Bronx succumbed to crime and violence and it greatly affected the families that lived their because it prevented them from living a normal, happy life. Instead, the people were in great fear of being attacked or put in danger at any moment.
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