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.