"The Land That God Forgot" and Faith

Theme: Faith

"Powell, in his pragmatic way, wanted what I wanted: a fair shot. A place to develop himself. A code that would instill discipline, restrain passion, and order his steps. A way to change the world without first unleashing the whirlwind." (page 132)
At the beginning of the chapter, the faith that the author Wes Moore displays is not one of religion, but a faith in more secular teachings. Moore has confidence in Colin Powell's worldview-- more than that, he has faith that the world is a good place, that it is not necessary to destroy all existing institutions ("unleashing the whirlwind") to make a positive change. Throughout the chapter, Moore describes his faith in the "code that would instill discipline, restrain passion, and order his steps": the military life, which gives him the level of rigor and discipline he needs. At military school, Wes has learned to be punctual and to follow orders, to operate with success within the already existing structures of life instead of breaking outside the box to find a new order that is completely accommodating to him. Thus his faith becomes a military-like faith, one that works based on clear rules and definite structure. He believes in Powell's teachings so much because the military is what lifted him out of a downhill track and into a path to success, and he has faith that it can do the same for other young boys just like him.

"The notion that life is transient, that it can come and go quickly, unexpectedly, had been with me since I had seen my own father die. In the Bronx, the idea of life's impermanence underlined everything for kids my age-- it drove some of us to a paralyzing apathy, stopped us from even thinking too far into the future... But I started to see it a little differently that day. Life's impermanence, I realized, is what makes every single day so precious. It's what shapes our time here. It's what makes it so important that not a single moment be missed." (page 133)
Here, Moore displays faith in a different belief system: the idea that every day is precious, and that the unpredictable nature of life should not discourage one from living each moment to its fullest. The influence of his childhood in the Bronx is evident in this faith-- he cites as an incredibly influential example his father's unexpected death. However, unlike other boys who have only had bad experiences with the impermanence of life, boys who have grown up with neighborhoods like the Bronx or West Baltimore as the only home they have ever known, Moore has had experience with a different type of life. One of the most important unpredictable changes in his life was his mother's choice to put him in military school, which he neither expected nor exercised any form of control over. This unexpected change was ultimately one that would change his life and career-- if it had not occurred, his future may have ended up looking a lot more like the other Wes Moore's. For this reason, Moore has learned to embrace life's unexpectedness. He is not apathetic because, unlike the boys in his old neighborhood, he has experienced the positive things that can come from dramatic life changes and not solely the negative ones, and thus has faith in the fact that his time is precious and that life's impermanence can lead to exciting new opportunities.

"As we were seconds away from taking the leap, the multitude of prayers that left the plane were palpable. I stared at the yellow light at the front of the plane, waiting for it to turn green; I spoke with God, asking Him to watch over me and the others in the plane. The excessively hot and cramped conditions, coupled with the fact that some of the toughest schools in the military take place at Fort Benning, have earned the base the nickname 'the land that God forgot.' I was hoping He'd remember us today." (page 135)
There is an important distinction between the title of Fort Benning and the faith of those who still inhabit it. Though Wes Moore and his fellow soldiers have jokingly nicknamed the place where they are preparing to become paratroopers 'the land that God forgot,' they themselves have obviously not forgotten God: Moore writes that he could feel in the very atmosphere of the plane "the multitude of prayers" as everyone prepared to jump. The fact that everyone in the plane is praying means that God, or some form of god, has a special significance to them: they have faith in the power that he can save their lives. Moore himself prays seriously to God for safe passage, writing that he hopes that "He'd remember us today." Buried in this line is the hope of salvation: even if God is not always at the base, or forgets it for brief periods of time, in Wes's mind there is always a chance of remembrance. He has faith in the fact that God will be there when he needs Him-- if not during the tedious struggles of everyday life at the base, then at least in truly life-threatening situations like jumping out of a plane. The irony in the passage is clear: in the very base nicknamed 'the land that God forgot,' the presence of God is undeniable even to Wes, as shown through his descriptions of his prayers and the prayers of others.

"Where was God when people didn't make enough money to feed their families? Where was God when kids were selling rocks at twelve years old, and their parents encouraged it because the kids were the main breadwinners in the home?...'Fuck God,' he said, drawing in a lungful of smoke. 'If He does exist, He sure doesn't spend any time in West Baltimore.'" (page 140)
Although both the author Wes and the other Wes Moore ruminate on the fact that God is not present in their current locations, the way that they display their faith is undeniably different. While the author Wes's description of 'the land that God forgot' makes clear that there is a God who does exist, and opens the possibility of future remembrance, the other Moore's faith is much less hopeful. Wes has never had an opportunity for salvation akin to the author Wes's life-changing time spent at boarding school. He has spent his entire life in the same type of neighborhood, engaging in the same activities with the same people. Unlike the author, who has seen a better future for himself through the words of Colin Powell and the institutional benefits he has received, Wes's only reference point is the day-to-day suffering he sees in his community, the atrocities that children and families face without any support, secular or otherwise. Thus, Wes's statement "If He does exist" not only calls into question the fact that God is in West Baltimore-- it questions the very existence of God Himself. Wes's faith in God, not just in His redemptive powers but in the question of whether He exists at all, is virtually nonexistent. This lack of religious faith is also seen in the expletive he uses to describe God. "'Fuck God'" is in no way equivalent to the author Wes's hopeful prayers; it does not leave the door open for redemption. Cursing God is not a way to ensure that he will save one's life in the future-- rather, it is Moore's assertion that God does not exist and will never exist in West Baltimore or anywhere that he goes. "'Fuck God'" takes away God's power: Moore is not scared of being smote or somehow killed by the wrath of God because he knows that it is impossible; that would mean that God would have to care about him. Though the two Moores at first seem to share similar religious beliefs, the other Wes's utter lack of faith compared to the author Wes's acknowledgement of God and hope for salvation becomes clear through a deeper reading of the passage.

"To Wes, the house was more than just a project to complete. It was a daily reminder of why he was there. These past months had been the most important and enjoyable in Wes's life. He'd learned skills, gained confidence, and finally felt his life could go in a different direction. He stayed at the Job Corps Center so he could provide a better life for his kids. He stayed for his mother, who sat home watching Tony continue moving in and out of the criminal justice system. He stayed at the Job Corps Center for himself." (pages 143-4)
Wes may not believe in God, but he displays his faith in other ways. The house he builds for his daughter as the culminating project at the Job Corps Center is a tangible representation of the system of faith he feels with his children, his mother, and his own hard work and effort. For Wes, God is not what gives him the strength to live from day to day: rather, it is his own strength and perseverance. The house that he builds is "a daily reminder of why he was there," just as God is to people all over the world. Wes has grown up in a troubled neighborhood, and he has spent his whole life being blamed for the things that he does-- he was unable to finish school because he had missed so many days and his teachers were unwilling to teach him, and he has already been labeled a failure by police officers and principals and to some degree his own parents. Building a house for his daughter is a way for him to prove to himself that he can create something good. Moore writes that it is "more than just a project to complete"-- rather, it is something that he can do with his own hands and hard work to connect himself back to his family, himself, and even his larger community. The project of building the house literally becomes Moore's faith, if only because it represents so much more than just a structure made out of wood. It represents that Moore can have a future-- that for the first time, people don't have to blame him for doing something wrong, but can congratulate him for being at the top of his class, for doing something that no one else could do. It represents his family connections: by working so hard to build something for her daughter, he can prove to her and to himself that he is invested in her future, that he has a purpose in life beyond selling drugs and being in a gang. Thus, despite the fact that Wes does not believe in God, he is able to find faith in building his daughter's house in the chapter "The Land That God Forgot."

"Choices and Second Chances": Title Justification Essay

The Other Wes Moore is the true story of two boys who shared the same name and hometown, but very different futures: while one found success in business and academics, the other is serving a life sentence in prison for murder. The book is divided into three sections that tell the stories of how the Wes Moores's paths diverged in such dramatic ways. The second, "Choices and Second Chances" focuses on the consequences of the choices that each Wes made during their teenage years in Baltimore and military school, which shape their futures in strikingly different ways. Although the two boys choose the courses of their lives in many cases, they are also affected by circumstances that they have no control over. The title "Choices and Second Chances" is appropriate for the author Wes Moore's purpose as it demonstrates his feelings about the role that fate and free will had in his and the other Wes's childhoods.

The title "Choices and Second Chances" emphasizes the importance of both fate and free will in the lives of the two Wes Moores. Throughout the three chapters, it is clear that Moore's main purpose is to demonstrate how both fate, represented by the phrase "second chances," and free will, represented by the word "choices," impact the lives of each character. Initially, fate in the form of situations that neither boy has control over is a deciding factor in the path that their lives take. The other Wes Moore grows up in inner city Baltimore with a mother who is often absent. His older brother, Tony, is heavily involved in gangs and drug operations even before he goes to high school. Wes does not choose to be born in this environment, but because he is, he is quickly indoctrinated into Tony's lifestyle. Unlike children who grow up in rich suburbs or "nicer" neighborhoods of town, he has to learn how to fight and make a name for himself. This is seen in the chapter "Lost," where Wes and some fellow members of a drug operation try to shoot a man who attacked him. Moore writes, "Tony's words rang through his mind. Send a message" (104). Although Wes makes the deliberate choice to shoot the man, thus exercising his free will, he has been taught to do so from the day he was born. For this reason, much of his decision can also be said to have been directed by fate, the "chances" that the author Moore writes about. Wes did not choose to have Tony teach him how to fight; he was young and did not know any better, and yet this experience is one that continues to affect him into his adult life. In the case of the other Wes Moore, his fate shapes the choices he makes-- in other words, his fate decides what he does with his free will. This theme is also seen in the sections concerning the author Wes Moore. Here the word "second chances," instead of being used to describe "chance" as a synonym for "fate" or something out of one's control, is put in a more literal context. Wes is forced by his mother to go to military school in the chapter "Lost." He does not have any choice in the matter-- even when he pleads with his mother to leave, she gives him an adamant no. This display of fate, defined as something that Wes has no control over, has a dramatic effect on his life in the following chapters. Instead of staying on the streets and joining gangs like the other Wes Moore, he begins to consider his place in the world and what his parents did to get him there. This is seen in the chapter "Hunted," where he chooses not to fight a drunk man who is threatening him after thinking about what the ramifications might be. Here, "chance" literally gives Wes a second chance at life-- a chance to not get sucked up into a life of crime and drug dealing. And, interestingly, this second chance gives him the opportunity to make more productive and healthy choices for himself, like the one that he makes to walk away instead of engaging with the drunk man. The second three chapters of the story provide an insightful interplay of fate, both good and bad, and the choices that each character makes. 

The second section of "The Other Wes Moore" is written primarily to explore the relation between fate and free will in deciding the futures of the two young men. "Choices and Second Chances" thus refers to the choices that each Wes makes, as well as the "chance" in the form of fate that can both give them new opportunities and take them away. As the story progresses, it becomes more and more difficult to distinguish clearly between which choices are dictated by the unchangeable backgrounds of the two characters, and which events that seem like "fate" are in reality shaped by choices. Free will can often cause unwanted consequences, such as in the case of the other Wes Moore. However, it is clear that the author Wes Moore believes that it can also give tremendous hope for the future. 

"Hunted" and Fate vs. Free Will

Theme: Fate and Free Will

"Wes found another option: he decided to make himself scarce. In the mornings while Nicey was at work, Wes would play videogames in this house and then head out to check on his drug operation. When she was home in the evenings or the early morning, Wes would normally be out, "trying to find a job," as he would tell her." (page 110)
In this passage, it seems apparent that Wes's future is guided by his own free will rather than by fate. He comes into high school disadvantaged through no apparent fault of his own, because the teachers are unprepared to teach him with overcrowded classrooms and limited time to spend on students who have fallen far behind. However, instead of trying to change this, Wes deliberately makes choices that destroy his chances for a better future. He could spend his time trying to catch up with the things he missed in school or searching for a job as his aunt Nicey suggests, but instead he plays video games and deals drugs. By choosing to do things for his own enjoyment rather than thinking about their consequences, Wes ruins his own possible potential. Instead of making the best of his circumstances, he resigns himself to a "fate" that is really dictated by his own thoughtless actions.

"The man threw up red flags, but Wes had dealt to people like that before and gotten away with it. He saw the man approach another corner boy and then walk away. Wes got antsy; the movie was starting soon, and if he was going to change his mind and make the sale, he'd better do it fast. He couldn't stop thinking about the money he could make off that sale-- almost exactly enough to take care of this date. The logic felt right." (page 113)
Wes's behavior throughout the chapter often falls in a shady gray area between being dictated by fate and by free will. In this section, he decides to sell drugs to a man who looks suspiciously like an undercover cop despite his better judgement. This is a choice that he makes, not one that some higher power forces upon him, which leads to his subsequent arrest. The fact that Wes chooses to do something risky while fully aware of the potential consequences indicates that his own free will is what defines his future. However, the idea of "free" will in this situation is tricky. Although Wes had control of many immediate choices in his life, there were many other things that he had absolutely no control over. He did not choose, for example, to be born in inner-city Baltimore to a mostly-absent mother with an older brother who was already involved in drug trafficking. Being part of drugs and gang life was eventually a choice that Wes had to make for himself, but how much of a choice was it when he was indoctrinated into that way of life from the day he was born? His brother Tony's escapades and the kids around him were all that he knew growing up, and so they were all that he had to emulate. This attitude is seen clearly in his choice to sell drugs to the suspicious man-- he doesn't consider the possible future ramifications, but instead thinks about how it will give him enough money to pay for the date he is about to have. Wes is programmed to think this way because of the environment he has grown up in. He is used to living in poverty, where thinking about tomorrow is useless because he is busy thinking about what he's going to do to get dinner two hours from now. This kind of mindset, which isn't one that he has consciously chosen, directly affects Wes's behavior and future throughout the course of the chapter, proving that fate also has an important influence in his life.

"Think about it, man. It's simple math. Only 60 players are chosen in the NBA draft every year. There are 341 Division One schools, each with 13 players on the roster. This makes 4,433 college players who could declare eligibility for the NBA draft. These numbers don't even include Division Two or Three players. Or international players, for that matter." (page 116)
Here Wes's uncle makes an example about the significance of fate in deciding his future. Wes loves playing basketball and wants to be a professional basketball player, but his uncle knows that even if he practices as hard as he can, there is a very good chance that he'll never make it to the NBA. He talks about the slim chances of becoming a professional basketball player even for those who play Division One basketball in college to prove that being successful in sports is not always about free will. Every single one of the Division One players may have spent their entire lives training to be in the NBA, and they may be at the very peak of their personal fitness and abilities, but none of that matters in the end: only 60 of them will be chosen in the NBA draft no matter what. In this arena, fate is what dictates the future of the 4,433 basketball players, because their own personal choices can only take them so far.

"Justin's mother had Hodgkin's disease, a rare form of cancer. The survival rate is around 90 percent for those who discover it early. Unfortunately, his mother was in the other 10 percent... Justin was now spending his mornings with her at the hospital, his afternoons at school, then running to basketball practice and back to the hospital. His grades fell dramatically as the burden began to wear him down." (page 117)
A dramatic twist of fate has a lasting effect on Justin's family life and his grades. Neither he nor his mother have control over her cancer: it is a rare illness that is more dangerous in her case because of her late diagnosis. Although Justin does not directly suffer from the same cancer, his own life takes a serious blow from his mother's illness. He is forced to skip school to visit her in the hospital and spends every day shuffling from place to place, trying to keep everything together and stay on top of all of the things that he has to do. Of course, Justin could choose to drop something in order to free up his schedule, like stop going to basketball practice or only visit his mother every other day, but he can do nothing to cure his mother's illness. The cancer that has caused his grades to fall is something that he did not cause not has any control over. Here fate has a severe impact on Justin's life: because of his mom's unexpected illness, he begins to do poorly in school, which may hurt his chances to get into college or even to find a well-paying job and support a family in the future.

"But I had to let this one go. I had to look at the bigger picture. My assailant was unknown, unnamed, and in a car. This was not a fair fight, and the best-case scenario was nowhere near as probable as the worst-case scenario. If I was successful, who knew how the fight would've ended? If I failed, who knew how the fight would've ended? I thought about my mother and how she would feel if this escalated any further. I though about my father and the name he chose for me." (page 121)
In this passage, Wes faces a choice similar to the one that the other Wes Moore faced at the beginning of the chapter. He can choose to do something risky that could potentially get him in trouble, or he could stay safe and avoid conflict. Wes may not have done anything to be put in this situation, but the choice is his about what he will do about it. Unlike the other Wes Moore, Wes doesn't just consider what will happen in the near future. He thinks about his parents, two of his biggest role models, and what they would think about his choice. He also considers his two options and what the consequences of each one would be. Doing this allows Wes to use his free will to make a calm, rational choice that has a positive effect on his future. Instead of possibly getting into trouble or getting seriously injured by a drunk man, he gets himself out of a bad situation and gains life experience by doing so.

"Lost" and Role Models

Theme: Role Models

"Paralleling my mom's insistence that I attend Riverdale because John F. Kennedy had once gone to school there, she was won over to Valley Forge when she heard that General Norman Schwarzkopf was a graduate. This was right after the first Gulf War and General Schwarzkopf was seen as the second coming of General MacArthur. There was military history in my family, but for them, as for many immigrant families, American heroes-- and the schools they attended-- carried a certain cachet." (page 91)
The importance of role models in Wes's family is introduced for the first time in the chapter "Lost." Wes's mother feels that because she comes from an immigrant background, the people with military history in her family are not good enough to be role models for her son. Her choices for his education are entirely based on people who she thinks are sufficiently accomplished for this role, Americans like John F. Kennedy and Normal Schwarzkopf. It is clear in the above passage that her hope is that by attending a school that such an American hero has attended, Wes has potential to become an American hero too. She wants him to go to a school where the students are positive role models of courage, justice, and Americanism as opposed to the negative role model of a typical inner-city school student.

"The five minutes went fast, and Colonel Batt signaled it was time for me to hang up and go to bed. "I love you, and I am proud of you. And, Wes, it's time to stop running," my mother said as I hung up." (page 96)
Wes's mother is an important role model for him throughout the book. After the death of his father, she has had to carry the family all by herself, and constantly acts to do what is best for Wes. Here she acts as a role model by convincing Wes that he should stay in military school, telling him that the way he is currently living will never be successful. Without Wes's mother's actions, it is very possible that he could have grown up to be exactly like the other Wes and spend the rest of his life in jail-- or, as his mother says, keep running forever. His mother ensures that he will have a better future by making him stay in military school. Unlike the other Wes, who has no positive role models in his life, she is a beacon of strength and love that inspires him to keep trying and not to give up on his future.

"I had never seen a man, a peer, demand that much respect from his people. I had seen Shea demand respect in the neighborhood, but this was different. This was real respect, the kind you can't beat or scare out of people." (page 96)
One of the first positive role models in the chapter is the military captain Ty Hill, who goes to Wes's military school. Wes has grown up in bad neighborhoods with kids who get respect by being gang leaders and drug dealers. At military school he is able to get a new kind of role model: someone who commands respect because they deserve respect, not because everyone is scared of what they will do if they aren't respected. Having Ty as a role model is instrumental in changing Wes's future, because he realizes that he has more that he can aspire to be besides a gang leader. There are better ways that he can command respect, like doing well in military school and becoming a captain like Ty. Learning that there are other, more positive role models besides the neighborhood kids helps Wes become a better person and avoid a troubled future like the other Wes Moore.

"Wes's nonexistent relationship with his father probably contributed to his seeming indifference about becoming a father himself. 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." (page 101)
Here the other Wes's father acts as a negative role model. As a young boy forced into the position of being a father, Wes doesn't have an example of what to do because his own father has never been there for him. His mother is the only one who has had a role in bringing him up; his father is remembered only as an alcoholic and negative force in Mary Moore's life. Because Wes doesn't have a positive role model of a father to look up to, he instead spends his time going out with different girls instead of staying loyal to and taking care of Alicia, who he has gotten pregnant. The lack of a positive role model not only affects Wes and his actions, but also Alicia's well-being; now she too must be like Mary and raise her family by herself with an absent and disinterested father.

"As he left his room, he shoved a clip into the gun and cocked the slide hammer back, fully loading the weapon... Wes could only see red. He was blind with rage. Instincts kicked in. Tony's words rang through his mind. Send a message." (page 104)
As his older brother, Tony is one of Wes's biggest role models. The fight training that Tony gave him as a young child in Baltimore has a dramatic impact on his life choices: here, in a pivotal moment of his life, Wes uses his brother's advice to justify killing a man. Tony is one of the only role models Wes knows, although ironically he tries as hard as he can not to be one, constantly attempting to give Wes the life that he didn't have and dissuading him from following in his own footsteps. The attitude that he has given Wes about fighting for your honor is one that Wes has taken to heart, as is seen in the above passage. Tony's role as a model for Wes's behavior is ultimately a negative one that leads to Wes shooting Ray and going to jail-- despite all of his efforts to change his brother, he ends up becoming just like him.

"The Other Wes Moore" Characterization Sonnets

Wes

A boy he was, and young to know of death

And waited he a cent’ry of seconds

To see his father’s face ghost-white, sans breath

Both died, the air and tears, behind his tongue.

The rules he learned of guns and compounds strange

Of neaf and neighbor he was taught by punch

And so from wary stranger he did change

To budding boy cut loose upon the Bronx.

Two paths to take this wayward boy must choose

Affect the school, or lose quite soon the streets

While bosom friend shows him the hangman’s noose

A diff’rent future he paints just as sweet.

            A boy he was, who found in life a door

            He was no less, but we can say he’s Moore.

***

Other Wes

Father was a name he never knew

And gangs and streets the bourns that he had bourn

Games he knew not locked in his brother’s due—

His mother dear a corset young but worn.

Brother was a bug he could not aspire;

Footsteps his he followed with knife in hand

But there the wicked cop-lights did red twire,

And his fight foiled to make himself a man.

Such strange compounds and brawls his tokens were—

All this sightless, without mother’s suspect—

‘Til fateful day his hidings she did skirr

And learned the extent of her son’s defect.

            If only with this finding she had saved

            Our gentle Moore, who’s now more to the grave.

"Marking Territory" and Redemption

Theme: Redemption and Salvation

"She watched every ounce, every rock, every leaf, every crystal float to the bottom of the toilet bowl, until the water was cloudy and white. She flushed it away once, and then again and again until the water in the bowl returned to its normal clarity." (page 73)
On the surface level, Wes's mother is flushing the drugs she has found under his bed down the toilet so that he is unable to sell them any more. However, the imagery in the passage reveals a deeper meaning of attempted salvation. Moore describes how the water in the toilet bowl with the drugs in it is clouded, representing Wes's clouded future-- much like the classical fortune teller's looking glass, foggy with trouble and anticipated disarray-- and reputation as a boy who is involved in the drug trade. While he was once normal, "pure" clear water, he is now distorted and marred by the drugs he sells, which both affect the way he acts (keeping secrets from a mother he once trusted) and the people he hangs out with (which in turn can impact his future). Mrs. Moore's flushing of the toilet represents her attempt to save Wes from this troubled future. As she flushes once, and then again, her goal is not just to dispel the drugs from the water but to make it as though they were never there-- in other words, to return completely to the placid, perfect image of pure water. This represents her hopes for Wes: in flushing away his main source of drug income, she hopes to dissuade him from future dealing, so that he can become once again the "good boy," the ideal son she always hoped she could have. Her attempted salvation, as seen through her actions in the passage, exemplifies the chapter's theme of redemption-- though in Wes's case it is largely unwanted.

"He knew the streets would get him that money back, and more. But next time, he'd be smarter about where he kept the stash and how often he moved it around... His girlfriend sympathized. Before she realized what she was doing, she'd agreed to make her home his new headquarters." (page 74)
Here the idea of redemption as a temporary action, which will be excavated further in the author Wes's section, is explored for the first time. Despite Mary Moore's attempted salvation by flushing Wes's drug cache down the toilet, he simply finds different means of feeding his dealing business. If his mother represents fate and the redemptive high power, here Wes uses the tactic of "outsmarting fate"-- he realizes that what he is doing isn't working and so switches his outside appearances while in reality staying largely the same. His girlfriend adds an interesting second layer to the idea of fate and redemption. While Mary, as his mother, still exercises parental control over him-- and is thus seen as the principal director of fate and redemption-- the girlfriend offers a countering view to his actions and a secondary source of salvation. Although Mary disapproves of Wes's drug dealing, his girlfriend seems to almost endorse it, going as far as letting him use her house for his burgeoning trade. Thus, without completely overpowering Mary's purity-seeking salvation, she provides a different sort of redemption: the validation of his ideas and actions over Mary's.

"It was a validator. In my struggle to reconcile my two worlds, it was an essential asset... I found in hip-hop the sound of my generation talking to itself, working through the fears and anxieties and inchoate dreams-- of wealth or power or revolution or success-- we all shared. It broadcast an exaggerated version of our complicated interior lives to the world, made us feel less alone in the madness of the era, less marginal." (page 76)
Here not a person, but rather an aspect of culture is seen as the redeemer: hip-hop music. To Wes, hip-hop is a form of salvation. He sees it as a way to reconcile his place in society, to feel as though he is less alone. In other words, hip-hop redeems a struggle to survive as an African-American kid in a relatively low-income neighborhood in the Bronx by making it important. Through hip-hop, Wes learns that there are other people who feel the same way and have experienced many of the same things as he has, and in turn he is able to use the songs he hears to project these feelings and experiences back onto the world. He finds redemption in hip-hop because he can hear his own story in it and because he can use it to show people who don't usually understand what exactly his story means, especially the other students at his prestigious private high school.

"I became aware of how I had put myself in this unimaginably dire situation-- this man now had control of my body; even my own hands had become useless to me. More than that, he had control of my destiny-- or at least my immediate fate. And I couldn't deny that it was my own stupid fault." (page 83)
An interesting feature of redemption is that it is relatively uncommon for a person to be able to redeem themselves-- redemption. or salvation, is something that comes from above, from a higher power that one has little control over. In this passage, the higher power takes the form of a policeman, who holds in his hands the ability to give Wes salvation (by letting him go home free) or damnation (by taking him and his friend to jail). Wes seems to be fully cognizant of this fact, as he shows by speaking about the cop's control over his destiny. He recognizes that even the fate of his body depends on the decision that the policeman makes.

"The cops gave us a gift that day, and I swore I would never get caught in a situation like that again. A week later, Kid Kupid was on the loose again, adding my tag to another graffiti-filled Bronx wall." (page 84)
The higher power of the policeman does end up granting Wes and his friend salvation-- they are not arrested or taken to jail. However, at the end of the chapter a larger trend in the theme of redemption becomes evident; just because a person is "saved' doesn't mean that they will be grateful for it, or even fully accept it. Indeed, despite the fact that Wes recognizes the fact that he has been redeemed-- and even ruminates on how he will never again commit the same acts that forced him to take the position of helplessness in the hands of fate-- just a few days later he has returned to his old tricks. Salvation here is not permanent. In fact, it seems to be more of a distraction than a real act-- the spectacle of redemption that masks the continuation of that which must be redeemed. This passage raises serious questions about the very nature of redemption itself: is it possible to be saved by a higher power, or is that something that a person can only do for him or herself? The example of the policeman seems to lean towards the latter-- after all, though the policeman's role is to redeem, he functions in direct antagonism to the full redemption of society. When society is truly saved, the policeman no longer has a job; thus, he functions best as a temporary savior-cum-redeemer, who lifts poor young troublemakers from the troubles of the streets only to deposit them right back where they started.

"Foreign Ground" and Acceptance

Theme: Fitting In and Feeling Accepted

"There was one other thing that helped us bond quickly: he was one of the few other black kids at my new school." (page 47)
Wes is immediately drawn to his new friend, Justin, because they share the same situation: they straddle two worlds, the black urban side of New York and the preppy white-majority private school. Here a major factor of acceptance is seen-- common experiences are something that draw people together. However, Wes brings another layer into the mix when he says that he and Justin bonded the first moment they met. While fitting in can be difficult with some groups, Wes becomes friends with Justin quickly because they have so much in common: the same neighborhood, friends, and affiliations. Because they are part of the same community, they instantly feel accepted by one another and don't have to go through the complicated ritual of "getting to know you." The theme of acceptance thus is first seen in a positive light in the chapter, where fitting in is as easy as sharing a neighborhood and life experiences.

"In the hood, your school affiliation was essential. Even if you weren't running with the coolest clique, you still got some percentage of your rep from your school, and the name Riverdale wasn't going to impress anyone. If anything, it made my crew kind of suspicious of me." (page 49)
Just as common experiences can make people feel as though they fit in, having different experiences often leave them on the outside looking in. Although Wes shares many things with the kids in his neighborhood-- they live in the same place, do the same things after school, share the same race-- he doesn't go to the same school as them, and for this he is labeled as 'other.' Here, being in the same community isn't enough to help Wes fit in-- although he probably would feel accepted right away by the neighborhood kids if he walked up to play a game of basketball, once he told them what school he went to they would be more wary of him. Affiliations outside the community, in Wes's world, matter just as much in order to be accepted as being a part of the community in the first place.

"I was becoming too "rich" for the kids from the neighborhood and too "poor" for the kids at school." (page 53)
Here not just different experiences, but class differences are highlighted in the issue of learning how to fit in. Though Wes's mother probably has just as much money as the other kids in the neighborhood, and is in fact at a disadvantage because she is a single mother and has no other working parent to contribute to the household income, she chooses to spend it on a private school for Wes instead of other things. Thus Wes is seen as "rich" by the kids in his neighborhood, not for where he lives-- because his house is just the same size as all of theirs, and he lives with his grandmother instead of in a house of his own-- but because of the choices his mother has made about his education. However, he is seen in a different way at school, where "poor" is very clearly seen in the clothes he wears and the neighborhood he lives in. Wes has trouble fitting in not because he is actually "too rich" or "too poor," but because he lives between two different worlds that see wealth through very different lenses. If they both saw wealth in the same way, he would be accepted either in the neighborhood or at school, but instead he doesn't have enough material wealth to be considered rich at school and too much symbolic wealth (seen through going to private school with the rich white kids) to fit in with the kids back in his own neighborhood. This demonstrates the complications of fitting in when one is caught between two different groups who view the same characteristics in different ways-- oftentimes it leaves one without having anywhere to feel accepted.

"Aside from the carbon-copy houses, there was nothing uniform about this working-class neighborhood; it was filled with people of all shapes, colors, and backgrounds. The only thing most of them had in common was that they came from somewhere else, and for most of them, Dundee was a better place to be." (page 56)
This quote shows a different way of fitting in and feeling accepted in the other Wes Moore's neighborhood. Although the people who share the streets with him may not have the same ethnicity or background, they are united by the fact that Dundee is a step up for them-- it's not where they were born, but a place they have worked for. Here, Moore tells us that race, class, and background are not the only thing that binds people together. Sometimes it can be something as simple as a shared goal or aspiration; just like the first Wes Moore, common experiences are one of the most important factors. Just the fact that they live in the same place, though it may not be enough for the first Wes Moore who finds himself having trouble being accepted by the neighborhood kids, is good enough to draw together the community of Dundee.

"It seemed like a sweet setup. Simply wear a headset, hang out with new friends, notify people when you see police coming, and get paid at the end of the day." (page 58)
The other Wes Moore also has trouble fitting in, but he deals with his difficulties in a different way. Instead of attempting to straddle the world that his mother wants to be a part of and Tony's more dangerous world of gangs and drug dealing, he chooses to align himself with Tony by helping in a drug-selling operation. This quote is telling because it shows one of Wes's major motivations to make this choice: "hang out with new friends." The only role model that Wes has ever known is Tony, who taught him to fight and stand up for himself on the streets of Baltimore. He wants to be accepted by Tony and his crowd-- even if it's just because he doesn't know anyone else he could possibly be accepted by-- and so he does what he can (perhaps even unconsciously) to follow in his cousin's footsteps.

"Fathers and Angels": Title Justification Essay

The Other Wes Moore is the true story of two boys who shared the same name and hometown, but very different futures: while one found success in business and academics, the other is serving a life sentence in prison for murder. The book is divided into three sections that tell the stories of how the Wes Moores's paths diverged in such dramatic ways. The first, "Fathers and Angels," focuses on each Wes's childhoods in Baltimore, where they had similar family situations: each had an absent father, a hardworking mother, and were close to their grandparents. The title "Fathers and Angels" is appropriate for the author Wes Moore's purpose as it demonstrates his feelings about the role that family had in his and the other Wes's childhoods.

The title "Fathers and Angels" emphasizes the role of the mother in each Wes's development as a child. Although the title could be interpreted to reference the dead people who have influenced each boy's life, such as the author Wes's father Wesley, Sr., it finds a deeper meaning in the use of the word "angel" to represent their living mothers. Instead of the traditional juxtaposition "fathers and mothers," two words that are often seen next to each other, Moore uses "angels" as a replacement for "mothers," thus signifying that they share certain characteristics. Throughout the first three chapters, the author's purpose is clear; to show how both mothers in the story attempt to support and care for their sons as best they can. Joy, the author Wes's mother, attempts to hold the family together after her husband dies unexpectedly. Moore writes that she sleeps downstairs in the living room-- in part to avoid the memories of the room she once shared with in, in part to protect her children from the trespassers that had begun breaking into houses around their neighborhood. Her vigilance brings to mind the image of a guardian angel, who waits by the doorway in order to protect her charge. Although Joy is experiencing difficult times of her own, she still puts her children before herself to make sure that they are safe and happy. The other Wes Moore's mother demonstrates her role as an angel in slightly different ways. Unlike Joy, Mary Moore has never had a good relationship with men, including Wes's father-- an alcoholic, he spends more time looking for beer money than trying to learn his child's name. However, she does what she can to give Wes the best future possible, moving her family to a suburban area called Northwood in an effort to get as far away as possible from the poverty-stricken, gang-ridden center of the city. Moore says, "Tony had already joined [the list of high school dropouts]; Mary wanted to keep Wes away from that same fate" (57). Mary's move is prompted in large part by the better schools in Northwood, where she hopes that Wes will be able to find success. Here, just like a guardian angel, she consciously changes her family's lives in order to give them better opportunities. In effect, she lifts them out of the impoverished Cherry Hills apartments and into the well-groomed suburbs; an angelic salvation that she hopes will be enough to sustain young Wes's future. The first three chapters, for both boys, are the story of attempted salvation as both mothers do all that they can to help their sons.

The first section of The Other Wes Moore is written primarily to show the power of both Wes's mothers in shaping their childhoods. "Fathers and Angels" thus refers to the angelic qualities of Mary and Joy Moore, who work to fill the role of an absent father and move their families to places where they will have the best opportunities possible. However, not even guardian angels can change the future: while one Wes will eventually find success, the other will spend the rest of his life in jail. Through the first three chapters of his book, Moore comments on the power of family and how it affects the way that children grow and develop-- but also on the different between the free will of a mother and the fate, however unjustified, of her son.