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.
"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.
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