The Other Wes Moore: Intro-3

Hello, if there is still trouble seeing this post I have the google doc linked below. 

https://docs.google.com/document/d/12RRe-la-jJPt0ffzH1war3R4rLYhUdop2bi0iTE_HTw/edit?usp=sharing

                    With the start of the Wes Moore unit coming into effect we are introduced to the introduction and first part of the book. So far, the book has hooked my interest, intrigued me as I flip through its pages. To answer the general question, a theme based off of these chapters became difficult for me to narrow down to. The information, life lessons, and relatability the words omitted taught and conveyed a rich amount of morals. In result I came down to one, living your way may not be the best way. Both Wes's have dealt with situations where they are dealt with making consequential decisions. Whether good or bad outcomes they had to gamble on which would benefit them the best based on what little they knew and understood. Right in the beginning the book touches on the base of this theme. Towards the end of the Introduction passage it reads, “I was taught to remember but never question. Wes was taught to forget, and never ask why.” (Moore 4). What I admire about this quote is that it is based on what my group mates and I have discussed. We noticed how family dynamics within a household heavily affects the child as he/she grows up. In this case the author Wes was taught to remember and interpret the information given, to use it as a life lesson to not be like that example whereas the “other” Wes was taught to not learn and reflect from his mistakes, and commit the same acts over and over again. In simple terms, it all starts with parent (or guardian)  instruction. Lessons/Mistakes made by the parents in their lifetime, wouldn't imagine their children committing, therefore they would moralize it, enforce it, sometimes dramatize it a way they can to ensure the safety of their children. In chapter 3 Justin and Wes (author) are transit companions as they travel together through public transportation to get to school and back home. Justin notices how Wes has been slacking in his studies, simply not caring for them. Justin states to Wes one day, “You know they are going to put you on probation if you don't stat doing better man.”(Moore 54). Out of being a good friend, even he has concern over Wes’s priorities. It is further explained in the book how the household of the family, the male particularly,  whatever age can get away with more versus a woman. In this case Wes lives in a Jamaican household, “Plus in Caribbean households, boys were often indulged like a prince. (Moore 55). Wes at the time did not take his studies seriously as he drowned himself in excuses. Whether the transit to school trained him too much or he simply did have the “time” to do it, Wes used any excuse in the book. Branching back into the theme I curated, Wes is living the way he wants to live his life, ad clearly it is not paying off in the long run. Just as Justin stated earlier in the text, consequences will come if he doesn't get right, where the action taken will no longer be in his control. For example in Chapter 2 Wes has induced a serious altercation with a boy who was similar in age with him. He has punched Wes which grew a broiling rise of fury and rage. Wes, knowing what he was taught and experienced, wanted to make a “statement”. With his friend Woody pleading to reconsider his decision Wes was too blinded by retaliation, solidifying his choice. As a form of moral or memory Wes had kept in his mind, Tony, his main role model, stated this to Wes. “ Rule number one: If someone disrespects you, you send a message so forcefully that they won't have the chance to do it again”. A lesson by Murphy Holmes, a respected idol in the community, passed on to Tony mindset, now spreading into Wes’s instinct. (Moore 33). With this engraved into Wes mind he has accepted whatever came after his next move, which is to be handcuffed and sent to the nearest police station. In conclusion, in some situations we make choices by instinct, soon to be aware of what consequences will come into effect, some decisions can be made by selfishness, ego, or simply common sense.  The way we choose to live our life, it is never perfect, therefore our timelines is what make our life unique, illperfect, ours. As Wes stated in the beginning, we can either forgive and forget, or forgive and reflect in life.