II Chapter 2

Themes:
1. Mentoring
2. Drugs
3. Poverty

Quotes
Mentoring
1. "Tony wanted the best for Wes, but he still felt that part of his mission as a big brother was to toughen him up for the battles Tony knew Wes would have to fight as he got older"(Pgs. 32-33).

• Wes 2's older brother Tony, feels the need to be a role model for Wes and toughen him up.
• This relates to the theme of mentoring because Tony had become a mentor for Wes 2 throughout his childhood.
• Wes 2' brother Tony, may be serving as his mentor but this might not be the best thing. For instance in chapter 2 when Wes 2 gets punched in the face, he runs home and thinks of what his brother Tony would want him to do. He immediately grabs a knife and goes to hunt down the boy who punched him in the face.
• Tony had taught his younger brother to "send a message" to anyone who tried to cross him. Luckily, Wes 2 was caught by a cop before he could harm the boy who punched him.
• At a young age, Wes 2's mind has already been corrupted by Tony's mentoring. Although Tony may have good intentions for his brother, he might not be giving him the best advice, seeing as to how he is a violent drug dealer. 
• Tony wants Wes to succeed and does not want him to go down his same path. Nevertheless, Wes looks up to Tony and it probably will not be good for Wes to look up to a person like Tony who has gone down the wrong and dangerous path. It will be interesting to see how strong Tony's influence will be on Wes 2 and whether it will inadvertently lead Wes down the wrong path as well.

2. "The shopping excursion was the first of many encounters between my grandfather and this man, who would become a mentor, teacher, and friend to him" (Pg. 41). 

• Wes 1's grandfather is an example of someone who had a good role model and mentor in his life.
• This ties into the theme of mentoring because it directly says that this man, Kwame Nkrumah, became a mentor and teacher for Wes 1's grandfather.
• Contrary to Tony, Wes 2's mentor, Kwame Nkrumah, held a good influence over Wes 1's grandfather. In the book it talks about how Kwame Nkrumah mentored and clothed Wes 1's grandfather. With such a good influence in his life, Wes 1's grandfather was able to pursue his dream of becoming a minister and being successful.
• The people around you in your life can be the difference in you being successful or unsuccessful. Because Wes 1's grandfather received good advice and lessons from his mentor, reaching his dream was made easier. Tony may pose a threat to Wes 2's future because of the bad influence he holds over him.
• Now Wes 1 is living with his grandmother and grandfather who have raised children that have turned out well, so it is likely that Wes 1 holds an advantage over Wes 2 when it comes to succeeding in life.
• The theme of mentoring will most likely play an important role throughout the book because the people involved in both the Wes's lives can be all the difference between them succeeding and failing in life.

Drugs

3.  "Tony had started dealing drugs in those shadowy hallways of Murphy homes before he was ten" (P. 27)

• Wes 2's older brother Tony had gone down the wrong path at an early age when he joined the drug business at ten years-old.
• Throughout the book, drugs have proven to be a force of ruin and destruction in the Wes Moore families. 
• In chapter 2 the narrator says that Tony wishes he could go back in time before he got "so deep in the game, and do it all over". Tony feels that his life has already been destroyed by drugs and he cannot go back. He cannot escape the drug world.
• Throughout this chapter we see that drugs have not only destroyed people but they have destroyed entire neighborhoods and futures.
• Both the Wes Moores see their neighborhoods collapsing because of the influence of drugs. Wes 2 sees it with his brother and in the Murphy Homes, while Wes 1 sees it occurring in the Bronx, a neighborhood that used to be somewhat prosperous and full of diversity.
• Wes 2's older brother Tony dealing drugs at such a young age, ties into the theme of drugs because it shows that from an early age, Tony's life had been ruined and his innocence had been corrupted. 

Poverty

4. "Over half of the eight thousand residents lived below the poverty line" (P. 29)

• This quote is referring to how many of the residents in Wes 2's old neighborhood, Cherry Hill lived below the poverty line.
• Poverty is a recurring theme throughout the book because both the Wes Moores are exposed to poverty at an early age because of its prevalence throughout their neighborhoods.
• While it does not seem like either of the Wes Moores live below the poverty line, they are surrounded by many people who do, which could pose challenges for them and their futures.
• It can be difficult for children living in impoverished neighborhoods to do well in school or make it out of their neighborhoods successfully, so we will have to see how these two boys adapt and react to the challenge of living in neighborhoods struggling with poverty.

5.  "With every step on those cracked sidewalks, I passed a new signifier of urban decay" (P. 43)

• In this quote Wes 1 talks about how whenever he walked the streets of the Bronx, he was watching his neighborhood collapse due to poverty, drugs and other forces of ruin for the neighborhood.
• This quote ties into the theme of poverty because it shows how poverty is bringing down Wes 1's neighborhood and its residents.
• This quote does not only refer to poverty because poverty is not the only "signifier of urban decay". You could also argue that drugs were a signifier of urban decay in We's neighborhood, meaning this quote ties into the theme of drugs as well.
• Poverty will most likely be a barrier and challenge for both the Wes Moores to overcome if they want to succeed in life.
• Both the Wes Moores are growing up in similar and difficult situations, so it will be interesting to see if they will react to their situations similarly or not.

I Chapter 1

Themes:
1. Absent Fathers
2. Single Mothers
3. Importance of Education
4. Drugs

Quotes

Drugs
1. "Bill was too strong, too determined, too high."(Pg. 10)

• With both the Moore families, drugs seem to be one of the factors that tears their families apart
• In this scene, Joy's husband Bill was physically abusing her. The drugs he had taken made him too strong and determined to the point where he was out of control, and ended up hurting his wife physically and emotionally.
• Consequently, Joy is forced to take extreme measures and leave Bill and take the children with her.
• This shows that drugs can ruin families and destroy relationships. Bill was too involved with drugs, therefore the family was forced into separation.
• With the families separated, the children are forced to live without their biological fathers, which one can infer could be quite damaging to the development of a child and the family as a whole
• With the mothers forced to leave their husbands, they too face a road of hardships, and challenges with having to raise a family on their own

Importance of Education

2. "Mary was only a kid, but she made a pact with herself at that moment: she would get her education         and leave the neighborhood no matter what it took." (Pg. 19)

• The narrator talks about how Mary makes a pact to get an education.
• The fact that Mary makes this pact, to get an education, shows that it is a huge deal to her. She realizes that education is the key to making a better life for herself and moving out of her bad neighborhood.
• Because Mary realizes that education is her key to a better life, she is determined to get an education and it becomes an important part of her life and aspirations.
• The mothers of both the Wes Moores see education as a path to guide them to success, whether it be in helping them receive a job to support their families, or to stand up to conventional ways of thinking. Perhaps it is a way for them to object to the idea that black people cannot become educated or successful.
• In chapter 1 both the mothers of the two different Wes Moores strive to become educated, and education is of high importance for both of them.

Absent Fathers

3. "That was the last time he tried to see his son." (Pg. 24)

• This quote is talking about We's father, Bernard (the one who had him with Mary). Bernard was an alcoholic and was not present for We's birth. He only tried to be involved with his son's life once, and that was when he came to Mary's house drunk, demanding to see his son. When Mary did not let him in, he left for good.
• Bernard no longer tried to be a part of his son's life, which ties into the theme of "absent fathers". He did not wish to take part in raising his son. 
• A child being forced to live without their father can be emotionally damaging. So far, in chapter 1 there has not been much talk about how the absence of We's father has affected him but at the end of the chapter Bernard met Wes for the first time, when Wes went to his grandmother's house.
• It will be interesting to see how Wes reacts to meeting his father for the first time. It will also be interesting to see whether his father will indeed try to be part of his life or if he will still be the irresponsible, absent father he was for so long.

Absent Fathers Single Mothers, and Drugs

4. "My father was dead five hours after having been released from the hospital...." (Pg. 14)

• Here, Wes Moore talks about how his father died. In chapter 1 we learn that both the Wes Moores will  live or have lived without their fathers for much of their lives.
• In this particular case, Wes Moore's father died of epiglottis and because he died, he was absent throughout We's life. However, the other Wes Moore's father was absent in a different way. He was absent because he was not interested in being part of his son's life and more interested in taking drugs (this ties into the theme of drugs).
• In both cases, we see that the fathers of the Wes Moores are absent throughout their lives. One can assume that the difference in the way the fathers are absent, will have a different effect on the childrens' development.
• In both cases the children probably experience pain from their fathers' absences. However one Wes Moore is left with good memories and thoughts about his father while, the other is left in the dark. The other Wes Moore has not met his father until the end of the chapter, which may mean that he might not think too highly of his father or have the best relationship with him.
• This quote also ties into the theme of single mothers because with the fathers of their children gone, these mothers are forced to try and raise a family on their own.

5. "Mary was left with two alcoholic, abusive men who shared the DNA of her two children but no             husband or dad for her boys." (Pg. 23)

• Here, the narrator talks about how Wes Moore's mother, Mary, was stuck in a very difficult situation with two men who were alcoholics and abusive, but also were the fathers of her children. Neither of these men were suited to be her husband nor the father of her children because of their irresponsibility.
• This quote ties into the theme of "drugs" because it talks about how both of Mary's boyfriends were alcoholics and not suited to be fathers nor husbands. Because these men are more interested in using drugs, they are not involved in the lives of their children, and Mary is forced to raise a family on her own.
• Mary's having to raise her children on her own ties into the theme of "single mothers" because now she does not have a husband to support her, and her children do not have a father to raise them. 
• The children not having fathers, evidently ties into the theme of "absent fathers", because they are not involved in their children's lives.
• Being raised without one of your parents can take quite toll on a child and their development. It can affect them for the rest of their life. 
• In addition, raising a family without your husband can be one of the greatest challenges a woman faces because it takes a toll on the family financially and emotionally.