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.