VII Chapter 7

Themes:
1. Importance of Education
2. Life Choices
3. Drugs

Quotes

Importance of Education
1. "I realized that I had to make sure these schools knew my name regardless of what I did on the ninety feet of hardwood that had brought me to their attention. Just as military school had grown on me, so had academic life" (P. 130).

      At this point in the book, Wes 1 has begun to realize that he cannot bank on getting into college or having a bright future by solely being a talented basketball player. He realizes that his education is important and the chance that he'll be able to play in the NBA is slim, so he begins to think more seriously about his education. Wes 1 has drastically matured throughout this book and he is beginning to understand how important his education is. Wes 1 taking his education more seriously will help him in the future because it will be his gateway to multiple job opportunities and opportunities to be successful.

2. "His quick success had Wes thinking differently about his life. He proudly displayed his new diploma at home..." (P. 142).

     Wes 2 has now enrolled at the Job Corps in an attempt to build a better life for himself. He is attempting to build a brighter future for him and his family, and one without the dangers of the drug game. For Wes, the Job Corps is one of his only paths to get his life on track again. He has grown tired of being involved in the drug game and realizes that he needs to get an education of some sort in order to acquire a job that will help him provide for his family. At this point in the book, Wes 2 has learned the skills of carpentry and has the ability to earn a job that will not involve the dangers of dealing drugs. Although education is one of the greatest equalizers in society, education will not ultimately determine whether a person succeeds. Education has provided Wes 2 with the basic tools and skills he needs to succeed. However, the ultimate fate of Wes 2 will fall into his own hands and will be based off of the choices he makes in life.

Life Choices
3. "...I decided to make the army a fundamental part of my future" (P. 130).

      In this chapter, Wes 1 has made the decision to be involved with the American army in the future. This decision was most likely one of the largest decisions in his life to make. By making this decision, Wes 1 had set out a path for his future and a paved himself a road to success. This was probably a very wise decision on Wes 1's part because he probably learned a lot of life skills a leadership skills in the army that would help him in the future. Wes 1's choice to join the army, was a wise decision for his future, which ensure his success later on in life.

4. "...Wes held the plastic bag with both hands and poured in nine ounces of cocaine" (145).

        After attending the job corps and staying out of the drug game for a full year, Wes 2 resorted to getting involved in the drug game again. Wes 2 was unable to provide for his family and the stress was of this burden was beginning to build up. Although Wes's options were limited, and tough, his decision to join the drug game again was probably the one that ultimately destroyed his future. This decision might have helped Wes in the short term to provide for his family, but in the long run it will be the drug game that gets him into trouble again and again and eventually, he will be imprisoned for life.

Drugs
5. "Wes was tired. Tired of being locked up, tired of watching drugs destroy entire families, entire communities, an entire city" (138).

       During this chapter, Wes 2 gets fed up with being involved in the drug game. Drugs had not only ruined his life but they had ruined entire communities and cities. Evidently drugs are not just problems for the dealers and users of them, but they tear entire families, communities, and cities apart. A society on drugs is a society that will not function properly. Wes 2 realizes that his involvement with the drug game and drugs themselves, have had a negative impact on many people including the mother of his children, Cheryl. The theme of drugs in this book is prevalent and it is evident that drugs have destroyed the lives of many people and damaged cities.

VI Chapter 6

Themes:
1. Life Choices
2. Importance of Education
3. Overcoming Obstacles
4. Prison

Quotes 

Life Choices
1. "Wes's attendance became sporadic, and once his first child was born, he just stopped going"(P. 110).

        Wes 2's decision to drop out of school was a huge life choice that he made. His decision to drop out of school will most likely have a negative affect on his life. With a criminal record and lack of a high school diploma, it is hard for Wes to find a job, which steers him deeper into the drug business, as it is his only way to make money. By choosing not to finish attending school, Wes will have very few job opportunities and will turn to criminal activity in order to earn money, which will most likely only get him into trouble and ruin his life.

2. "All that mattered was that he was here. He had accomplished his mission of completing high school" (P. 109).

         Unlike Wes 2, his good friend Woody, had decided to push through high school and graduate.This decision to earn his high school diploma, may turn out to prove very useful for Woody in the future. Unlike Wes, Woody will have a lot more job opportunities having earned his high school diploma and might even go to college to pursue a high-paying job. Above all, Woody's decision to complete high school will most likely help him steer away from entering the drug business and getting himself into trouble. In the short term, Wes is earning more money than Woody by selling drugs, however Woody's decision to finish school will most likely lead him win in the long run by living a life without being involved in the violence of the drug game or being locked up in prison.

Importance of Education
3. "They made it clear that they cared if I succeeded, and eventually so did I" (p. 115).

          At Valley Forge, Wes 1 begins to care more about his education and takes it more seriously. Because he is surrounded by people who support him and want him to succeed, he himself is motivated to succeed in school. In the past, most of Wes's teachers discouraged him and did not seem to be very supportive in his success. In fact, earlier in the book one of the teachers told him not to come to school because he was a disruption to the classroom. Wes had never been exposed to a learning environment where the teachers were so supportive of him and truly wanted to see him do well in school. Because Wes 1 is at a school like Valley Forge, where the staff is encourages him to succeed, he begins to take his education more seriously and works hard to reach his full potential.

Overcoming Obstacles
4. "I thought about my mother and how she would feel if this escalated any further... I told Dalio we had to get back to campus by a different route..." (Pages 121-122)

           Although Wes 1 is angry after being embarrassed by the group of boys who called him a n****r and threw a glass bottle at him, he overcomes this anger and makes a wise decision. Instead of trying to fight back against his attackers, he wisely chooses to go back to school. This must have taken a lot of strength for Wes to suck up his pride and not retaliate. Evidently this was an obstacle that Wes successfully overcame because he managed to stay level-headed and make the wise decision not to let a bad situation get worse.

Prison
5. "Getting arrested started to feel routine" (P. 114).

            For Wes 2, going to prison is becoming a regular event. Wes's life has begun to spiral out of control because he keeps committing crimes. Wes does not seem to have learned from his prior experiences of going to prison that he should not continue making the same mistakes and going to jail. At this point, the real question is if Wes 2 will ever shape up and stop getting into trouble with the law. Will he ever learn to stop committing crimes and going to prison? Wes's situation and trips to prison will only get worse unless he changes his life. If he does not stop committing crimes, he may find himself in prison for a very long time and it might get to a point where he will have run out of chances to change his life or he might get stuck in jail for ever.



Title Justification Paper #2

           The second part of The Other Wes Moore is about the adolescent lives of both the Wes Moores and by the end of the chapter, both of the Wes Moores are close to reaching adulthood. Part two of the book is titled "Choices and Second Chances". Part 2 of The Other Wes Moore is titled "Choices and Second Chances" because of the life altering decisions the Wes Moores make and the multiple second chances each of them receive after making mistakes.

           Both Wes 1 and Wes 2  make life altering choices in part 2 of the book. The biggest life altering decision made by Wes 2 was when he decided not to listen to his brother Tony, and enter the drug game. Despite Wes's older brother Tony trying his best to steer Wes away from entering the drug business, Wes refuses to listen to Tony and Tony realizes that " 'You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink...'" (P. 72). Both Tony and Wes's mother Mary believe that education is the key to a brighter future for Wes and encourage him to do well in school, however they know that Wes is the only person who can force himself to succeed. No matter how hard other people try to steer Wes onto the right path, it ultimately comes down to whether he wants to succeed or not and the decisions he makes. In this part of the book, Wes receives his final warning from Tony and still decides to enter the drug game. This decision will prove costly for him in the future because it will lead to him going to prison multiple times and dropping out of school. Wes 1 also at the end of part 2 seems to have made a decision to take his education more seriously and strive to succeed in school. These two decisions the Wes Moores have made are what set them apart. Wes 1 decided to take his education more seriously and succeed in school, which will certainly benefit his future, while Wes 2 decided to enter the drug business, which will prove to hurt his future. During this part of the book both of the Wes Moores make mistakes and receive second chances. What sets the two boys apart is how they react after they are given second chances and what they do afterwords. For instance, after Wes 1 was nearly arrested for vandalizing public property, he realized that "The cops gave [him] a break that day, and [he] swore [he] would never get caught in a situation like that again" (P. 84). After nearly being arrested, Wes 1 realized that he was lucky not to go to jail and decided to never make a mistake like that again. Wes 1 did not take the second chance he received for granted, and decided to shape up and stop committing crimes or doing things that would get him into trouble with the law. Contrary to this, "Getting arrested was starting to feel routine" (P. 114) for Wes 2. This illustrates that despite being arrested multiple times before, Wes 2 had not learned from his mistakes and took the second chances he received for granted. At one point, he was close to being convicted for murder but he caught a break because the person he shot did not die. Instead of realizing that he had been granted a huge second chance to turn his life around, Wes 2 continued to participate in the drug industry and continued to go to prison. The main difference between the Wes Moores in this part of the book, is the decisions they make and how they adjust themselves or fail to adjust themselves after being given second chances. Part 2 of this book is titled "Choices and Second Chances" because both of the Wes Moores make huge life- changing decisions in this section of the book and each of them receive second chances after making mistakes.

           Part 2 of The Other Wes Moore is titled "Choices and Second Chances" because of the life altering decisions the Wes Moores make and the multiple second chances each of them receive after making mistakes. It is likely that the climax of the book will occur in the third part and the audience will begin to see how the choices of the Wes Moores', made in part 2, will affect their fate in part three. Does everyone deserve a second chance in life?

V Chapter 5

Themes:
1. Fate vs. Free Will
2. Role Models
3. Prison

Quotes

Fate vs, Free Will
1. "I partially blamed him for my being in military school, because it was his grandmother who'd first told my mother about Valley Forge" (P. 90).

• Here, Wes 1 is feeling resentful towards one of his peers at military school because his grandmother had told his mother about Valley Forge military school. Wes 1 believed it was his peer's fault for why he was in military school.
• This relates to the theme of fate vs. free will because Wes 1 did not choose to go to military school. His mother forced him to go there.
• Because Wes did not choose to go to military school, his fate was determined for him by his mother, rather than by his own free will.
• It was also fate that his mother found out about the military school through the boy's grandmother. Some how, his mother stumbled upon this woman, who would then encourage Wes's mom to send him to that school.
• It was fate that brought Wes 1 to Valley Forge military school, because his mother happened to talk to someone who highly recommended the school, and he was then forced to go there.

2. "Wes chased after him. As they ran, he and his friend pointed their weapons in Ray's direction and began taking shots" (P. 104). 

• In this part of the story, Wes 2 is running after a man that had just beat him up. This man was most likely the boyfriend of the girl that he saw leaving Wes's house, which is why he beat Wes up. Now, Wes and his friend are running after this man and trying to kill him for revenge.
• This situation is a case of free will because Wes 2 did not have to retaliate against the man who beat him up. 
• Wes 2 by no means, was forced to seek revenge on this man, or end up killing him. Wes chose to retaliate and try to hurt this man. Consequently, Wes ends up getting arrested and could be in serious trouble.
• Wes 2's choice to try and kill the man who beat him up was an instance of free will because he was not forced to kill him and now he may end up in jail for a very long time.

Role Models

3. "When she saw Captain Hill on the day she went to the campus to drop me off, she asked him to keep an eye out for me. That night on the phone, she reminded him" (P. 97).

• At this point in the book, Wes 1 had just attempted to run away from military school, but failed to do so and returned to school late at night and called his mom in Colonel Batt's office. In the room, there was a man who's presence dominated the room. He was a tall, black and still seemed to be a teenager but his demeanor was quite serious. This man's name was Captain Hill and We's mother told him to look after Wes if at military school.
• At the end of the chapter, we learn that this man wished to talk to Wes after he had a conversation with his mom the night before.
• This ties into the theme of role models because it is highly likely that Captain Hill will be looking out for Wes 1 more and will end up being a great role model for him. 
• Captain Hill's discipline and leadership makes him a respected person at the military school, and he is probably the type of person Wes 1 could learn a lot from.
• I predict that Captain Hill will have a strong influence of Wes during his years at military school and will end up being a good role model for him.

4. "Tony's word rang through his mind. Send a message" (P.104).

• This quote is talking about how Wes 2 was so angry after he got beat up, that he got his gun and decided to teach his attacker a lesson. Before pursuing his attacker, Wes thought of his older brother Tony's advice to "send a message".
• This relates to the theme of role models because Wes 2's role model has always been his older brother, Tony. He has always looked up to Tony and wanted to be just like him. Most of the things Tony said to him, he took to heart and would try to listen to.
• Before chasing down his attacker, his mind immediately went to the words that Tony had once said about sending a message. Tony had told him that if someone ever tried to mess with him, he should fight back and send a message.
• Although we cannot blame Wes 2's retaliation on his attacker on Tony, the reader can see that Wes looked up to someone he thought would have approved of him committing this kind of retaliation.
• Wes 2's role model was his older brother Tony. Tony probably was not a good role model for him, considering some of the advice he gave Wes and some of the decisions that he had made in the past.
• Wes 2 not having a somewhat bad role model like Tony or lacking a good role model, might be what sets him apart from Wes 1 and following Tony's advice may have gotten him into some serious trouble.

Prison

5. "He was escorted downstairs by three police officers, led to the back of their car, and shoved in" (P. 106).

• Here, Wes 2 had just been arrested, after either he or his friend shot the man who beat him up.
• This relates to the theme of prison, because Wes is on his way to jail and if he is found guilty of shooting this man or killing him, he could find himself in prison for a very long time.
• This is not the first time Wes 2 had been arrested. He was also arrested when he was boy for almost stabbing a boy who beat him up. These situations are oddly similar because both times, Wes was arrested for retaliating against someone who beat him up and he felt like retaliation was the answer as he remembered his brother's advice to "send a message".
• Wes 2 was able to get out of prison the first time because he had not actually stabbed the boy, but now he might face serious jail time if he did indeed kill the man who beat him up.

The Other Wes Moore Sonnets

Wes 1 Sonnet 

Lived a black boy of Jamaican descent once named Wes Moore.

Grew up in the Bronx didst he.

Said and did naïve things as a boy and grew up somewhat poor.

Prithee success his mother didst for he.

Loved him, his mother didst so.

Had a strong relationship and said kind things to each other didst they.

Tholed, his mother didst, when the boy she once knew started to go.

Oh Wes Moore, thou shalt thank her some day.

Attended a school for rich white youth,

Where anon, he became lost.

Failing so utterly in school was he, that erelong he felt ruth.

Swinked his mother didst, and made sacrifices, to which he didst not know the cost.

Maugre thine struggles in the past,

Thou wouldst not finish last.

Wes 2 Sonnet 

Lived another black boy, tall for his age named Wes Moore.

So similar to the first in background,

He was also somewhat poor, though he lived in Baltimore.

Worked hard his mother didst, to help him, but made he his life Hell- bound.

Said bold things when thou was a child.

Betimes thou found thyself in in trouble.

The poor decisions made thou piled.

Thy mother’s teen didst double.

Swinked didst thou brother to steer you away,

From a path that wouldst damage thou forever.

Tholed did thy mother as she was losing thou everyday.

Worked adamantly didst she, but thou wouldst not pull thyself together.

Made mistakes didst he, in the past that would prove to cost

As tother Wes Moore’s life was lost.

Archaic Words:

1. Thole- to endure; to suffer

2. Anon- at once; immediately

3. Erelong- before long; soon

4. Ruth- pity; remorse; sorrow

5. Swink- to toil; to labor 

6. Maugre- in spite of

7. Betimes- in short time; speedily

8. Tother- the other

IV Chapter 4

Themes:
1. Parallel Biographies
2. Crimes
3. Life Choices

Quotes

Parallel Biographies
1. "Mary was not the least bit concerned about her son's new dilemma... 'I don't want to hear your sob story about how much money you owe"(P. 74). (Wes 2)
"'Well your grades obviously aren't bad because you can't pick this stuff up or because you are stupid, you are just not working hard enough" (P.76). (Wes 1)

• In the first quote, Wes 2's mother is scolding him for bringing drugs into their house and telling him that she does not care about how much money he owes people, since she flushed the drugs down the toilet. In the second quote, Wes 1 also finds himself in trouble with his mother because he is doing poorly in school.
• These quotes reflect the theme of parallel biographies because both of the Wes Moores are beginning to disappoint their mothers, who used to always be on their side and support them.
• Both of them are screwing up and their mothers are getting tired of it. 
• Right now both of the Wes Moores are going through the same thing and we will have to see if they eventually shape up and begin to behave well.

Crimes

2. "He owed money but had no drugs to sell- he had to figure out how to make that money back quickly. The only way to do that was to go see his connects and hit the street again" (P. 74). (Wes 2)

• This quote is talking about how Wes 2 is trying to figure out how to earn the money he lost back, as a result of his mom flushing his drugs down the toilet.
• Wes 2 figures that the only way for him to earn the money back is to hit the streets and sell more drugs.
• This ties into the theme of crimes because doing drugs and selling drugs is a crime. If Wes were caught, he could get in serious trouble with the law.
• Him getting involved with selling drugs at an early age, could seriously damage his future because he could be arrested or end up in the violence that comes with being in the drug game.

3.  "Now I understood what was going where this was going. I was being arrested" (P.81). (Wes 1)

• This quote is talking about how Wes 1 was being handcuffed after he vandalized a city wall with graffiti.
• This ties into the theme of crimes because Wes 1 was being punished for a crime he had just committed.
• In this case, Wes was let off the hook, but if he keeps misbehaving and committing crimes, he could get into serious trouble one day. He could actually be arrested and face worse consequences for breaking the law.

Life Choices

4. " 'You have the potential to do so much more, go so much further. You can lead a horse to water but can't make him drink, right?' "(P.72) (Wes 2)

• Here, Wes 2's brother Tony, is trying to tell him that he could do so much more with his life than getting involved in the drug game. However, Tony recognizes that he cannot make his brother's choices for him.
• No matter how hard Tony tries to steer his brother away from drugs, it all comes down to the choices Wes 2 makes and whether he will get involved in the drug game.
• This relates to the theme of life choices because now Wes 2 is left with a decision to make. He must decide whether he will get out of the drug game and start turning his life around or if he will remain in the drug game and endanger his future.
• By the end of the chapter, it seems evident that Wes 2 chooses to stay involved in the drug game, and this could again, jeopardize his future because he could get involved in the violent cycle that comes with the drug game, get arrested, or even die.

5. "The cops gave us a gift that day, and I swore I would never get caught in a situation like that again" (P. 84). (Wes 1)

• After Wes 1 was nearly arrested for vandalizing public property, he reflects on how he was lucky to be let off the hook by the cops and vows to not get into another situation like that again.
• Unlike Wes 2, Wes 1 seems remorseful of his actions and realizes that the trouble he is getting into is serious. 
• This relates to the theme of life choices because Wes 1 decided that he would never get caught in a situation like that again, which shows that he might try to shape up and get his life together. 
• At the end of the chapter however, it suggests that Wes began vandalizing public property again, so it is questionable whether Wes actually did learn from his mistake.
• Hopefully Wes 1 will shape up and will not go down the wrong path, as a criminal.

III Chapter 3

Themes:
1. Parallel Biographies
2. Drugs
3. Importance of Education

Quotes

Parallel Biographies
1.  "...I allowed my standards at school to become pathetic" (P. 54). (Wes 1)
"He wasn't exactly excelling in the classroom, and his disenchantment with school was beginning to wear on him"(P. 58). (Wes 2)

• The first quote here is talking about how Wes 1's grades began to slip in school while the second one is talking about how Wes 2 was not excelling in school.
• At the time, both the Wes Moores were struggling in school and beginning to lose interest in learning. This is a clear example of a parallel between the two of them because they are going through similar situations.
• Both the Wes Moores are currently facing the challenge of succeeding in school, which shows that when they were children they led similar lives in one aspect. However the future of these two boys might be very different depending on how they will choose to face this challenge.
• In this chapter Wes 1 talks about how his mother may send him to military school if he does not do better in school, while Wes 2 has begun to take interest in drugs. This may be the start of how the two Wes Moores will begin to lead different lives.
• With these two boys coming from similar situations, we will see how their lives begin to differ and take different paths through the way the book is set up in the "parallel biography" style.

Drugs

2. "Besides watching Tony, Wes's first real interaction with drugs had taken place a few months earlier, just before the move out to Baltimore County" (P. 59)

• This quote is talking about the first time Wes 2 had interacted with drugs when he skipped school one day.
• Wes 2's first time doing drugs occurred at a young age. This could pose a huge problem for him in the future and could be the start of his downfall.
• Once you get involved in the world of drugs it is quite difficult to get out of it, especially at such an early age. If Wes 2 continues to use drugs he could become addicted to them , think irrationally, be expelled from school, get arrested, etc. There are endless amounts of negative consequences that could result from Wes 2's early drug use.
• This first encounter with drugs may not have seemed like a big deal to Wes 2 at the time but it may have been what ruined his whole future.

3. "He knew what this game was, the same game that had consumed Tony and put a bullet or two in him. The same game Tony continually urged Wes to stay out of" (P. 58)

• This quote is referring to when Wes 2 decided to work for a group of drug dealers in his neighborhood by warning them whenever cops passed by.
• This ties into the theme of drugs because it shows how drugs began to infiltrate into Wes 2's life. 
• From this, the reader can predict that Wes 2 might fall into the dangerous downward spiral of drugs that his brother Tony had once fallen into.
• Wes 2's early involvement with drugs may ruin his life.

Importance of Education

4. "...my mother had begun to threaten me with military school if I didn't get my grades and discipline together" (P. 54). 

• Here, Wes 1 talks about how if he does not start receiving better grades in school or behaving right, his mother will send him to military school.
• This ties into the theme of the importance of education in this book because it is evident that Wes 1's mother takes education very seriously.
• Wes 1's mother wants what is best for him and wants him to have a bright future. That is why she worked multiple jobs to send him to Riverdale Country School, an affluent private school.
• Wes 1's mother knows that education is the key to her son's bright future and success, so she does everything in her power to get him on the right track. If Wes cannot succeed in the Bronx, she may be forced to take what seem like extreme measures and send him to military school.
• Wes 1's education is very important to his mother because she wants to give him a good life and she realizes that the way to help her son succeed, is to get him to succeed in school.
• The persistence of Wes 1's mother for him to succeed in school and the importance of education to her might be one of the leading factors for Wes 1 to become successful later on in life.

5. "Baltimore City had a 70 percent dropout rate at the time. Tony had already joined that statistic; Mary wanted to keep Wes away from the same fate" (P. 57)

• This quote is talking about one of the reasons why Mary Moore decided to move her family out of their previous neighborhood in Baltimore, to one called Dundee Village. 
• Wes 2's mother, Mary wanted Wes to succeed and graduate high school and she was willing to take large measures to try to help her son do this.
• This quote ties into the the theme of the importance of education because if Wes 2's mother felt the need to move her family to a different neighborhood to help her son succeed in school, she obviously valued education.
• Like Wes 1's mother, Mary values education and wants the best for her son. She wants him to have a bright future and she sees education as the gateway to his success.
• The question is whether moving to a different neighborhood will be enough for Wes 2, to overcome the challenges of emerging successfully from his background.
• Although both the Wes Moores' mothers see education as very important, and want the best for their sons, the Wes Moores will lead different lives because of other factors.

Title Justification Paper #1

        Some authors choose to divide their books up into different parts and others do not. The Other Wes Moore by Wes Moore, is a book divided into three parts. Part one of the book includes three chapters and is titled "Fathers and Angels". Part one of The Other Wes Moore is titled "Fathers and Angels" because it describes how the mothers of both the Wes Moores also served as their guardian angels and fulfills the author's purpose by setting the scene for the tragedy that will occur later on in the book.

        Both Wes 1 and Wes 2 were forced to grow up without their fathers. Wes 1's father had died when he was young. Wes 2's father on the other hand, was abusive and did not wish to be part of his son's life. Wes 2's father "...hadn't found a steady job. He spent most of his time searching for himself at the bottoms of liquor bottles" (P. 23). With both of their fathers gone or uninvolved in their lives, the Wes Moores only had one parent to raise them and that was their mothers. The author's purpose for this part of the book was to set the stage for the reader to understand the background of both the Wes Moores. Part 1 paints a picture of what type of environment the Wes Moores had to grow up in as kids. In the first part of the book we learn the essential things to know about both of the Wes Moores in order to make sense of why their paths diverged in such drastically different ways. We learn that they grew up without their fathers, we learn where the two of them live, we learn that both of them are struggling in school, and we learn that Wes 2 has begun to get involved in drugs while Wes 1 has not. The author is providing us with this information because it is vital when it comes to understanding why the two of them came to lead different lives. When reading the title of part 1, "Fathers and Angels" you would think that the title would actually read "Fathers and Mothers" because fathers and mothers are both parents. The fact that the title of part 1 is "Fathers and Angels" may suggest that the mothers of the Wes Moores are not simply mothers. They are the guardian angels for both of them. For instance both the mothers of the Wes Moores want the best for their children. They both want to make sure their sons receive a good education. For example Wes 1's mother "... decided soon after [their] move to the Bronx that [Wes] was not going to public school" (P. 47).  Instead Wes 1's mother worked multiple jobs, so that she could send her son to an affluent private school where she thought he would succeed. Wes 2's mother also valued her son's future and tried to provide him with the chance to receive a better education by moving her family out of their previous neighborhood. This shows that both the Wes Moores' mothers were strong women who only wanted the best for their sons. They would do anything to provide them with a chance to have a bright future. The Wes Moores' mothers were their protectors and angels throughout their early lives and they supported them as much as they could, with their fathers being gone. The title of part 1 "Fathers and Angels" shows that the mothers of the Wes Moores were more than just mothers, they were angels. This first part of the book sets the stage for the tragedy that will occur later in the book for Wes 2, because it provided us with details on the early lives of both the Wes Moores.

          Part one of The Other Wes Moore is titled "Fathers and Angels" because it describes how the mothers of both the Wes Moores also served as their guardian angels and fulfills the author's purpose by setting the scene for the tragedy that will occur later on in the book. The Other Wes Moore is a book divided into three parts, so it will be interesting to see what the other two parts of the book will encompass. When writing biographies it is best to divide the story into different parts?