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Liyah Lopez

Medina

CTW 1

October 10th, 2017

The Other Wes Moore

Growing up in a low-income community, expectations differing through socio-economic

classes was evident. The local private school was known for producing the most articulate

students and the best athletes; My public high school was known for its gang-bangers and its

low percentage of students who go onto college. The main barrier differing the two groups of

students: the income their families brought in. Students at the local private high school paid

$12,580 in tuition to attend school in 2016. The same year, families at the public high school

struggled to make double that number. Commercials for the local private high school displayed

the prestigious colleges their students had been admitted to. Meanwhile, only 22% of students

from my public high school proceeded their studies following graduation. Students dropping out

of my public school was expected, students dropping out of the local private school was unheard

of. Although the two groups of students resided in the same city, their expectations were held

dramatically different. (Introduce Wes Moore??? How do I fit in the book following personal

narrative???) In the memoir The Other Wes Moore: One Name, Two Fates by Wes Moore, the

narrator displays how expectations can influence the development of character as well as how

they can shape decision-making.

Throughout the memoir, The Other Wes Moore: One Name, Two Fates, the narrator Wes

Moore follows his life path and the path of another man with the same name, Other Wes

Moore, as he deciphers the two men's life choices that led to Narrator Wes Moore being a
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decorated scholar and Other Wes Moore being sentenced behind bars for life. While pondering

over where their lives led them, Other Wes Moore introduces the idea of expectations and how

people tend to be products of them. Narrator Wes Moore, both parents being college-

graduates, would be expected to pursue an educational path after graduating from high school.

Meanwhile, Other Wes Moores mother relinquished her dream of having Wes attend college

in efforts to encourage him to not resort his life to selling drugs on the streets. The expectations

of those around you will play a heavy factor in your work ethic and productivity. If you are held

to minimal expectations, you will complete the bare minimum to meet those expectations.

Narrator Wes Moore attended top schools prior to going to college, he was surrounded by the

idea that college is not an option. Other Wes Moore grew up in an environment where college

was a privilege and graduating from high school was rare, But in Baltimore City, where

Northern High School was located, it [graduation rate] was a dismal 38 percent (108). For

Other Wes Moore, dropping out of high school was following the majority, he would be part

of the 62% of students at his high school who did not make it to graduation. Other Wes Moore

did not have the guidance or resources to reshape his path himself so instead, he fell susceptible

to the expectations held before him.

There comes a point where the expectations others hold for you become parallel with the

expectations you hold yourself to. The inevitability of it is the fact that we tend to falter towards

the opinions of others, using them to justify the insecurities we hold ourselves to. The outcome is

the restriction of individual encouragement as it has been influenced by the perspectives of

others. In the case of Other Wes Moore, he explains this idea as the deciding factor between

his life and Narrator Wes Moores life, We will do what others expect of us If they expect

us to graduate, we will graduate If they expect us to go to jail, then thats where we will end
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up too. At some point, you lose control(126). Through this quote, Other Wes Moore displays

the dangers of expectations, particularly the expectations of your environment. Whether these

expectations originate from parents, teachers, friends or family, they play a significant role in

your perception of yourself and with evidently shape the decisions you make from there. (Should

I add more evidence through examples? Generic? Connecting to Other Wes Moore?)

A teacher telling you that you will not receive an A in a class a couple days before the

quarter ends simply because of the lack of time is completely different than a teacher stating at

the beginning of the quarter that you are incapable of receiving an A. However, there becomes a

blurred line between facing reality and lowering expectations and that is where the adolescent

mind falls short. As a youth, you are susceptible to understanding the opinions of elders as the

truth, never questioning their opinions and this lack of critically considering others outlook on

your own life is what allows expectations to be altered. If you are not surrounded by a supportive

environment, it is hard to believe in your abilities and raise your expectations. Narrator Wes

Moore explains this concept through the eyes of Other Wes Moore considering the life path of

his brother Tony, Young boys are more likely to believe in themselves if they know that theres

someone, somewhere, who shares that belief. To carry the burden of belief alone is too much for

most young shoulders(28). Narrator Wes Moore emphasizes the importance of a supporting

environment in the development in character. Standing alone is terrifying as you face the

possibility of judgement a ridicule and as a maturing kid, these factors play a significant role in

your life and influence your character as most young adults strive for acceptance. It is the

support systems or lack of as well as the opinions of the environments you are surrounded by

that shape character and give the basis of expectations.

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The most important individuals in terms of influence are parents as they sit as the largest

support system. In general, parents tend to base their expectations of you based on who they

want you to be rather than the reality of who you are. In the memoir, Other Wes Moores

mother resorts to believing her son is obtaining large amounts of money through DJing on the

weekends rather than accepting that Other Wes was selling drugs (70-71). Her expectation of

him was that he knew better than to follow his brothers steps and sell drugs on the streets,

however she failed to understand and act upon the reality that it was very likely he would.

Following that incident, her expectations for her son would fall and as a result, so would his.

Other Wes would go on to believe that he was meant to dropout of school and accepted that he

would most likely land in jail, those were the expectations he held for himself. Im not saying

that if his mother would have persisted to maintain higher expectations that Other Wes may

not have ended up in jail because it is likely that he would still be in the same position. However,

if he understood that his mother still believed he could do something better with his life, maybe

he would have believed the same.

As for Narrator Wes Moore, he was privileged to have to consistent support of his

mother and grandparents to guide him in the right direction. After facing legal trouble and drug-

related conflicts, Narrator Wes Moores mother decides to send him to military school with

financial sacrifices of his grandparents and other family members. Narrator Wes Moore would

then go onto John Hopkins University and later Oxford University. During an internship with

Baltimores mayor, the mayor suggests that Narrator Wes Moore applies to be a Rhodes

Scholar. Narrator Wes Moore is hesitant, especially as he considers the prestige of the award

and the high status of its recipients. However, the mayor is persistent in displaying his belief in
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Narrator Wes Moore and Moore agrees on applying. To his surprise, Narrator Wes Moore is

selected as a Rhodes Scholar and is allowed to reach his potential.

In the life of an adolescent, the opinions of others can greatly shape your own perspective

of yourself. This is particularly true when considering the expectations held over oneself. In the

memoir, The Other Wes Moore: One Name, Two Fates, the narrator Wes Moore makes the

impact others others can play on expectations and the significance those hold on the direction of

your life.

Comments:

I feel like I am not connecting the quote to my idea well.

Also, talking too much about Other Wes Moore and not enough about Narrator Wes Moore.

How do I integrate the two?

WORKS CITED

Moore, Wes. The Other Wes Moore: One Name, Two Fates. Spiegel & Grau, 2010.
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St. Francis High School Salesian College Preparatory. Tuition & Fees - Educational Support -

St. Francis High School,

www.stfrancishigh.net/apps/pages/index.jsp?uREC_ID=206887&type=d&pREC_ID=455663.

Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA - May 2016 OES Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Area

Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Bureau

of Labor Statistics, www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes_42100.htm.