In Chapter 2, the themes are role models, life choices, crime, and mentoring.
Life choices/Crime:
-"People who lived in Murphy Homes felt like prisoners, kept in check by roving bands of gun-strapped prisoners…This was where Tony chose to spend his days." (Page 27)
Wes's brother, Tony, lived with his father. Their residency was not an ideal one, as it could get violent there. The fact that so many of the teens there had guns shows that crime was not uncommon in that place. Violence could occur at any given moment. The fact that Tony chose to stay in that place falls under the theme of life choices because it influenced how he was brought up. He chose to be around violence, which meant that he would get into trouble when he was older.
-"Fear and apathy had become the new norm in what had once been a close-knit community."(Page 40)
After the author Wes and his family moved to New York, their grandparents told them about the problems that had surfaced for a while. Many people were getting killed in shootings around the neighborhood, putting everyone on edge. The increasing crime rates instilled fear in the community. This shows that anyone with a gun can cause the community to look out for each other in order to stay safe. The fear can bring everyone closer together.
Role models/Mentoring:
-"His brother…was the closest thing Wes had to a caretaker during the daylight hours and was fiercely protective of the little brother who idolized him." (Page 26)
Tony was the other Wes' role model and mentor. He called Wes to check on him numerous times. His desire to maintain contact with Wes shows that he wanted the best for him. Wes learned how to react in certain situations from him, which is a key responsibility of a mentor. Mentors are protective of their mentees, but at the same time, they give them advice, which is what Tony did.
-"Tony… was desperately trying to give his little brother information he thought he needed, the kind of information Tony never got." ( Page 27)
This quote is related to the one above. Tony was constantly advising Wes on how to act and stand up for himself. He wanted to make sure that Wes went down the right path. This shows that he cares about what type of person Wes would turn out to be. He wanted Wes to turn out to be a better man than he was. Tony never received advice on how to act, but he was trying to make sure Wes got that information so he would have a better life.
-"If [Wes] ever slackened, Tony would pull an exhausted Wes to the side… and say, 'Rule number one: If someone disrespects you, you send a message so fierce that they won't have the chance to do it again.' It was Murphy Homes law and Wes took it to heart." (Page 33)
Sometimes, Wes and his friend Woody would go to the Murphy Homes and practice fighting with some of the other boys while Tony supervised it. The fact that Tony said to send a message if someone disrespected him showed how much of a mentor he was. However, given how much Wes looked up to Tony, it might not have been the best thing to say. Wes took it to heart, and he would carry that piece of advice with him for the rest of his life. It led to him attempting to attack one of the neighborhood boys with a knife and getting arrested for that. That piece of advice shows that Wes learned that he had to retaliate if someone started a fight.
Monday, February 24, 2014
Monday, February 17, 2014
Chapter 1: Is Daddy Coming with Us?-Theme Analysis
The themes in the opening chapter of The Other Wes Moore are drugs, absent fathers, and the importance of education.
Importance of education:
-"When Mary told her mother that she was pregnant, at age sixteen, Alma said, 'I don't care! You are going to finish school and go to college!'"(Page 21)
Alma viewed education as extremely important because she had not been able to go to college herself, and she knew that education opened the door to many opportunities. Her response to her daughter's news reinforces this belief. This shows that she wants Mary to make sure that she is able to get an education despite the pregnancy. Education would ensure Mary of a better life, both for herself and her kids.
-"Mary was the first of the kids to leave home. Education was her escape in more ways then one." (Page 23)
This quote builds on the last one a little bit. Mary left college after Alma died. She went to get a college degree not only for herself, but for the rest of the family, since she was the first one to go to college. When Moore says that "Education was her escape in more ways then one," he means that Alma was leaving not only the memory of her mother's death, but also her alcohol addicted father. She saw education as her ticket to a better future.
Drugs/ Absent fathers:
-"Nikki took his death worse then the rest of us…because her biological father, Bill changed abruptly after my father died… After my father died, Bill no longer called, wrote, or bothered to check up on her." (Page 15)
Prior to the death of Wes, her stepfather, Bill had kept in touch with Nikki. Even thought he wasn't physically present, he still called her and wrote to her. After Wes's death, however, Bill dropped out of her life. He wasn't calling her or writing her. Nikki needed Bill to replace Wes as the father figure in her life at the time she needed it most. The fact that he failed to do so shows that he really had no interest in being involved in his daughter's life.
-"Bernard hadn't found a steady job. He spent most of his time searching for himself at the bottoms of liquor bottles. Mary was left with two alcoholic, abusive men who shared the DNA of her two children but no husband or dad for her boys." (Page 23)
This quote is relevant to the themes of both drugs and absent fathers. Bernard's addiction was a huge problem. The fact that he couldn't find a steady job contributes to him being absent from his child's life because he was not contributing to the family's income, which would improve his child's life. Most of his time was spent drinking, so he spent no time around his family or working. This caused him to be absent from his child's life.
-"As the years passed, Joy kept hoping that Bill's alcohol and drug use would fade…They had a child together. She hoped that would motivate Bill to make some changes. But his addiction just got worse…"(Page 9)
Like Bernard, Bill struggled with addiction. Joy thought that the responsibility of raising a child would motivate him to seek help, but it didn't. Instead, it worsened the addiction. This shows that Bill had no interest in being involved in his daughter's life. He did not want to shoulder the responsibility of being a parent, therefore he drank in order to forget about it. If he cared about his daughter, he would have gotten help in order to get sober, which would show his desire to raise her, but he didn't.
Importance of education:
-"When Mary told her mother that she was pregnant, at age sixteen, Alma said, 'I don't care! You are going to finish school and go to college!'"(Page 21)
Alma viewed education as extremely important because she had not been able to go to college herself, and she knew that education opened the door to many opportunities. Her response to her daughter's news reinforces this belief. This shows that she wants Mary to make sure that she is able to get an education despite the pregnancy. Education would ensure Mary of a better life, both for herself and her kids.
-"Mary was the first of the kids to leave home. Education was her escape in more ways then one." (Page 23)
This quote builds on the last one a little bit. Mary left college after Alma died. She went to get a college degree not only for herself, but for the rest of the family, since she was the first one to go to college. When Moore says that "Education was her escape in more ways then one," he means that Alma was leaving not only the memory of her mother's death, but also her alcohol addicted father. She saw education as her ticket to a better future.
Drugs/ Absent fathers:
-"Nikki took his death worse then the rest of us…because her biological father, Bill changed abruptly after my father died… After my father died, Bill no longer called, wrote, or bothered to check up on her." (Page 15)
Prior to the death of Wes, her stepfather, Bill had kept in touch with Nikki. Even thought he wasn't physically present, he still called her and wrote to her. After Wes's death, however, Bill dropped out of her life. He wasn't calling her or writing her. Nikki needed Bill to replace Wes as the father figure in her life at the time she needed it most. The fact that he failed to do so shows that he really had no interest in being involved in his daughter's life.
-"Bernard hadn't found a steady job. He spent most of his time searching for himself at the bottoms of liquor bottles. Mary was left with two alcoholic, abusive men who shared the DNA of her two children but no husband or dad for her boys." (Page 23)
This quote is relevant to the themes of both drugs and absent fathers. Bernard's addiction was a huge problem. The fact that he couldn't find a steady job contributes to him being absent from his child's life because he was not contributing to the family's income, which would improve his child's life. Most of his time was spent drinking, so he spent no time around his family or working. This caused him to be absent from his child's life.
-"As the years passed, Joy kept hoping that Bill's alcohol and drug use would fade…They had a child together. She hoped that would motivate Bill to make some changes. But his addiction just got worse…"(Page 9)
Like Bernard, Bill struggled with addiction. Joy thought that the responsibility of raising a child would motivate him to seek help, but it didn't. Instead, it worsened the addiction. This shows that Bill had no interest in being involved in his daughter's life. He did not want to shoulder the responsibility of being a parent, therefore he drank in order to forget about it. If he cared about his daughter, he would have gotten help in order to get sober, which would show his desire to raise her, but he didn't.
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