The opportunities that someone has to get themselves on the right track and positively impact the world are often limited. For some people, they only get one shot. If they don't take advantage of that shot, they would go nowhere, and they would live a life of crime and drugs due to their choices. For other people, however, they receive another shot to do something positive with their life. This is illustrated specifically in Part 2 of The Other Wes Moore, titled "Choices and Second Chances." In this part, the author Wes is sent to military school by his mother. He despised it at first, but soon became a leader in the corps and grew to love it. Meanwhile, Wes 2 got into more trouble. He was arrested for attempted murder and for drug dealing. The title of the section, "Choices and Second Chances," is appropriate with the author's purpose because it contrasts the paths that teens can take with their lives and their consequences, but it also tries to motivate kids to stay on the right path.
There are several examples that demonstrate the author's desire to motivate kids to stay on the right path. "The final straw came one evening while she sat downstairs on the phone listening to my dean from Riverdale explain why they were placing me on academic and disciplinary probation…Bad grades, absence from classes, and an incident with a smoke bomb… Her conviction was increasing with every bad report." (Page 87) The dean was describing choices that the author Wes made that caused his family to change his environment. When a school administrator describes reasons such as those listed in the quote for putting a child on probation, any parent will be angry and monitor their child. Wes's mother had done that enough. Wes's choice to neglect his education and misbehave led to a major change in his life. Wes uses the description of his problems as well as his mother's conviction to motivate kids to do positive things with their lives. They show how serious a parent can be when they say they want to change their child's environment, even if their children don't believe them. Another example shows second chances: "'I am going to let you talk on the phone for five minutes, and that is it for the rest of plebe system. Call who you need to, but you had better be snapped out of this when that phone hangs up.'"(Page 94) Colonel Batt's willingness to let Wes talk to his mom shows how much he wants Wes to succeed in life. In a strict environment such as Valley Forge, some officers would have given up on plebes who misbehaved. The military has little time for clowns. However, Wes was given a chance to reflect on his actions. That phone call was a turning point in his life. After that phone call, he changed his attitude and his outlook on life, and he greatly benefitted from it. This also serves as a great motivator for kids. It shows them how valuable a second chance can be, and they should take advantage of it to make sure their life is heading in a positive direction.
The title is appropriate with the author's purpose because it illustrates the consequences of certain actions while also motivating kids to stay on the right path. Wes's decisions to neglect school and engage in misconduct led to his mother sending him to Valley Forge to get his life back on track. His choices led to a 180 degree shift in his environment. Colonel Batt, instead of expelling Wes, gave him an opportunity to correct himself and evaluate his life. Any teen going down the wrong path who reads the second part of the book will be inspired by how Wes righted himself, and they might even evaluate themselves as to where they are going.
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