What It Means to Be Named Wes Moore
What is the author saying?
Wes Moore escaped a rough-and-tumble childhood to become a model of achievement. Decorated combat veteran. White House Fellow. Business leader. Just after he learned he’d won a Rhodes Scholarship in late 2000, he also learned about another Wes Moore, who would soon be sentenced to life in prison. Michele Norris talks to Wes Moore the achiever — and now author of The Other Wes Moore — about his journey of discovery and friendship.
MELISSA BLOCK, host: From NPR News, this is All Things Considered. I’m Melissa Block.
MICHELE NORRIS, host: And I’m Michele Norris.
And we’re going to spend some time considering the notion of fate and the destinies who share one name, Wes Moore. The first Wes Moore escaped a rough-and-tumble childhood to become a model of achievement, decorated combat veteran, White House Fellow, business leader.
Just after that Wes Moore learned he’d won a Rhodes Scholarship in late 2000, he also learned about another Wes Moore, who would soon be sentenced to life in prison for his role in a botched jewelry store robbery that resulted in the death of an off-duty police officer.
The stories of both Wes Moores were chronicled in the Baltimore Sun. Wes Moore the achiever was so rattled by the coincidence he eventually wrote a letter to Wes Moore, the prisoner. The resulting correspondence led to a journey of discovery and friendship and a book published this week. It’s called The Other Wes Moore: One Name, Two Fates.
Wes Moore the achiever and now author took us back to the moment he first learned of his counterpart.
Mr. WES MOORE (Author, The Other Wes Moore): I was in South Africa, living in one of the townships of South Africa doing research, and I got a call from my mother, and we were talking for a little bit, and she said, I have something crazy to tell you. She said, you know, the cops are looking for a man with your name in your neighborhood for killing a cop. And it hit me. I was like, what? And she said, there are wanted signs all over your neighborhood for Wes Moore, and if you happen to see Wes Moore, do not approach because he’s assumed to be armed and very dangerous.
That was the first time I really even learned about him, but then as I started reading these articles and learning about this other Wes Moore, I realized that we had so much more in common that just our name. The fact that we both came up in single-parent households, the fact that we both had trouble with school and the fact that we both had, you know, these interactions with the criminal justice system.
The excerpt is not only about the two Wes Moores but it is also about their families. Moore emphasizes how much our families shape who we are and how, without family support, most people have little chance of success.
What is the author's chief aim for writing The Other Wes Moore?
While one Wes Moore received a life sentence in prison, another Wes Moore went on to become a Rhodes Scholar and best-selling author.
Moore's goal in writing is to investigate how two people from such similar backgrounds can end up with such disparate lives.
That friendship eventually inspired Discovering Wes Moore, a moving and cautionary tale about the factors that contribute to success and failure—and the decisions that make all the difference. Two gentlemen. Adversity was overcome.
Thus, this can be considered as the author's point of view in the given scenario.
What is the author saying about the two Wes Moores? What is the chief aim of the author in writing The Other Wes Moore? Wes Moore, the author, contrasts his successful life journey with that of another Wes Moore, whose life led to a life sentence for crime, and he turns this exploration into a book highlighting issues of destiny and social environment. The author, Wes Moore, discusses his own life and achievements in contrast with another individual named Wes Moore, who had a significantly different life path, culminating in a life sentence for a botched robbery. This exploration leads to the publication of his book 'The Other Wes Moore: One Name, Two Fates', a personal narrative that delves into themes of destiny, choice, and the impact of social environments. Wes Moore highlights the similarities between the two individuals, such as growing up in single-parent households and struggles with education, while also contemplating the diverging points of their lives.