Literature in Review

The Other Wes Moore

Aaron Ventresca

Literature Depicting the Duality of Life

Every human is
faced with the challenge
of mastering the duality
of life. There are typically two manners in
which to live, which are
essentially in conflict
one another. Choosing
to follow the moral and
often less-trodden path
proves to be the right
choice, yet extremely
difficult. Choosing the
road traveled by all can
lead to malice, but
proves significantly easier. In both The Other
Wes Moore and The
Road Not Taken, this
inherent theme of duality is exemplified. The
Other Wes Moore, in
addition to stressing the
duality of man, also focuses on how environmental and genetic factors prove to ultimately
guide ones life. The
Road Not Taken, while
depicting the message
of duality, explains the

great need to blaze a

new trail in life.
The Other Wes
Moore, a novel by Wes
Moore, serves to illustrate how genetic and
environmental influences ultimately govern
ones development as a
person. In this novel,
two people under the
name of Wes Moore
perfectly depict this notion. Author Wes has
the ability to learn and
develop his God-given
skills via Valley Forge
Military Academy.
Conversely, other Wes
lacks the financial and
social resources to enable him to develop as a
person. The author
notes, Others pointed
to the different levels of
cultural capital and social resources our mothers possessed
[] (Moore 181). The
environment in which

one lives ultimately determines ones future. Author

Wes eventually graduated
high school, became a
Rhodes Scholar, and completed his education at
Johns Hopkins University.
Other Wes, unable to have
access to such opportunities, chose to become
highly involved in the buying and selling of drugs.
He, along with his halfbrother Tony, were eventually arrested for executing an armed jewelry store
robbery and killing a local
police officer.
Continued on Page 2

Author Wes Moore and his family

Literature Depicting the Duality of Life (Continued from Page 1)

Left: Author Wes

Moore
Right: Other Wes

Rather, this book

will use our two lives
as a way of thinking
about choices and
accountability, not
just for each of us as
individuals but for all
of us as a
society (Moore xiv).

Page 2

The Road
Not Taken,
a poem by
Robert
Frost,
stresses the
essential
need for
humans to
follow the
road less
traveled in
life. Frost
metaphorically depicts how
the road frequently traveled
is easy, but does not yield
the best result. He describes,
And looked down one as
far as I could / To where it
bent in the undergrowth (Frost). Frost encourages readers to look beyond the obvious, easy solutions in life. He continues
his poem by explaining how
taking the road less traveled,
though it may appear intimidating, ultimately yields a
worthwhile end result. He
states, I shall be telling this
with a sigh / somewhere ages and ages hence: / Two
roads diverged in a wood,
and I- / I took the one less
traveled by [] (Frost). It
proves important in life to
notice how the road less
traveled can appear difficult
at first, but will be the most
rewarding in the end.
Though containing
many different themes and
ideals, the aforementioned
texts both serve to illustrate
how humans are faced with
the daily challenge of con-

the duality of
frontational duality. In all
choices in
areas of life, duality and
their own rechoices come to fruition.
spective manHumans are constantly
ners. Wes
faced with multiple opMoore choictions, often benevolent, or
es to exemplievil. People face the normal decision of, what do I fy the positive
and negative
wear? To this question,
effects of enthere are two main anvironment on
swers; to dress well and
children in the
appear presentable, or to
dress inappropriately. This early development stages of
duality is a mere example
of the many choices people their life. Furare faced with. In both The ther, Frost
Other Wes Moore and The chooses to
Road Not Taken, an exam- represent the
confrontationple of this duality appears.
al nature of
Author and other Wes are
choices in a
faced with the choice to
metaphoric
conform to their environment, or seek to rise above path in the
woods.
their surroundings and be
benevolent to others. Rob- Though
tempting to
ert Frost illustrates how
choose evil,
people are generally faced
with the decision to follow one must rise
above and
the crowd, or strive to
blaze their own path in life. seek to take
the beneficial
Though these two works
road less travcontain many similarities,
however, they also differ in eled.
that one is a poem, while
the other is prose. The Other Wes Moore is a novel
with over 150 pages,
while The Road Not Taken is a four stanza poem
that barely takes up space
on a half-sheet of paper.
In all, though they
differ in form, The Other
Wes Moore and The Road The road less traveled
Not Taken both exemplify can appear frightening

Resource Guide Stand for Children

The Rhodes Scholarship

American children. Chairman

Anne Marie Burgoyne has recently installed the Emerson
Initiative, implemented to help
organization has achieved
Stand for Children is
over 209 state and local vic- acquire other external sources
an organization aimed at
for the organizations portfolio.
tories and has rightfully
equipping underprivileged
gained over $209 billion dol- Burgoyne originally achieved
youth with the ability to acthis position after graduating
quire a basic education to en- lars in youth education.
from Stanford University with
The organization
able them to attend college
a masters of business adminspans 11 states, including
and higher education. The
istration (MBA) and public
foundation was originally es- Colorado, Texas, Arizona, management program certifiIndiana, and Massachusetts.
tablished on June 1, 1999,
cate.
when over 300,000 American This organization executes
children gathered at the Mall its work based on three main
To make a positive imprinciples: parents, politics,
of Washington. In this, their
pact
in
my community, I can
and policy. Stand for chilgreat vim and vigor sparked
contact this organization and
the organization into being in dren ultimately does an ex- aid them in their work by startsearch of better assistance for cellent job of creating hope ing fundraisers in my own rein the lives of uneducated
children. Since that day, the
gion to donate financially. I also can persuade friends to become involved. Like author
The Rhodes Scholarship
Wes states, we must give our
time talent and treasure to help
the underprivileged.
The Rhodes Scholpaid scholarship. The first
arship is a prestigious
scholars were awarded in 1902.
award given annually to 32
Rhodes once stated that the
young American students
scholarship was intended,
for excellence in academ [] to improve the world
ics, character, commitment
through the diffusion of leaders
to others, commitment to
motivated to serve their conthe common good, and
temporaries trained in the conleadership. The Scholartemplative life of the mind
ship was originally found[] (Rhodes). Notable recipied after the death of Cecil
ents of this scholarship include
J. Rhodes, a notable Britformer U.S. President Bill Clinish man known for his
ton (1968), 2016 presidential
charitable work worldcandidate Bobby Jindal (1994),
wide. After his death, the
U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice
The Rhodes Scholarship is one of the
Rhodes Trust established
(1990), and songwriter/vocalist most prestigious scholarships awarded
in his name funded the
Kris Kristofferson (1959). Yet in the world
scholarship. With the monanother one of these recipients,
ey earned, recipients are
of more recent times, is Author to be a sought after scholarship
granted the privilege of
Wes Moore. In all, the Rhodes with world renown.
attending Oxford Universischolarship continually proves
ty for two years on a full-

Resource Guide- Stand for Children

Works Cited
Works Cited
Greer, Jeff. "Famous Rhodes Scholarship." U.S. News, U.S. News & World Report, 19 Nov. 2009,
www.usnews.com/education/slideshows/famous-rhodes-scholars. Accessed 27 Oct. 2016.
Mo, Steven. "The Rhodes Scholarship: A Walk Through History." A sian Scientist, Asian Scientist Magazine,

2016, www.asianscientist.com/2011/04/academia/the-rhodes-scholarship-walk-history/. Accessed 27

Oct. 2016.
Moore, Wes. The Other W es Moore. New York, Spiegel & Grau, 2011.
O'Shaughnessy, Lynn. "10 Most Prestigious Scholarships." CBS Money W atch, CBS News Interactive, 26 Jan.
2011, www.cbsnews.com/news/10-most-prestigious-scholarships-in-america/. Accessed 27 Oct. 2016.
"The Rhodes Scholarships." The Rhodes Trust, 2016, www.rhodesscholar.org/. Accessed 27 Oct. 2016.
"Stand for Children." Stand for Children, 2016, stand.org/national/about/board-directors. Accessed 26 Oct.
2016.
"Undergraduate Academic Awards." University of W isconsin-Madison, Board of Regents of the University of
Wisconsin System, awards.advising.wisc.edu/. Accessed 27 Oct. 2016.

One
Name

Two
Fates