Title Justification Essay #2

The Other Wes Moore by Wes Moore
Title Justification Essay #2

    The second section of The Other Wes Moore by Wes Moore is titled, “Choices and Second Chances”.  This section describes the numerous life choices both Wesses had to make as they got older, and the second chances they were offered.  Throughout this section, the reader sees the differences between each Wes's individual choices and reactions to second chances.  The theme of life choices is incredibly prevalent in this section of the novel, as each Wes struggles to make the right choices that will lead them to success. Due to the exhibition of the theme of life choices and the description of second chances the boys receive, the title “Choices and Second Chances” is fitting for the second section of the novel.

     The section begins by describing Wes's choice to become a drug dealer. This life decisions is ultimately what shapes Wes’s fate the most. Dealing leads to more crime, and eventually his arrest.  At the beginning of the section Wes is offered a second chance by his brother Tony, who tells him to remove himself from the drug trade before it’s too late.  Tony offers his help but tell him, “If you won’t listen, that’s on you. You have potential to do so much more, go so much further." Wes decides to ignore his brother's advice, and looses what could have been his opportunity to turn his life around. Wes traps himself in a life of drugs, crime, and extreme violence. 

      The other Wes also experiences challenging life decisions and second chances during the second section of The Other Wes Moore. Wes continued to show now interest or effort in his education, not caring about his grades, or about how people thought of him. His struggle to succeed at Riverdale caused his mother to threaten sending him to military school. Wes’s mother made it clear to him that there would be consequences if he continued his behavior, warning him, “You think I’m playing. Just try me”.  However, Wes decided to ignore his mother and continued to let his grades slip. After Wes is arrested for vandalism, his mother finally sends him to military school. Although it was involuntary, Wes's military school education was his second chance because it directed him to later success. 

      The title, “Choices and Second Chances” is appropriate for the second section of The Other Wes Moore because the Wes' important life choices and second chances are described throughout the chapter. This section voices the importance of choices and the circumstances provided by second chances on the outcome of people’s lives.  One Wes's life decisions drove him to ignore and chance at redemption, landing him in prison. The other Wes's choices caused him to end up at military school which allowed him to pursue a successful life. The section truly shows the theme of the impact of life choices, and how the choices we make, though governed by circumstance, are the most influential part of our lives, therefore, "Choices and Second Chances" is a fitting title for this chapter.