“The Other Wes Moore” and is organized around six themes that emerge throughout the book:
1: Identity- The theme of “Identity” is woven throughout the story and we learn about the different “identities” of both Wes Moores in addition to the identities of their families, friends, and community members.
2: Personal Values- “Personal Values” is another theme that regularly emerges throughout the book as we learn about the different Wes Moores’ lives, their decisions, and the challenges they each encounter.
3: Decision Making- In “The Other Wes Moore,” we gain insight into the lives of several people and we learn about different decisions they each make. Some decisions have positive consequences and others have negative ones. Additionally, we see examples of long and short-term decision making by the different individuals portrayed in the book.
4: Loss, Faith, and Redemption- both Wes Moores and the people in their lives demonstrate various forms of faith and experience redemption in very different ways. Religion,hope, trust, second chances, and forgiveness are all reoccurring examples of faith and redemption that emerge throughout the book.
5: Peer, Parent, and Community Support- The theme of “Peer, Parent, and Community Support” refers to the people and the ways in which Wes’s life and his decisions were heavily influenced by the people he surrounded himself with. Similarly, the “other” Wes Moore was also influenced by the people in his life.
6: Goals- the theme of “Goals” emerges in different contexts. Throughout the book, we learn about setting goals, the joys of accomplishing goals, and the consequences of not having them.
For the paper, consider at least two of these themes and discuss how the themes are portrayed in the book. YOU MUST cite specific examples from the book to support each theme.