Discussion questions for the other wes moore

Wes Moore’s memoir, titled The Other Wes Moore, chronicles two lives with remarkable parallels and startling differences. He tells his own story alongside that of another young man, from his neighborhood, with his same name. The author ended up a Rhodes Scholar, a graduate of Johns Hopkins University, a veteran, an accomplished businessman and author. The other Wes Moore is serving a life sentence without the possibility of parole for his alleged role in a robbery/murder. How do two men with comparable beginnings and early life experiences end up with such contrasting fates? That’s the question that led the author to embark on the book project, but he insists he doesn’t uncover any concrete answers. Ultimately, he suggests that the book is ultimately about "the decisive power of information and stories" to shape people's lives (182).

Prompt Questions

SELECT ONE QUESTION TO RESPOND TO IN YOUR ESSAY

1. In the Afterword to The Other Wes Moore, the author notes that he intentionally avoided answering the question about what made the difference between his fate and that of the other Wes Moore. He goes on to say that, over time, readers have offered multiple interpretations of the key differences in the two boys' lives, and that through those conversations, he realized that he "was thinking about the question the wrong way" (181). Moore concludes that the book is ultimately about "the decisive power of information and stories" to shape people's lives (182). In what way(s) does Moore suggest that the "the decisive power of information and stories" shapes the lives of either or both men? Consider the presence as well as absence of "information and stories;" be specific in your response. Remember that since the author narrates and shapes the story, your argument should be author-focused, about what the author is suggesting or implying through the story.

2. Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's TED Talk, "The Danger of a Single Story," discusses what happens--and what we lose--when we view other people, cultures, or regions through the lens of the one dominant story that is most often told about them. Adichie shares that resisting the "single story" helped her understand complexity and nuance in the world, and helped her discover her own voice as a writer. In many ways, Moore's work is also "the danger of a single story." His memoir is his attempt to resist the one-dimensional narratives about the topics that intersected his life, and the life of his counterpart: blackness, poverty, masculinity, drugs, failure, educational reform, etc. Identify one key concept in Moore's book, articulate what the "single story" is about that key concept, and make an argument about how Moore complicates, challenges, or expands on that single story. How does Moore ask his readers to think beyond the single story about the key concept you select? Again, be specific with your response. Your claims and analysis should be author-focused. Incorporate both Moore and Adichie’s work as textual evidence.