“The seventeen-story monoliths were among the most dangerous projects in all of Baltimore. The walls and floors were coated in filth and graffiti. Flickering fluorescent tubes (the ones that weren’t completely broken) dimly lit the cinder-block hallway. The constantly broken-down elevators forced the resident to climb claustrophobic, urine-scented stairways.”

Wes Moore does an outstanding job of using very vivid imagery to convey the deteriorated city projects the Other Wes Moore lived in. In the beginning of chapter two, Moore writes, “The walls and floors were coated in filth and graffiti. Flickering fluorescent tubes (the ones that weren’t completely broken) dimly lit the cinder-block hallway. The constantly broken-down elevators forced the resident to climb claustrophobic, urine-scented stairways.” In this example, Moore is writing about the seventeen-story buildings that the Other Wes Moore was forced to live in, some of “the most dangerous projects in all of Baltimore.” Not only does this allow the reader to clearly view the image of these rundown housing developments, but it also sets the tone for the rest of the chapter. Wes is caught in a difficult situation, and through the author’s use of imagery, the reader is able to see how Wes’ living conditions and surroundings may have played a large part in determining his attitude and ultimately the choices he makes to lead him down his destructive path.

This quote has a large appeal to pathos due to its overwhelming message to all those who easily get drunk or are alcoholics; it’s not the best solution. By stating that Kenneth “blurted out” the phrase “Mom’s dead”, Moore is showing how blunt and unthoughtful the comment sounded to him as a child. This causes many of the readers to feel sympathy for Moore and his siblings because they were told about their mother’s death in one of the least consoling ways imaginable. Then by saying, “he drank...when he needed drunk Kenneth to engage in conversation that sober Kenneth wouldn’t dare,” Moore appealed to the emotions of anyone who would “transform” into an alcoholic whenever they were hit with bad news. This form of pathos allowed those readers to sympathize for Kenneth because they could understand how he had felt towards what he had gone through. Moore also decided to throw in the message that I stated earlier to get a major point across. That point is clearly seen when you combine these two quotes together. Moore’s point is that when someone “needs” to get drunk in order to talk about a sensitive subject, the end result is never going to be alright. In this sense, Moore is pleading that all the people who feel that they “need” to get drunk to be able to talk should try to avoid doing so because it ends up hurting more people than it helps.

 Symbols, however obvious or subtle, can probably be found in every novel. In the case of The Other Wes Moore, there are many symbolic representations of the cities Wes lives in, including the above example. This quote, in which Wes is describing the basketball court in his new home in New York, symbolizes the city as a whole. The drugs and violence within the city essentially “encloses” everyone in the city in “the same fence.” The “best and worst” part goes beyond talking about athleticism and skill in basketball, it represents the people within the city. The “best” are the people like the author Wes and his family, who are genuine, good people, and the “worst” are the drug dealers and other criminals. These are just a few examples of the many symbols in the novel relating to cities and neighborhoods.

At many points in history, especially at times of great change, chaos has ensued. At the time that both Wes Moores were born, the Vietnam war had just ended; this is the “historically chaotic” time that Wes Moore  of The Other Wes Moore talks about. Seeing similarities to this time, I feel that we are also in a historically chaotic time, but rather than fighting a war with another country, we are fighting a war among ourselves. It’s not a visible war, and sometimes it’s unclear what we’re fighting for. Whether we fight over the rights of women, the rights of gays, or something else of basic human rights that we feel the need to debate over, America seems to always be in a tizzy over debated topics. However, when we take a step back and attempt to understand the impact this has on the world, we see that children have changed over the course of a short period of time due to this controversy. They are in this new era where millenials, who have their own sets of values, are becoming parents and raising children how they see fit, but that’s different than what teenagers, who were not necessarily raised by millenials, are taught to think. With so much change within such a short time, it makes the future uncertain for those trying to develop. 

-description of Bill abusing Joy.

In The Other Wes Moore, Wes (author) describes in-depth how Bill physically abused his mother. This is an appeal to emotion because abuse is a common issue throughout history. Wes uses vivid words like “grabbed”, “drag” , and “hit” so that  readers can envision each action that occurred. These words have a negative connotation attached to them, which establishes a sad, distorted mood; it brings about emotions. The description portrays the sorrow and agony Joy faced and will continue to face her entire life. Wes states, “My mom vowed to never let another man put his hands on her.” From this statement, it can be inferred that Joy’s life has been shaped around this one event, which is why she enforces strict rules for her children, such as punching/hitting. The use of pathos not only attracts readers by emotional appeal, but also allows readers to visualize themselves in a similar situation. 

Brooke Cessna

Quote: “The extreme heat in my poorly ventilated room woke me in the middle of the night. I was dying of thirst.” Wes Moore page 35 of “The Other Wes Moore”

This quote by Wes Moore on page 35 of “The Other Wes Moore” gives the reader an excellent picture by using exact diction to put the reader in his position as a child. By using descriptive words such as “extreme heat” and “poorly ventilated” gives the reader the feeling of choking on heavy stale air just as he did as a child. These words will make the readers mouth water as they are comprehended and these words are followed up by the hyperbole, “I was dying of thirst” making the reader truly feel the author’s pain and suffering. The effect of this exact diction is to give a negative uncomfortable tone that is underlying throughout this section of the book. The situation that Wes was in at this point of his life was uncomfortable at best and by using describing words like these the reader is given a small insight as to what the author was feeling at all times during this period of his childhood.