O n e N a me , Tw o F a t e s

O l i vi a Ne um a n

The other wes moore newsletter

C O M PA R E A N D C O N T R A S T A RT I C L E :

T h e o t h e r w e s m o o r e - t h e r o a d n o t ta k e n
The
chilling
truth is
that his
story
could have
been mine.
The tragedy is that
my story
could have
been his.
- Wes
Moore

Author, Wes Moore

Poet, Robert Frost

Though The Other

Wes Moore and The Road
Not Taken have many differences, they both link to a
common theme of the importance of making life decisions. The Other Wes
Moore is a non-friction
novel written by Wes
Moore. The Road Not Taken was a short poem written by Robert Frost. This
article will provide an overview of both the novel and
poem to identify their similarities and differences.
Written to help
young people learn to take
charge of their decisions,
Wes Moore, the author of
The Other Wes Moore
writes about his personal
experiences and mistakes.
The book was about two
very similar people with the
same name, background and
life situations, who take two
very different paths in life.
Author Wes takes the path
full of opportunity, achievement, and success. The Other Wes takes the path leading to drugs, crime and prison. The differences in their
lives are the direct result of
the decisions each made.
Wes Moore recognizes that
without the guidance he received and his exposure to
beneficial resources, the other Wes story could or

would have been his. In

light of this reality, the
author Wes felt compelled
to provide helpful guidance and resources for
other young people to
head down the successful
path in life.
The Road Not
Taken is a poem about
having to make decisions
on your own and not
based off of what others
think. The author, Robert
Frost, wrote about a person coming to a point in
the woods where two
paths emerge. After reaching the two paths, the person didnt know which
one to take. Hoping the
reader would interpret a
deeper meaning, the author describes how the
person wants to take both
paths, but finally decides
to take the one less traveled. According to Frost,
taking the path less people
chose made all the difference in creating a good
life. I believe Frost was
figuratively writing about
his life; making the decision to not follow the
crowd was one of the best
decisions in his life. This
poem is a good reminder
of how we sometimes just

need to make a decision, no matter

what others think.

Wes Moore and Robert

Frosts writing in The Other Wes
Moore and The Road Not Taken
have their similarities. The major
similarity is how the texts are connected by the common theme of the
importance of making life decisions. In both the book and poem,
the characters were faced with the
same problem of having to make a
decision that will affect the rest of
their lives. The major difference of
these writings centers around the
way the decision was made. In
The Other Wes Moore important
decisions were made with the guidance and life experiences of others.
In the The Road Not Taken the
person was left to their own devices
to decide which path to take. In my
opinion, The Other Wes Moore
was written with the purpose to
help others while The Road Not
Taken was written to make the
reader think, but both make you
reflect on how to make life decisions.
In conclusion, both The
Other Wes Moore and The Road
Not Taken make you reflect on the
decisions you have made and prepare you to make decisions in the
future. It was interesting to see how
two different styles of writing could
connected through similar themes.

Page 2

O l i vi a N e u ma n

B ook review : t he
other wes moore
In The Other Wes Moore, the author, Wes
Moore, a veteran and Rhodes Scholar, writes about
his life through his personal experiences and mistakes as well as another man whose name is also
Wes Moore. Both were very similar. They had the
same name. They were both fatherless, and they
both grew up under poverty, drugs, and crime. However, their lives drastically change based on their
decisions. Author Wes will end up going down the
successful path of life while the other Wes will end
up down the unsuccessful path.
Wes felt he succeeded in life due to the
knowledge of guidance resources. He wrote this
book in hopes it will lead more kids down the right
path. He believes the Other Wes story could have
been his.
In my opinion, to make the book better, I
would have formatted the book differently. For example, towards the end of the book Author Wes
goes on and on about his achievements which to
some could seem like bragging. Though I interpreted it as explaining what a successful path in life
could led you to do, others could take it the wrong
way. To fix this problem, the list of guidance resources and call to action could have been put in the
front of the book. This would make it more clear as
of why the book was written; to help young people
have a better future. I would have also added more
dialogue between the two Wess talking to one another; to show more of a connection and to receive
more input on certain events in the story
I would rate this book a 3/5 stars. I didnt
like the formatting and absence of dialogue in the
story Though, I really liked how the author wanted
to share his personal experiences to help others. I
also like how the book teaches us the importance of
making good decisions. It really makes you reflect
back on the decisions youve made and the decisions you will make. I recommend this book to
young people struggling with making decisions.

RHODES SCHOLARSHIP
The Rhodes Scholarship
is considered one of the oldest
and most rewarding scholarships
to ever receive worldwide. Its
purpose is to provide once in a
lifetime opportunities for extraordinary all-round students.
1

The Rhodes Scholarships was founded

in 1903 by Cecil J. Rhodes. 2Since founded in 1903,
exactly 7,688 individuals have been rewarded with the
scholarship. Through a decentralized process, each
year a class of 89 scholars is selected worldwide in
reward for their outstanding scholarly achievements,
common good and leadership skills.
Scholarship winners receive full finical support to pursue an education at the University of Oxford. Oxford University hopes to develop motivated
leaders who are willing to use their talents to the best
of their abilities. Graduating Oxford is an enormous
accomplishment that labels you as a leader for the future that displays intellect, character, leadership, and
commitment to service. The impact of scholars include being involved in the elective public office as
well as head of national government leaders, Nobel
Laureates, Literary prize winners, judges, university
leaders, and Olympians.
Applicants are chosen through the votes of
teachers and fellow students. Applicants must be academically advanced and in between the ages of eighteen to twenty-four. Applicants need at least five letters of recommendation and other formal requirements.
In conclusion, receiving the Rhodes Scholarship is a huge accomplishment. It is a honor to be chosen in reward for being an outstanding well-rounded
student.

RESOURCES
1.
The Rhodes Trust Job Jubes N.p. http://www.rhodesscholar.org/
2. About Rhode Scholar N.p. http://www.rhodeshouse.ox.ac.uk/rhodesscholarship/about-the-rhodesscholarships
3. The Other Wes Moore Book. Author -Wes Moore