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 Are We Really Products of Our Environments?     Are we products of out environment or products of our expectations? This was the question asked before my reading of The Other Wes Moore.  Now that I have completed my reading, it is time to revisit this question. Are we really products of our environments? I would have to answer that yes, we are.      I feel that we are a combination of our expectations and environment, but I think that they go hand in hand. Both Wes Moores came from similar home environments, however they both ended up with very different fates. It is hard to determine what choices, opportunities, or missed opportunities altered each boys life, but we can determine that they ended up with very different outcomes.           To quote the other Wes Moore, "If they expect us to graduate, we will graduate. If they expect us to get a job, we will get a job. If they expect us to go to jail, then that's where we w...

 The Other Wes Moore (Chapters 4-6)     Music played a special role in Wes Moore's life, particularly hip hop music. He felt that it wasn't just music and lyrics, it was also validating for him. As Wes was balancing two lives, his life in the Bronx and his academic life at school, hip hop music was a way that connected him with kids in the neighborhood and kept him credible. Hip hop music was always a window into Wes's life that his classmates at school could understand. We had felt that hip hop was demonstrated the voice of his generation working through all of their fear, anxieties, success, failures, revolutions, and wealth. Music was an outlook for Wes and he was able to find validation for his feelings and understanding.      Music is so influential and comforting to many people. There are so many different genres of music, and each band or artist is able to tell their story or send a message that many individuals can relate to. Music in my life is soc...

 The Other Wes Moore (Intro - Chapter 3)      "The chilling truth is that his story could have been mine. The tragedy is that my story could have been his." - Wes Moore      Wes Moore explains that the other Wes Moore's life is different because he made different decisions when it came to life choices. All decisions we make can easily alter our life paths. Something as simple as taking a different route to work, or the types of courses you enroll in, can all change the direction our lives take. In my experience, I believe that the choices and decisions I have made lead me to exactly where I need to be. I think all of our decisions have the power to alter our life, but I also feel that we ultimately end up where we need to be. I don't regret any of the choices I have made, maybe in another life I am doing something different as a result of other choices, but speaking for this life I am content with where I have ended up, and continue to go.   ...

  Are We Products of Our Environment or Products of Our Expectations?      It has been heavily debated whether people are influenced by nature versus nurture, meaning, how much of a person's character is formed by "nature", innate biological factors (commonly genetics), or "nurture", generally referring to one's upbringing or life experiences. After viewing Wes Moore speak at the Aspen Idea's Festival Afternoon of Conversation in 2011, a similar question is asked, are we products of our environment or products of our expectations?     Wes Moore delivered a very eloquent speech where he addressed a variety of topics. He begins his speech discussing his childhood and upbringing, how his mother raised him and how he idolized  his father and the impact his father's death had on him since he passed away when Wes was just three years old. Wes Moore explains how there was a time in his childhood where he got caught hitting his sister when they were playing ...