The Other Wes Moore - Chapter 4 & 5

Analyze The Other Wes Moore Chapters 4 & 5: setting, characters, and literary devices.

Often, authors use the setting to mirror the feelings of a character. Look at page 65 and find the description of the setting outside the prison. Use the space below to draw what Moore sees before he goes in to see the other Wes. Find the quote that shows Moore’s perspective on why some boys are able to meet and respond appropriately to the responsibilities of adulthood and some are not. What is the other Wes’s perspective on second chances? Find the quote that shows this. What was the evidence of those missed chances that surrounded Wes and the other Wes as they sat talking? We know that the first part of Chapter 4 is about the other Wes because it is written in the third person point of view. Fill in the blanks with the pronouns that show us that this is written in third person. Tony's fists were clenched and his jaw tense as he eyed his little brother up and down. His stare was serious, and his stance like that of a trained boxer preparing to pounce. Wes's body language was evasive. He refused to look his brother in the eye. Wes Moore uses imagery to show the reader what Wes's room looks like after he starts making money from selling drugs. Find two of the phrases he uses and put them on the image below. One wall was covered with a tower of sneaker boxes inside the boxes were a rainbow assortment of Nikes What evidence do we have that Mary really wants to believe Wes about how he is making his money? She only asks him about it once. She asks him about it every day. She never asks him about it. Wes doesn't seem to understand why Tony is so upset with him. What perspective does he offer the reader about why he feels like Tony is being unfair? Authors often use short, simple sentences to grab the readers attention and emphasize certain points. Sort the following sentences into the short ones that are used for emphasis and the longer ones that are just giving us information. Short, emphasized sentences She felt like she'd been punched in the stomach. Both of her sons were now drug dealers. Longer, less emphasized sentences She wasn't only upset about the drugs, she was upset about the lying. She didn't even bother to look in the second box; she already knew all she needed to know. What evidence does Moore's mom use to prove to herself that Wes does not really have a learning disability? Find the word turbulent on page 77. Read the sentence it is in and the following sentence. Then use the context clues to decide which definition best fits with the word and its connotation on that page. given to acts of violence and aggression characterized by, or showing disturbance, disorder, etc. Find the section where Wes finds out about Shani getting hit and answer the following question. Including the words " deadly serious " in the description of how Wes and his godmother were feeling when they went to defend Shani against the girl who punched her shows how Moore uses diction to imply that the situation they are about to get into could have dire consequences. When Moore talks about why he likes tagging, he uses a simile to describe his feelings about it. Find the simile and explain what it means. 1. Write the simile.2. Explain what it means. Similes and metaphors really help a reader to be able to picture what an author is talking about. Draw what you picture when you read the simile above. Sort the feelings Moore has about his relationship with his mother into the two categories he uses to describe it. desperation for her support wanted nothing more than to make her proud deathly fearful of disappointing her Besides my mother, who would even miss me? desperation for independence and freedom projected apathy about her feelings too prideful to act like it mattered Explain Moore's diction in his use of "soured me on romantic rebellion" when he is hoping to get out of the cop car and avoid going to jail (page 83). Explain what the juxtaposition of the last two sentences of chapter 4 tells the reader. 1. What do we think after the sentence that starts, "The cops gave us ..."?2. What do we think after the sentence that starts, "A week later..."? Moore says that he was either really _ or really _ when he didn't get out of his bunk. Fill in the blanks on the image below. brave stupid What do you think the fact that Moore thought the military guys were afraid of him when they left him in his bunk says about his personality? How is Moore characterizing his teenage self? Moore interrupts the normal sequence of events at military school to tell us the story of the day that his mother decided to send him there. This technique is called a _. throwback juxtaposition flashback Wes shares what his perspective was as a young kid in military school and who he thought he should be mad at. Who was that person? And Why was Wes mad at him Explain the motivation behind not giving plebes any phone calls, televisions, radios, or visits. What did Moore's grandparents sacrifice for him to be in military school? Military School Class clowns are ostracized Respect is demanded and earned Leadership is honored Pennsylvania Captain Hill Moore's old neighborhood Class clowns are cool Respect is beaten out of people Leadership is mocked Bronx Shea What do you think was Wes's motivation for telling Tony about Alicia's pregnancy before anyone else? What does it say about their relationship? Why do you think Moore interrupts the sequence of events to include the flashback about the last time Wes saw his father?What does the juxtaposition of Alicia's pregnancy and Wes's experience show us about Wes and what is probably going to happen in the future? Wes at 8 needed to send a message with a knife got punched in the face during a football game got caught before he could hurt anyone his mother didn't know about his arrest until years later Wes at 16 needed to send a message with a gun got punched in the face for sleeping with someone else's "girl" got caught after he hurt someone his mother witnessed his arrest as it was taking place Is there more to the last sentence of chapter 5 than just that Wes is not at home anymore? Answer yes or no and explain your answer.