The Other Wes Moore: Chapter 1

In chapter one, both Wes Moore's are introduced. Wes Moore, the author, and Wes Moore the criminal are the main focus of the story. It starts off by telling an event that happened when the author Wes was a child. The author Wes only has two memories of his father. The first one is explained. He and his sister were playing around and he ended up hitting her. His mother saw him and immediately let him know that he was in the wrong and sent him to his room. His father comes up stairs to comfort him, and Wes tells why his mother was so upset with him. His mother was mentally, physically, and emotionally abused by her previous husband. She explained to Wes that a man should never lay his hands on a woman, and Wes never laid his hands on another girl. The other memory Wes had was that of his father's death. This would have been a traumatic time for Wes, but being only 3 years old, he didn't really know what was going on. Wes's father suffered from a condition that could have been treated if he had been diagnosed properly, but the doctors just blew him off. That night, his father passed away.
The other Wes Moore had a slightly different story. Wes never met his father, and his father decided to walk out. His mother, Mary, was his only provider. She had a job as a secretary and it provided enough to keep the family going, but she knew that it wouldn't last. Mary got pregnant with her first son at sixteen, and promised her mother that she would attend college. However her mother's kidneys were failing and she passed away from a failed kidney transplant. Mary's grandparents then moved in to help Mary and her siblings. Mary then got remarried and had one child, but the relationship did not last and Mary was left alone to raise two children. Mary's second husband once tried to help, but he reeked of alcohol and was obviously drunk so Mary did not let him interfere.
Wes Moore and Wes Moore come from similar neighborhoods, and they both live with only their mother. They could have easily had the same story, but one had more encouragement and determination than the other.

Daisy Buchanan

Daisy Buchanan is one of the characters that are hard to read at first. She seems harmless in the beginning. She seems as though she is just a free-thinker who is in a way admirable. She would be admirable because of her take on life. She possesses the mind-set of “living in the moment.” However, her careless lifestyle leads her to manipulate people naturally and without a second thought. This leads the reader to realize that Daisy is also one of the despicable characters. Daisy has so much power and control of Gatsby and his fate. Because of her, Gatsby went from rags to riches in order to impress Daisy and get himself to a place where he would be eligible to be with her. Daisy is also a little self-centered. “Do they miss me? She cried ecstatically.” This displays that Daisy thinks so highly of herself that she believes a whole city is in mourning over her moving to New York. She contradicts herself throughout the story. When Nick invites Daisy over to tea, Daisy insisted that Nick had to be in love with her, because he asked her to come alone. She is completely irrational, and she thinks everything is about her. She feels badly towards Tom, because she knows that he is having an affair with another woman; however, she is hypocritical about Tom being with another woman, because she is still in love with Mr. Jay Gatsby. Granted, Tom’s situation is more sinful than Daisy’s, but in perspective, they are very similar. Towards the end of the story, Gatsby tells Daisy that she needs to tell Tom that she never loved him. Daisy claimed that she cannot do this because it is simply not true, and she tells them that she has loved both of them. Daisy is a professional at leading people on throughout the novel. It is hard to look past the fact that even though she is married, she continues to pursue Jay Gatsby. When talking about her daughter, she states, “And I hope she’ll be a fool - that’s the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool.” Daisy does not genuinely care for her daughter. She is more in love with the idea of having a daughter than the daughter herself. No genuine and dedicated mother would wish upon her daughter to be a “beautiful little fool.” Daisy seems to be admirable in the beginning, but, with further analysis, the reader can clearly infer that Daisy is more destructive than constructive.

Nick Carroway

Nick Carroway, who is the narrator of the story, is definitely among the admirable characters. From the beginning of the story, the reader can easily tell that Nick Carroway is somebody to look up to. On the first page of the book, he describes what his father taught him as a child, “Whenever you feel like criticizing anyone, just remember that all the people in the world haven’t had the advantages you’ve had.” This illustrates that Nick was raised up as a polite man who thinks about the possibility of what others might have gone through before he judges them as a person. Another admirable quality that Nick possesses is that he was very literary while he was in college. In chapter one, he makes it known that he “wrote a series of very solemn and obvious editorials for the Yale News.” He then states, “and now I was going to bring back all such things into my life and become again that most limited of all specialists, the ‘well-rounded man.’” Nick is setting high standards for himself. This line from the book establishes that Nick is not content with being an average man; he wants to be an admirable and respected man that is completely well-rounded. The fact that he wrote editorials for the Yale News proves his intelligence. He is obviously very smart, which makes others look up to him as a sort of role model. Lastly, Nick Carroway does his best to help Gatsby work things out with Daisy. Gatsby is very nervous around Daisy, but it is obvious that he is still in love with her. Daisy is Nick’s cousin, so Gatsby sees this as an opportunity to get some help with winning Daisy over. Nick invites Daisy over so the two can meet once again. This solidifies the love Daisy and Gatsby have felt for each other over the years.

Tom Buchanan

Tom Buchanan is clearly one of the most despicable characters in the book from the beginning to the end. It is expressed openly how his physical stature and rough voice make him of the most intimidating men involved in The Great Gatsby. “His speaking voice, a gruff husky tenor, added to the impression of fractiousness he conveyed.” His physical appearance gives off an unmistakable arrogant facade. “Her husband, among various physical accomplishments, had been one of the most powerful ends that ever played football at New Haven-a national figure in a way, one of those men who reach such an acute limited excellence at twenty-one that everything afterward savors of anticlimax.” Nick notes how Tom expressed his racism multiple times when they were together. It is also brought to attention that he is cheating on Daisy. “‘Why-’ she said hesitantly, ‘Tom’s got some woman in New York.’” This is another despicable action that Tom executes. The fact that he is having an affair with another woman is not only disrespectful to Daisy, it is disrespectful to Myrtle. He is just using Myrtle on the side to get what he desires. Any decent human being would have a conscious and feel a sense of guilt, but Tom does not. After Myrtle is killed, Tom throws Gatsby under the bus, and tells Wilson that it was Gatsby’s car that killed Myrtle. Tom has the audacity to accuse Gatsby of such a thing, while Tom feels no sense of shame while talking to the husband of the woman he has been having an affair with.

Jay Gatsby

We started reading The Great Gatsby, and I am already intrigued. Nick Carroway tells the story very well, but Jay Gatsby is definitely the character that grabs your attention and keeps you interested. Gatsby is portrayed as a man who came into new money who has a lot of mystery in his life. No one can really figure him out, except Jordan Baker began to. Gatsby throws these exquisite parties that are extravagant and lively. Everybody who is anybody shows up to these parties, invited or not. They last for hours upon hours. Jordan tells us a backstory in chapter four about when Jay Gatsby was involved with Daisy. Gatsby was a soldier, while Daisy was a little rich white girl who was not supposed to be involved with a man of a lower status. Daisy's parents did not want her to see Gatsby anymore so she was prepared to run away. Daisy then married Tom Buchanan, who is an aggressive man with a hard expression that can intimidate anyone. Jordan later pieces together why Gatsby throws these enormous parties every weekend. He hopes that Daisy will show up one day. Gatsby is obviously still in love with Daisy, but he does not want to make it obvious that he is throwing the parties just because he hopes she will stumble upon his house. He has to be more subtle than that. Gatsby knows that Nick Carroway and Daisy are cousins, so Gatsby has hopes of Nick sets them up. Nick, of course, does not mind at all. Jay Gatsby is my favorite character so far because he is the most intriguing. He is the most romantic, and he is so mysterious that it is irresistible to keep reading. He does for Daisy what most girls wish guys would do for them. Gatsby would do anything for Daisy. He went from an officer in the military to one of the richest men on West Egg.

Forrest Gump and the American Dream

Forrest Gump displays the American Dream very well in some ways. While watching this movie, I noticed that Forrest Gump accomplished a lot of what today would be considered very great accomplishments. He was a man with a very low IQ; however, he was able to overcome not being as smart as other people and make a fortune. I consider the American Dream to be going from rags to riches, having a perfect family, and remaining successful until retirement. Forrest Gump did go from rags to riches. On the other hand, he did not have a perfect family. We never saw Forrest's father, and he wasn't even aware he had a son until the son was already almost seven years old. The woman he loved kept running away from him with some abusive boyfriend. Forrest Gump went through many struggles before he reached the "American Dream." He went through enlisting in the military and fighting, first hand, in battle. He watched his best friend die. When he came back, his mother died. When he finally married Jenny, she died. Through all of this, he remained optimistic and hopeful. He remained a good person who would do anything to help anyone out. This to me is more of the American Dream than what it is thought to be of today. I don't think he achieved the American Dream by coming into a fortune; he achieved the American Dream by overcoming all of the impossible obstacles and still remaining a genuine and helpful person.

Discrimination

Differences are more accepted today than it was in earlier times. People with illnesses, disabilities, lower IQ's, different ethnicity and race are treated more equal now then ever before. Society today tries hard to provide equal opportunity for everyone. There are schools for disabled students that have facilities to accommodate them. All people from different ethnic backgrounds are welcome to all schools with no discrimination. There are classes that offer more one-on-one teaching methods for students with lower IQ's. Some claim that they are discriminated against; however, this is mainly used as an excuse. People are very weak-minded today, and are easily insulted. This can lead people to believe that they are being discriminated against. I do, however, believe that some people are discriminated against due to their looks. For example, when applying for a job, the manager is not going to hire someone who looks sketchy over the person who looks professional and well put together. People cannot claim they are being discriminated against due to their looks if they are not willing to put in the effort to look presentable.
In conclusion, I feel as though people today are not discriminated against as much as they were in the past. I feel today's society is fairly equal, and if people put in the effort to make a living and be productive with their life, there will be no problems.