The Second Chance Dilemma in 'The Other Wes Moore'

Second chances are not meant to be given consistently. A person must earn and accept others’ forgiveness and utilize it as a way of redemption to move forward. In The Other Wes Moore: One Name, Two Fates by Wes Moore, both Wes Moore’s were given second chances but only one of the two benefited from their chance. 

Wes Moore was given an opportunity at changing his reckless behavior by attending military school. Wes #1 “...started to think seriously about how [he] could become the person [he] wanted to be, [he] looked around at the people who have had the biggest impact on [his] life. Aside from family and friends, [he also had support for the men that] wore the uniform of the United States of America”. With a new, fresh mindset, he was able to redeem his life and gained forgiveness and support from his family, unlike the other Wes Moore who stuck to selling drugs and being a convicted murderer. In the matter of Wes #2, he had “...never thought long term about his life at all.. Now Wes’s mind wandered to the long term for the first time… he could see his future”. Life in prison. On the other hand, Wes Moore is successful and traveling to povertized countries for volunteer work. The main character, Wes Moore clearly depicts a good role model for second chances with how much he was able to turn his life around.

With forgiveness comes a second chance for redemption. On the last day of freshman year, I decided to throw a going away party while my parents’ took a trip to Colorado to look for a new home. Unaware of their schedule, they came home earlier than expected and I got caught. After going behind my parents’ back and trying to defend myself with logical reasoning, they were extremely disappointed in the decisions I chose to make. With determination and regret, I insistently begged for their forgiveness. After seeing how distraught I was about the whole situation, many days later they forgave me. I made certain to make use of their mercy as a way of redemption in order to gain their trust back. Seeing how hard and extensive it took, it made me realize that second chances do not come easy. If I had to go back and redo my actions from that night, I would have. Just as Cadence Sinclair, from We Were Liars by E. Lockhart, felt complete remorse for burning the Clairmont house down, “the realization of what [she] has done comes as a fog in [her] chest, cold, dark, and spreading”. From that point on, I have made evident to value every chance I am given.

With second chances, people must gain and accept others’ forgiveness and apply it as a way of redemption. In The Other Wes Moore: One Name, Two Fates by Wes Moore, Wes Moore recognized how much his family cared about him by paying expenses for military school, therefore he used that as a way to completely change his life around for the better. As for me, I have learned to that I cannot receive a second chance if I am not willing to gain forgiveness first.