Chapter 7: The Land That God Forgot
Theme 1: Drugs
Theme Statement: Drugs can ruin lives both mentally and physically.
Quote 1: "The sight of her coming off her high, stumbling to the bathroom, disgusted Wes. He saw this every day."
Analysis: This quote is important because it is one of the first times we as readers have seen the other Wes Moore disgusted by drugs. Drugs have had a big impact on Wes throughout his life as this lifestyle has been the only thing he has ever known. This turning point is important to the connection between the two Wes' because the two Wes' are returning back to similar morals and completing a full circle. When they were both young, they were innocent and shared similar lives but that soon was disrupted and then they started to leave each other until now the other Wes has started to come back to his previous "innocence" state of morals.
Theme 2: Importance of Family
Theme Statement: Your family has the most impact on your actions.
Quote 2: "He stayed at the Job Corps Center so he could provide a better life for his kids. He stayed for his mother, who sat home watching Tony continue moving in and out of the criminal justice system."
Analysis: This quote is important because it shows that the only reason the other Wes is drug-free and feeling the best he has ever felt is because of his family. Without them, he would have no goal or motivation to finish Job Corps and would most likely get caught in the drug trade once again. His family is why he is transitioning from a drug dealer to an honest, selfless man that wants to see the same in his children.
Quote 3: "The book itself wasn't what was important—in retrospect, I see that it was a great read but hardly a work of great literature—but my mother used it as a hook into a deeper lesson: that the written word isn't necessarily a chore but can be a window into new worlds."
Analysis: This quote is important because it shows the impact that Wes' family has had on him. His mother has been determined in making sure that he doesn't end up as a low life drug dealer but a successful, honest man. This small act of sending a book to Wes has helped him realize his own potential and to greater understand the fundamentals of school and deepens his love for Valley Forge.
Theme 3: Importance of Education
Theme Statement: Education is the invisible helper hand.
Quote 4: "As my high school career was coming to an end. I was still being avidly recruited by college programs..."
Analysis: This quote is important because it shows how an education can allow you to experience a new life and it give you many options in life that will help you succeed. Wes was able to be noticed by colleges and get the opportunity to be a successful person; something Wes would have never dreamed while still in New York. Without his mother forcing him to go to Valley Forge, he would have been an ordinary, rebellious teen getting caught over and over for drugs and never reaching his full potential as a man.
Quote 5: "I want to get out. Do something different with my life...But I'm tired of running these streets."
Analysis: This quote is important because it shows that finally the other Wes realizes that education is the key to happiness. Drugs, money, etc. are not going to give Wes the honest work he needs and wants to keep his family intact. The Job Corps is the only way he will not end up dead and be a nobody drug dealer but an honest successful family man.
Theme 2: Importance of Family
Theme Statement: Your family has the most impact on your actions.
Quote 2: "He stayed at the Job Corps Center so he could provide a better life for his kids. He stayed for his mother, who sat home watching Tony continue moving in and out of the criminal justice system."
Analysis: This quote is important because it shows that the only reason the other Wes is drug-free and feeling the best he has ever felt is because of his family. Without them, he would have no goal or motivation to finish Job Corps and would most likely get caught in the drug trade once again. His family is why he is transitioning from a drug dealer to an honest, selfless man that wants to see the same in his children.
Quote 3: "The book itself wasn't what was important—in retrospect, I see that it was a great read but hardly a work of great literature—but my mother used it as a hook into a deeper lesson: that the written word isn't necessarily a chore but can be a window into new worlds."
Analysis: This quote is important because it shows the impact that Wes' family has had on him. His mother has been determined in making sure that he doesn't end up as a low life drug dealer but a successful, honest man. This small act of sending a book to Wes has helped him realize his own potential and to greater understand the fundamentals of school and deepens his love for Valley Forge.
Theme 3: Importance of Education
Theme Statement: Education is the invisible helper hand.
Quote 4: "As my high school career was coming to an end. I was still being avidly recruited by college programs..."
Analysis: This quote is important because it shows how an education can allow you to experience a new life and it give you many options in life that will help you succeed. Wes was able to be noticed by colleges and get the opportunity to be a successful person; something Wes would have never dreamed while still in New York. Without his mother forcing him to go to Valley Forge, he would have been an ordinary, rebellious teen getting caught over and over for drugs and never reaching his full potential as a man.
Quote 5: "I want to get out. Do something different with my life...But I'm tired of running these streets."
Analysis: This quote is important because it shows that finally the other Wes realizes that education is the key to happiness. Drugs, money, etc. are not going to give Wes the honest work he needs and wants to keep his family intact. The Job Corps is the only way he will not end up dead and be a nobody drug dealer but an honest successful family man.
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