Title Justification Paper #1

The Other Wes Moore is split into three different parts that each contains a collection of chapters. “ Fathers and Angels” is the section the book. These chapters contain the comparisons between Wes and the Other Wes Moore. The parallels include absent fathers, single mothers, and the environment they grew up in. The author Wes Moore, chose the title “ Fathers and Angels” to explain the roles of parents in Wes and the Other Wes’s life.

The title “ Fathers and Angels” shows the importance mothers have in both of the boys’ lives. The mothers are considered angles because of how hard they work to make life better. Both boys have mothers who worked very hard and sacrificed everything in order to set their children up for success. This title is also fitting because the mothers are always there watching over them just like angels. In the first chapter we see how much Wes’s mother sacrifices when his father dies. By Wes saying“ Since my father’s death, my mother had made the tattered brown leather couch in the living room her bed.” this shows how strong Joy is and how she is doing everything she can to watch over her children just like an angel would watch over a loved one. Mary also gave up getting her college degree in order to support her family. As money got tight Mary realized “with that grant now eliminated, it wouldn’t be enough” in order for her to keep going to college and have enough money to take care of her children. Mary was the angel that sacrificed everything for her family.

Overall, the tile “ Fathers and Angels” is used to describe the single-parent household living situations of both boys. It is also used to show how angel like the mothers are as they make numerous sacrifices in order to make their children liver better lives.  This collection of chapters is used to describe the similarities and differences between the two boys growing up. Although they both have absent fathers, they have strong mothers to always watch out for them. They have many similarities in their parent situations. Even though their mothers live in different environments, they both overcome obstacles in order to make their children’s’ lives better. Although the boys have a similar life background, you can already tell that their fates are turning out to be different.