The Other Wes Moore's The Other Wes Moore

“We are so caught up in the myths of the best and brightest and the self made that we think outliers spring naturally from the earth” (Gladwell 268). People believe that outliers come from nowhere, as if they have risen up from the earth. However, people also believe that dedication and talent create outliers. The truth is that what one is born into is what defines an individual. One’s social background forms the type of person you are and is what can define an outlier, one who stands apart from others according to advantages that he has no control over. The outlier’s environment, social upheaval, opportunities, and family define them over time as they progress through their stages in life. The Other Wes Moore, by Wes Moore, is an enticing …show more content…
Their environment and expectations shape the outlier to what they will become because they are the products of their expectations, what they expect of themselves and what others expect of them. “The expectations that others place on us help us form our expectations of ourselves” (Moore). Wes Moore was sent into military school, where the environment is a place where leadership mattered, whereas when he was in school at the Bronx, he was able to skip school and get into trouble since his expectations were not as strict as the military school. ‘My mother had noticed the way I had changed since leaving for military school. My back stood straight, and my sentences now ended with “sir” or “ma’am”’ (Moore 115). Different environments mean a lot to a person and can change the course of their life dramatically. Moore’s life was altered when he was sent to military school, especially because he realized the amount of sacrifices his family made for him. He started to become more of a leader and became one of the people in charge after three years. The military school’s environment changed the outcome of Wes’ life. It allowed him to obtain scholarships and have a variety of choices of what he wanted to become in the future of his life. Had Wes’ mother not sent him to military school, he could have continued skipping school and receiving bad grades. This would have led to a pathetic future in contrast to what he is …show more content…
Their environment, family, social status are just a few examples. An outlier’s path in life could be predetermined from what they could not control. Wes Moore could not control his environment, family, and social status when he was born, creating the outlier than he is today. Wes’ family always cared and looked after him and had his mother to look up to. His family always wanted the best for him and even sacrificed to get Wes into military school. His environment before the military school allowed him to run around, do whatever he wanted because there was no strict rules placed on him. The expectations of the military school and his family let Wes create expectations for himself, becoming more of a leader and becoming more serious about life. Wes’ status in life was not the best, but his family chose what was best for him. He did not enjoy the idea of military school, but when he learned that his family sacrificed a great deal for him, Wes started to take it more seriously and he started to enjoy military school. Once he started to take it more earnestly, he started to rise through the ranks of social status is military school and in life, giving him opportunities and a more of a bright future than if he had not. It is not hard work and dedication that defines an outlier, it is the factors that they do not have control over that define them. “It is not the brightest who succeed” (Gladwell