Stallings 1

Ben Stallings
Professor McCampbell
English 101
October 4, 2015
Its Just the Nature and Nurture of Things

88/110

For good nurture and education implant good constitutions. This quote from Plato
shows that the question of nature vs nurture has been around for quite some time now. Nature
versus nurture has been a topic in the world of psychology that has been debated for years and
the debate is still going on today. Looking at the way society and people develop is based highly
on psychology. From reading the about the author Wes Moore, one can see many impacts on his
life. The author Wes had a large amount of influences in his life but the largest impact on his life
came from the environment in which he learned in and lived in.
Schooling was a big impact on the development of the author Wes. When Wes went to the
Bronx his mother decided that he was not going to public school (Moore 47). Wes mother was
trying to give Wes a better education and educational environment than what would be present in
public school. While the environment at the school was great for Wes, the environment in which
he lived was not the greatest for development and impacted him. Wes was simply too poor for
the kids at school (Moore 53). This quote shows how Wes has taken note to the world around
him. Wes had accepted who he is and his niche in the world.
A study was done on the correlation between a mothers harshness and the impact that it
had on their children. The study showed that even the mothers were affected which lead to
impacts on the children (Miller 37-38). What this had showed is when the mother is harsh; often
they will find it hard to discipline their children. Wes mother when she discovered that Wes hit
Shani (Moore 88), Joy reacted differently than what Wes had expected. She had attacked him
instead of the normal act of screaming. From this one can see how Wes has developed. In an

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article about how criminals minds work John Carroll states how an offender will choose not to
commit a crime if there is enough risk of unpleasant consequences. This quote expresses how
Wes was not used to a true consequence. Even when his father was around Wes simply talked or
argued the situation instead of facing the Thomas hands (Moore 1). Since Wes never had a true
punishment, as far as the reader knows, until he was slapped by his mother, Wes believed that he
was almost free to do what he wanted to do. When Wes was out tagging, he was caught however
he was released but since he didnt face that consequence that never existed in his life a week
later, Kid Kupid was on the loose again (Moore 84). It can be seen from Carrolls investigations
that a punishment or consequence will shape and person. This would be an impact from the
environment around the person.
When Wes had to transfer to military school, he was greatly impacted. From the first
couple nights he thought that he would go about his regular routine and squeak by. One of his
higher ranking classmates even fooled him into believing that there was an escape plan so that
Wes could return to his life that he was raised in and impacted by. A study was conducted in
Norway about the impact of military school and a person's hardiness development (Hystad
156). Hystad discovered that the level of hardiness was not increased but rather determination
and completion. This shows that a change in environment is what impacted people the most.
Most of the results came from Hystad tests in the second and third year. These numbers also
correlated to Wes where by his second year he was receiving scholarships as well as becoming a
leader in his class.
Environment plays a huge role in the development of people. It is a large impact on our
lives and something that we may not take notice to till it truly becomes part of us. Wes was
impacted through his life by the environment around him. It took time for the impact to arrive

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but it was quite relevant when he discovered it. He embraced who he was in the Bronx and
molded his life around who he became in Valley Forge Military School. His father, though a
small impact on Wes life still had an impact. Wes mother provided him all of the environments
in which Wes was shaped him. If not for his mothers sacrifice Wes would have never been able
to go to Valley Forge. Nature vs nurture will always be a debated topic, but nurture and the
environment one is raised in is what impacts a person the most.

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Works Cited

GREAT JOB!

Carroll, John S. "Causal Theories Of Crime And Their Effect Upon Expert Parole Decisions."
Law And Human Behavior 2.4 (1978): 377-388. PsycARTICLES. Web. 18 Oct. 2015.

Hystad, Sigurd W. and Olav Kjellevold Olsen and Roar Espevik and Reidar Sfvenbom.
"On The Stability Of Psychological Hardiness: A Three-Year Longitudinal Study."
Military Psychology 27.3 (2015): 155-168. PsycARTICLES. Web. 18 Oct. 2015.

Miller, Jonas G. and Sarah Kahle and Monica Lopez and Paul D. Hastings. "Compassionate
Love Buffers Stress-Reactive Mothers From Fight-Or-Flight Parenting." Developmental
Psychology 51.1 (2015): 36-43. PsycARTICLES. Web. 18 Oct. 2015.

Moore, Wes. The Other Wes Moore. New York: Spiegel & Grau, 2011. Print.
ENGL 101
M. McCampbell

Essay 2 -The Other Wes Moore

Scoring Rubric

Item

Does not meet C

Meets C standard

Introducti
on
7

0-5 points

6 - 7 points

No intro device
Flat statement

Uses effective intro

device to connect
reader to topic
Identifies which Wes
Moore and influence

Thesis
8

0-4 points
Flat statement of fact;
Broad influence
Thesis is not
completely developed

5 7 points
Assertion shows a clear
perspective of what
influenced the Wes
Moore of your choice

Exceeds C
Standard
8 - 10 points
Uses specific detail
in introduction that
illustrates
significance of
influence and
broader social
implication.
8 10 points
Strong persuasive
assertion that
clearly connects
Moores outcome

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Influencin
g Factor
7 This could
have been
improved
with more
complete
connections
.
Expanded
Social
Issue
9 You make
some good
observation
s, and even
better,
some good
connections
.

Conclusio
n
7 do not
introduce
new ideas
in the
conclusion.

In-text
citations
5

with the influence/s

0- 4 points

All ideas are developed

in the essay.
5 - 7 points

Incomplete
description, e.g. omits
who is affected and/or
how; topic is too
broad
No support from The
Other Wes Moore
0-4 points

Narrows down the

influence, provides
background and how
Wes Moore is
influenced. Includes
two cited examples
from the book.
5 - 7 points

Cites evidence
from The Other
Wes Moore and
interprets Moores
statements to the
essay.

Broader social
implications are not
clear or vaguely
referenced.
No broader social
implications are
mentioned.

Two researched details

are identified and
connected to the Wes of
your choice is clear.
Good details: RENNS

3 researched
details are
identified, detailed
(RENNS), and cited.
These broader
social implications
are clearly
connected to the
Wes Moore of your
choice. .
8 - 10 points

1- 4 points
Restates thesis
or provides an
incomplete
summary

0-2 points
No references to
assigned reading;
Refers to sources, but
does not cite them;
Some material is not
cited correctly.

5 - 7points
Clearly summarizes the
influence/s on the Wes
of your choice and links
them with the broader
social implications.

3 - 4 points
Uses two reference to
assigned reading; uses
correct in-text format.
Correctly used two
references from outside
sources.
Uses two different ways
of including outside

8 10 points

8 - 10 points

In addition to
meeting criteria for
a conclusion, the
conclusion includes
a reflective
statement about
the significance.
5points
Uses two or more
references to
assigned reading
and cites them
correctly. Uses two
or more references
to outside sources
and identifies their

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information. Citations
link correctly to work
cited entries. Minimum
of two errors

Work
cited
5

Compositi
on
Structure 9
nicely
done!

0-2points
No work cited list
Only one entry on
work cited list
0-4 points
One or two topic
sentences missing;
Paragraphs lack unity

3 - 4 points
Three entries on work
cited list, correctly
cited and alphabetized.
One or two errors.
5-7 points

relevance to the
reader. Integrates
material into the
text in a variety of
ways. No errors in
citation
5 points
More than three
entries on the work
cited list.
No errors
8-10 points

Clearly stated topic

sentences;
Paragraphs clearly
relate to thesis

Topic sentences are

specifically worded
and link thesis and
all supporting
material
Coherence
Paragraph not related Paragraphs arranged in
Transitions move
to topic;
logical order;
ideas clearly
8
Organization does not Ideas follow logical
throughout essay;
follow a clear pattern; development
Ideas build on each
Abrupt changes;
Employs transitions
other to emphasize
when necessary
thesis;
Clarity 7
Wording is vague;
Uses appropriate
Writers voice is
Words are confused
pronouns;
clear and
with other meanings
Avoids redundant
authoritative;
Grammatical
wording;
Employs specific
conventions are
Uses words correctly
words; employs
infracted;
Avoids slang and worn
active voice and
Uses second person
out cliches
specific verbs;
prn;
Wording is concise
Spelling, grammar, and sentence mechanics errors 1 point for each error, prorated by 500
words.
Errors: You begin with 20 points. You lose one point for each of the following errors:- 4 = 16
Spelling

pronoun use

Capitalization

comma splice

Subj/verb agreement

run-on/fused sentence

Incorrect verb form

sentence fragment

Verb tense

Begin sentence with coordinating conj.

Punctuation with direct and indirect quotations

Apostrophe errors

Comma error with coordinating conjunction

pronoun/antecedent agreement

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