The irony of sharing a name
A name is a symbol for distinguishing a person from others, so it's ironic when two people have the same name in the same community. For these two Wes Moore's the name similarity is just the first in a long list of other ways their identities overlap. Their sharing a name helps the reader to see them in twain, as a pair of fates. Together, the form a picture of opposites.
The irony of early childhood horror
The author describes a scene where his father ate something he was allergic to, and then, in front of the whole family, in front of the author who was only three at the time, the allergic reaction slowly killed him in a painful, horrifying way. The irony is not only the father's death, but the martyrdom of the child's point of view.
The irony of almost graduating
As if to underscore the painful irony of other Wes's fate, the author pays specific attention to his mother, who left him alone to get in trouble, but not because she hated him or something. In fact, she loved him so much, she went to college as a grown-up to try and fight for him, to give him a better life. But, in a sad twist of fate, the money dries up just shy of the finish line, and the effort feels to them like wasted time, like a cruel joke of fate.
The irony of involuntary success
The author paints a portrait of his path to success. Raised by grandparents who send him to private school and then military school, he constantly kicked against the goads of fate. When he finally had a path toward true freedom in life through the school, he misunderstands the situation and tries to escape them and their strict rules. But instead, they catch him, and he just graduates, and involuntarily succeeds.
The irony of the author's celebration
The author celebrates his accomplishments in literature, reminding the reader of his many awards. But he does it in a painfully ironic way, dropping those accomplishments right next to the painful description of how exactly the murder happened that landed other Wes in his life sentence. The author's celebration is ironic, because it shows that his accomplishments are of an accidental nature—he is in fact not bragging.
