West Side Story Analysis Essays

It isn’t to be, of course, but from the moment West Side Story begins with the legendary dance prologue through the neighbourhood, faithfully reproduced by Joey McKneely from the original choreography by Jerome Robbins, the show glows with redolent memories and enchants with brilliant new moments.The fundamental problems haven’t changed much since the start of West Side Story 50 years ago, as we continue to wrestle with new cultures arriving.West Side Story is up to date not only because of it’s lengthy dance numbers, emotionally drenched songs and scores, and a contemporary plot that speaks so much of the place and time where the story took place, but also because we are now in a place and time where social-economic issues continue to p...

This is more suitable for the time period of West Side Story, because in the 1950’s Maria would not be out in the evening without an escort.In Romeo and Juliet the scene starts off with Romeo listening to Juliet give her “What’s in a name?” speech, and similarly, in West Side Story the scene starts off with Maria overhearing Tony singing “Maria.” Because Lehman took the Romeo and Juliet story and developed a setting in more modern times, there had to be some parallels in the story, and Lehman suitably took an apartment fire escape to replace the famous balcony.In West Side Story, Maria is on the fire escape of her family’s apartment, and she overhears Tony singing about how he loves her, but, Tony sort of sneaks up on her, so technically...

...In West Side Story, there are also two distict groups.Shakespeare 's Romeo and Juliet and West Side Story both have a lot in common as well as major differences that set them apart including the settings, characters, and plot.Romeo and Juliet is set in the 1500’s, and West Side Story set in the 1950’s.West Side Story is an energetic, widely-acclaimed musical, a modern-day, loose re-telling of Shakespeare 's Romeo and Juliet tragedy of feuding families.Whereas, West Side Story takes place in 1960s Manhattan, New York.

West Side Story” shows how racial prejudice and interracial relationships cause hate to grow.In “West Side Story”, author Irving Shulman gives us nothing but clues to these questions.Throughout the story there was a part where both gangs went to a dance and one of the gangs were dancing on the contrary side of the building so they wouldn’t mix with the other race.In “West Side Story” two gangs, the Jets and the Puerto Ricans hate each other just because of the way they look, where they are from, and how they live.“West Side Story” shows hate between almost anyone and yet we have no answers on why people hate.

The characters in West Side Story were gang members who would pick a fight with anyone and were very ruthless.Romeo and Juliet/ West Side Story Compare and Contrast I recently finished reading Romeo and Juliet, as well as West Side Story.By doing this project I have further thought about things such as hate.As I always have I think hate for any reason is immature and stupid.Just by doing this project it will help in some way during my life.

However, upon closer analysis it becomes clear that trying to fill in all the places where Moby Dick leaves off would be impossible; such a feat could not be imagined in one text.New York: William Morrow and Company, Inc, 1999.(1) The first sets up a premise; the second could be seen as offering, in response, another story to pick up where the other leaves off.It does not seem to evolve from Moby Dick at all; it is simply the same story.In addition, there is a linear dependency from one story to the other; the Shakespeare stands alone but West Side Story could not have been created without it.

From the opening scenes in both, up through the rumble in West Side Story/death of Mercutio in Romeo and Juliet, the plays mirror each other (Poelstra).Some of the characters in West Side Story are carbon copies of those in Romeo and Juliet: Maria (Juliet), Tony (Romeo), Bernardo (Tybalt), Lt. Schrank (Prince), and Anita (Nurse).It isn't until the last part of West Side Story, where Tony, our modern-day Romeo, dies and Maria, Tony's Juliet, doesn't (unlike the two star-crossed lovers of Shakespeare's work), that the major difference between the two works becomes apparent.West Side Story allows the basic elements of a story four centuries old to be retold in a fairly modern-day setting (after all, street gangs are more prominent now than ...

People with an Eastern background who migrate to the West must adapt or they will be excluded from society.More specifically, it refers to the superiority approach of the West which dominates, restructures and holds authority over the Orient.Furthermore, Orientalism is “a political doctrine willed over the Orient because the Orient was weaker than the West, which elided the Orient’s difference with its weakness” (Said 1978: 203).Ignoring traditional views the West holds over the East, Anna follows the footsteps of real Victorian female travelers, such as Lady Lucy Duff Gordon and Lady Emily Blunt, who looked beyond Orientalist stereotypes.In her novels, Ahdaf Soueif reacts to this ongoing tendency in the West to imagine the Orient and it...

This is an important part of the musical as we now learn that from their first meeting that they are both attracted towards each other and the audience is expectant for more of this love story, however in Oklahoma we do not see Curly or Laurey as the dancing is the main part and the rivalry between the cowboys and the farmers is the main focus.In west side story the dance style is mambo, and mambo is originally from Cuba and came over to America, so the dance doesn’t really go with the culture of the Brazilians or the Americans but however because it became popular in night clubs, resort hotels in the heart of New York and Miami, so by using this style of dance and music the composer wants to convey an ‘night out’, although in Oklahoma, ...

To begin, the motives for the feud between the Montagues and Capulets in Romeo and Juliet as well as the fighting between the Jets and the Sharks in West Side Story are quite similar, yet very distinct.West Side Story.The ways in which diversity and divisions affect people and their relationships can be shown in Shakespeare’s play, Romeo and Juliet, as well as the film West Side Story, directed by Jerome Robbins and Robert Wise.Eventually, the tensions between their families are too intense for them to bear, and the lead lovers of the story, Romeo and Juliet, commit suicide.This tragic play tells the story of two teenagers from opposing families, the Capulets and the Montagues, who fall in love with each other against all odds.

In New York in the 1950s, two rival street gangs, the Jets (Americans of Polish, Irish and Italian descent) and the Sharks (immigrants of Puerto Rican origin), rule the West district.George Chakiris already knew the universe of West Side Story before participating in the film.The screenplay for West Side Story is a modern adaptation of William Shakespeare's play Romeo and Juliet.It was razed to build Lincoln Center.The New York neighborhood filmed in the outdoor scenes no longer exists.

In the story, many important people, including the lovers themselves, die due to the family feud, whether they were directly murdered by someone on the other side or forced to take their own lives because .United Artists, 1961.In the last line of the play, the prince states, “ For never was a story of more woe than that of Juliet and her Romeo,”(Shakespeare).27 Nov. 2013. .Evanston: McDougal Little, 2002.

The message: Doc, the little Jewish candy store owner, expresses the movie’s message lucidly: “You kids make this world lousy!The setting is the Upper West Side of New York City in the late 1950s with conflict between rival street gangs rather than families.West Side Story was the first musical I have watched that addresses the realities of life.Therefore West Side Story is at its best when the characters are singing and dancing.West Side Story features popular songs, many of which have become “standards,” still widely performed and loved today (I Feel Pretty).

The violence in West Side Story is relatively tame, viewed by a contemporary audience.Shakespeare’s ‘Romeo and Juliet’, ‘West Side Story’ and Luhrmanns ‘Romeo and Juliet’ have all been shaped by the values held by society at that time.West Side Story has replaced Shakespeare’s original script with language and slang common to America in the 1950’s, calling fights “rumbles” and referring to their fathers as “my old man”.West Side Story shows the Capulets replaced by the Sharks, a street gang made up of Hispanic males and the Montagues replaced by the Jets, a gang of local boys who dislike the idea of foreigners intruding on their ‘turf’.In the 1950’s, when West Side Story was made, musicals had come to be popular and an effective way of r...

The movie follows the story line very closely.However, as with all movies, character insight that is critical to understanding the story is lost when the format goes from the written word to the screen.The book is a coming-of-age novel, but the movie focuses on the characters’ loss of innocence.This minor directional change was probably made due to the relative time proximity to the musical West Side Story, which won the best picture Academy Award in l961.Ponyboy is telling us the story, the same as in the book, but the 91-minute film only glosses over many character relationships.

This alludes to how meaningful alcohol is in the story.One of the most important symbols in this story was the bead curtain that hangs and separates the kitchen from the dining area.Across, on the other side, were fields of grain and trees along the banks of the Ebro,” which portrays a very green, fertile landscape.Furthermore the very landscape that the story is set in is a symbol.But then later in the story, “The girl stood up and walked to the end of the station.

Moreover, separated by a long river, on the other side is East Egg where people made of generations of wealth live.The story would have not been the same if it weren’t set in New York, as the charisma of the city has to be conveyed in the story.The distance that separates Gatsby from Daisy lies across the span of water between their houses – the very distance between West Egg and East Egg, representing a barrier between the two lovers.The story is set in the early 1920s in New york because it focuses on the society of that time and is particularly focused on the factors such as prohibition of alcohol, the glamour of new york and also the way that Tom, Nick Gatsby and daisy all escape from the mid west, a small minded town, and become suc...

The West Side Story tells the love story of Tony and Maria amidst the rivalry between their races.In this regard, by trying to obliterate the present reality the hopelessness of an interracial marriage was established.However Tony expressed through a song his pursuit for a place where they could cultivate their love for each other.The film has played a part in carrying on the view of the West Side as a place of metropolitan and racial problems.The story also portrays a battle for urban territory.

But all these explanations did not help him to convince Anne to move to West and live with him, so what he tried to do was to set a good example.I was bragging shamelessly about our advantages, I was ready to lie if need be.” (Page 155) This guy was ready to lie to make the West seem like a perfect world to live in for his younger sister, the only problem was that most of the things that he did and would mention to his younger sister, just appeared to be an idea or an illusion, in another words, a dream of what he expected the West to be.“I am writing of the West, not of the Indians primarily, and certainly not of the romantic West which the best-selling authors have exploited.”(Page 154) This line comes from D’Arcy McNickle, the author ...

The least I liked about this book is that when Maniac’s parents died, and when Grayson died.I visualized this book well because this book was really interesting, and even though this book is faction it sounds real.Would you change anything about the story: I would change the part where Grayson dies because Grayson loved Maniac as much as maniac loved Grayson.The part that truly got attention is when they died, and it feels like something worse is going to happen when is parents died.Name of the main characters: Full Name: (Jeffery Lionel Magee)- Maniac Magee Genre of the story: Fiction .

On January 21, Mr. Clark asserted that Israel was systematically abusing the human rights of Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank and the following day he met with the ambassadors of the Arab countries in Ottawa to express his growing concern with Israeli actions.Thus, not only was the decision to rebuke Israel in keeping with the public mood in the spring of 1988, as manifested in the media and opinion polls, but so, too, was the overall content of the speech, which reflected, as does our analysis of the media, the preference of Canadians for a balanced policy on the Palestinian question whatever side in the conflict might be responsible for the latest instances of violence.Further, a Globe-Environics poll, published on March 30, 1988...

The social setting of the 1920s is irreplaceable to the story as it makes the characters act the way they do, the readers feel the way they do and in Gatsby’s case it makes him the _Great_ person he is.For example, East Egg and West Egg are both places in which people of great wealth live but Nick clearly states that East Egg is where the “classier” people live.The social setting in the story relates to the resolution because in the end it is all about the “fight” between the rich and poor.This is most easily seen in that the story takes place during the prohibition and Gatsby’s wealth comes from bootlegging, or selling ilegal alcohol.As the social setting varies, many other things change like the atmosphere, mood and the themes of the s...

Unfortunately, this was common back in the times that this story is based upon.(West Virginia Mine War... ... middle of paper ... ...g to have a baby, and despite his situation Rondal ultimately becomes at peace with his life.In the end he dies, but he will rest on the mountain side where Carrie “walks past the cemetery where Rondal would at last have a place of his own.” (Giardina 290) This brings back a story that I read “How Much Land Does One Man Need”.(West Virginia Mine Wars) The lure of good wages and housing made the coal mining appealing to West Virginians, but all good things come at a price.The railroad opened a gateway to the untouched coal beds of West Virginia.

It has a strong and special historical connection with imperialism.” Said believes that, regardless of which one stage in the history of the West, any essentialism statement writing about the basic dichotomy of the East and the West as a starting point with the Orient, Oriental, Oriental custom, the East “Mind,” the fate of the East and so on belong to Orientalism.Later, the concepts of “Eastern” and “Asia” from the West are built on top of such a bias.Said believes that “the West for the understanding of Orient did not like Europeans to understand in depth, although they should have adopted a series of adventures in the Far East to obtain a more sober, more realistic ‘Orient’ consciousness.” In fact, the formation of West the East doctr...

This fictional area of New York, East and West Egg, are home to many wealthy families and individuals.Fitzgerald suggests that Eckleberg is a symbol in the story which substitutes for God.There are many relationships in the novel which greatly contribute to the story.The romantic love expressed as the story progresses is of great importance to the book.Nick Carraway, the narrator, first introduces West Egg to the reader when he mentions that he had moved there from the mid-west United States.

Hatred, although not shown similarly, was also an important topic shown in this story.In West Side Story, the two “gangs”, although ignorant, at least had a set-reason for their dispute.One of these important topics in this story was friendship.On the other hand, the love of Tony and Maria (West Side Story) was not as ridiculous.However, this story has a lesson of its own that is a common saying parents use today: Think before you act.

The directors of west side story I feel are to stereotypical using racial differences to feed the feud and continue the storyline.I feel Lurmann has most successfully recreated the original play into a modern setting but keeping it true to the original though the language and creating an element of interest though the this juxtaposition, although the language may be hard to understand to a younger audience it is apparent as to what Is happening through the obviousness of the visual aid as Australian it may be hard o relate to the American way of life and their dependence on weaponry but it also creates a familiarity among the younger audience due to our constant exposure to the media and foreign films primarily from America this broaden...

Taking advantage of the gifts bestowed by the nature to make a pleasant living and working conditions thereby promoting spiritual well-being and enhancing health and wealth leading to prosperity and happy living .. Vastu takes into consideration the eight possible directions after analysing and studying the four coordinal directions- North, South, East and West and four angular directions – North East, North West, South East, South West ..The eight cardinal directions North, South, East ,West, North East ,North West, South East, South West.In tropical countries the south side suffers harsh heat while the north side remains in the shadow area this result in the formation of thermocouple in the space and around the house.The park looks in...

“Romeo and Juliet” by the Dire Straits translates Shakespeare’s story into modern slang.The love story of Romeo and Juliet is frequently portrayed on the big screen and the stage.Cinematic productions such as “The Ringer”, “West Side Story”, “Gnomeo and Juliet”, The Baz “Romeo and Juliet”, and the Zeffereli version of “Romeo and Juliet”, utilize allusions from Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet.Whether the story of the young lovers is portrayed on television, film, Broadway, or in music lyrics, people have always enjoyed the story of Romeo and Juliet.In the song “Love Story”, Taylor Swift recites the story of Romeo and Juliet throughout her lyrics.

This Side of Paradise made Fitzgerald a literary celebrity before his twenty-fourth birthday.This Side of Paradise was not Fitzgerald’s first published work; he had already published numerous other creative works, including poetry and short stories.Reception of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s Bestseller, This Side of Paradise .Its lively reception and commercial success launched him as the "Prophet of the Jazz Age," the spokesman for his generation, and This Side of Paradise is one of the major reasons for his fame today” (6).Finally, in 1918 the third version of The Romantic Egoist re-titled This Side of Paradise was accepted and published by Charles Scribner’s Sons.