an evaluation of jerome robbins and robert wise s
Advantages
As one of my most time preferred musicals, Western world Side Account has always been a show that gets better whenever that it is viewed no matter the celebration. From the musical hits towards the plot, West Side Tale gives all of us a true substance of urban love in a theatrical point of view. While this type of movie happens within the 60s, it outdoor sheds light in some essential issues concerning race and variety that is actually affecting present society. The fact that it features both a White and a Desfiladero Rican team within the concrete jungle that is New York City supplies us with an insight around the adjustment process for Desfiladero Rican migrants migrating for the United States throughout the 1960s. I am able to honestly consider West Aspect Story to be a modern day Shakespeare-influenced love account with a great urban Ny flavor.
In order to better understand the relevance of this film, it would be ideal to provide a short synopsis of West Part Story. Film production company takes place in New York City throughout the 1960s, which can be around the time that racial oppression against people of color was still on the rise. The plot involves two street gangs, The Jets and the Sharks, who have are preventing for control of “turf”. Whilst these two bande were “rumbling” to see would you control the neighborhood, we see each of our main protagonists, Tony and Maria, dropping madly in love for just one another. Film production company revolves mainly around their love tale along with the ethnicity conflicts between the Jets (whites) and the Sharks (Puerto Ricans) who get in between their particular love. Regardless of the racial divide between the two gangs, this did not end our protagonists from loving each other nevertheless the ending remaining Maria in shock while Tony was killed with a Shark member.
Basically had a single character which i felt ideal related to myself, it would definitely be Tony certainly. While he may be a Black male, his idea of natural beauty is not really defined by ethnicity. It will have been relaxing for more white colored males during that timeframe of the 1960s to never project hatred onto persons of color. When Tony adamowicz first observed Maria in the community boogie, it sensed as if these people were the only ones within the place with fireworks going away in the background. Tony adamowicz really was standing out to myself out of all the Jets because when he is a Jets member, he doesn’t seem to talk about the ideals of his fellow peers. Along with not sharing the Jets ideals, he is also simple and does not show indications of colorblind anytime she was with Helen.
Seeing that I featured a character which i mostly relevant to, it would be installing to discuss a character of which My spouse and i felt I least relevant to throughout the film. For this, I select to discuss about Action, who will be a long time part of the Jets. Action is a very unique figure who is, because his moniker suggests, willing to tackle points head on and not looking back again without thinking about the consequences. However , the issue with Action is the fact he’s a whole lot of a loose cannon that he would cause chaos by himself unless he’s surrounded around his fellow Caucasian team members. Plus its a loose cannon, he can not afraid of expressing him self especially when it came to Puerto Ricans also known as the Fishes.
Social Concerns
Within the West Side Story film, there were many interpersonal issues that arose from the two Jets and the Sharks, which is why it would regard more appropriate to increase explore their particular issues from the inside each company separately. The Jets had an array of social issues that could be labeled as troublesome but was properly aligned while using corrupted ethnicity ideologies of the 1960s. Some of these social issues included using white advantage, expressing tiny aggressions towards the Puerto Ricans living in the neighborhoods and their worldview upon gender tasks. The Aircraft symbolize the white guys that lived in the city neighborhoods of recent York Metropolis during the 1960s, which was a period where racial inequalities were still increasing in the United States. The Jets likewise portrayed the so called “Juvenile Delinquents” judgment originating from busted households. The Jets exhibited many social issues throughout West Side Story that might be unethical pertaining to today’s worldview but this was the reality showing how life was within the tangible jungle of recent York throughout the 1960s.
The Jets was a group of urban white youngsters who “lived” in the roads due to damaged households nevertheless were even now shielded with white advantage. In the “Gee, Officer Krupke” scene, we see the Jets waiting within the Sharks to satisfy them so they can iron away details about the rumble. As they are waiting, the Jets break into song through which helps to identify the process of the criminal proper rights system for Juvenile Delinquents in the 1960s. Should you pay close attention to the lyrics, you will notice the way the Jets focus on the way city white young adults use the excuse of their abusing parents to get through the system with empathy coming from police officials. When they make use of this story for the judge, they are going to automatically move through a series of mental tests and therapy sessions to come up with the conclusion that these metropolitan white children are “sociologically sick”. Through this traditional song via West Part story, we are able to clearly view the advantage that urban white-colored kids got with the justice system previously with the protect of white colored privilege rendering its safeguard.
Another example of white advantage demonstrated in West Area Story is at the night picture involving Official Krupke, the Jets and the Sharks. Because the Jets and the Sharks were discussing the details with the rumble inside Doc’s store, Officer Krupke walks in and fails the party with power. After commenting on the way that both the Jets and the Sharks were “getting along”, Krupke to take that upon himself to pick a little “fun” within the Puerto Ricans, which felt like he was daunting them. He then decided to conquer out the Sharks from Doc’s shop using his law enforcement officials authority. The very fact that Expert Krupke asked only the Fishes to leave the shop while the Aircraft were permitted to stay is yet another indication of white privilege. It would practically seem like Official Krupke provides his own personal hidden goal to clear the streets with the Puerto Ricans and uses his white privilege to do this.
To help illustrate the actual of white-colored privilege and the treatment of Latinos with law enforcement, a study was conducted by simply John Deb. McCluskey, Cynthia Perez McCluskey, Roger Enriquez to explore the assessment between Latinos and White colored citizens and the satisfaction with police. The analysis consisted of 592 citizens through the Bexar State metropolitan area of San Antonio, Texas. The results from the study screen that “the relationship between the police and Latinos is an area where there is a scarcity of exploration findings” (McCluskey, Perez Enriquez, 2008, s. 476). Which means that the level of satisfaction of Latinos to police varies by simply case and depends on the region that one can be surveying. Nevertheless , it is to be noted that Latinos that have lower complex with American culture will most likely express reduced levels of pleasure with the law enforcement officials since they are unfamiliar with the customs.
Another sociable issue that took place in West Aspect Story with all the Jets was a series of Micro aggressions that had been made up against the sharks. 1 micro violence in particular included the entire Jets gang and Rita, who may be the girlfriend of the Shark’s leader. Anita went to Doc’s shop for Maria searching for Tony to relay a communication and was ridiculed by the Jets by pushing her around and calling her out of her name. This form of behavior exhibited by the Aircraft helps to color a picture how the whites experienced towards the Muelle Ricans whenever they first joined the neighborhood. The phrase “spick” is utilized within discussion throughout the film by the Aircraft to describe their disguise they may have towards the Fishes, which is also employed today to describe disguise to other Latinos. These micro aggressions manufactured towards Desfiladero Ricans in the past can also be noticed with Latinos overall in today’s society.
Just like the Aircraft, the Fishes also exhibited some social issues that can be seen as difficult back in the 60s even though they were being marginalized themselves by simply “white America”. However , the is that the Sharks’ social issues aligned more with the classic ideologies of gender functions and their worldview of white wines in America. The gender jobs that were described in Western Side Story for Muelle Ricans can be best described as “gang associates (men)sassy and virginal (women)” (Negrón-Muntaner, 2150, p. 83). Being a Latina within the sixties meant that the women stood house and prepare food as well as preserved the household even though the man started and provided home to the “bacon” for the family. This really is equivalent to the gender functions for men/women in the U. S., which usually shows all of us that equally white and Latina women are not thus different as they encounter a similar level of treatment from their significant others. Male or female roles aid to define just how men and women should act between society and during the 60s, it was masculinity that completely outclassed over feminism, which is absolutely not the case pertaining to today’s era of women.
The additional social issue with the Sharks was all their worldview of whites in the us even though they came to the U. T. hoping to better their friends and family situation. Besides New York, Chicago was also a major centre for Puerto Rican migrants and it was a cause of celebration pertaining to the appearance of the city’s “newest migrants as hard-working role models in search of the American Dream” (Perez, 2001, p. 48). The “America” scene in West Side Story presenting the Fishes provides the market with a better understanding of the way the Puerto Rican immigrants need to have feel throughout the transition off their native area to the United States. Ranging from terminology barriers to adapting to American culture, the Desfiladero Ricans believed the difficulties that this region had to offer but knew that in America, it was the terrain of option where their loved ones would be better off. Even though these were grateful for the opportunity to stay in America, that they didn’t discover themselves benefitting from the country’s wealth due to the “whites” manipulating the wealth and utilizing their privilege to stay on top in the us.
At the time, those who moved to the Usa felt it would help find better options for the family to grow as Puerto Rico had low employment costs especially for the boys. A study executed by Nancy Enchautegui and Richard B. Freeman in 2005 explores the reason behind the possible lack of employment intended for young adult males in Puerto Rico. Enchanutegui and Freeman (2005) shows that the connection between the “relatively poor economy of Puerto Rico to the advanced and wealthy economy states have created conditions that generate low employment” (p. 4). The comes from the research revealed that the close connect between Muelle Rico and the U. H. has always been a doubled relation. This resulted in while Muelle Rican was being offered “many of the benefits of living in a very advanced overall economy but likewise contributing to the employment problem” (Enchautegui Freeman, 2005, l. 32). This research offers us an improved understanding why many Malograr Ricans just like the Sharks in West Side Story migrate to the United States with their indigenous land dropping jobs and resources.
Implications for Therapies
After viewing this kind of film from a certain perspective, there would seem to be simply two significance for counselling within Western world Side Account. The initial would be for Maria pertaining to attend counseling to explore her attitudes regarding interracial online dating as well as finding a way to cope with losing Tony. It is very important that we check out these thoughts with Helen regarding her stand about interracial going out with because it could be possible that she actually is now against it as a result of what happened between the Jets and the Sharks. She could use this new found hate to create bad associations to get white people unless your woman seeks professional help that can guide her back to the right way. Talking about the death of Tony and how the struggling with between the Aircraft and the Fishes could help her on the voyage to restoration.
In a study conducted by Shane Levin, Pamela Taylor and Elena Caudle, it looks to measure the world of mixte dating in college and its particular long term effects. The speculation being created for this examine is that “college students are more likely to date users of their own group than users of various other groups” (Levin, Taylor Caudle, 2007, s. 326). College provides the possibility to experiment and interact with new people that is different from your individual and with this research, we will be capable to indicate if interracial dating is a popular option amongst students. Based on the findings of the research, it turns that students perform prefer to day in group rather than intergroup, which implies that this same amount of thinking, in terms of dating, relates back to the 1960s as it wasn’t a trend back then. While Karen would be continuing her counselling sessions in order to find the problem, it might be evident to see Maria that it is ok currently outside the race despite what the study suggests. With any luck , within because of time, Karen will be able to find love again whether the person is Latino or certainly not.
Nancy is not the only personality that would require counseling for it would recommend for Action through the Jets to pursue therapies as well. Actions exhibits a dangerous persona that may become a trouble for self and potentially other folks surrounding him. As mentioned earlier in this critique, Action is a loose canon when it comes to his physical activities as well as his reckless oral cavity even if the vocabulary is attacking to various other groups. As part of his guidance sessions, it will be evident to measure the origins of his behavior plus the relationship with his parents to see if there is a link between the two. Once we have got identified the problem with Actions, it would be important to set goals with him to be able to create his own trip to a more clear mind, human body and heart and soul. Action is a unique character in West Area Story even though it could present itself as problematic but with the right guidance techniques, he can learn to become calmer and take control of his own actions.
Conclusion
Western world Side Tale is a excellent musical convert film that illustrates the urban life styles of equally Whites and Puerto Ricans during the 60s. From start to finish, it hardly ever ceases to amaze me how various examples of racism I showed as well as the interesting interpretation from the 1960s urban version of Romeo and Juliet through both Tony and Helen. Now that My spouse and i viewed this kind of movie from a future’s counselor’s point of view, I will perspective more critically the next time to verify if I notice the behaviors of other character types. If there is one particular main thing I carried off from West Side History, it is that interracial internet dating should always be a trend since it teaches all of us to be available to other classic customs of another race/ethnicity.
As a Latino watching this film again from a unique perspective, it had been really a great eye opener for me personally. The fact that there were a lot of micro aggressions made against Puerto Ricans literally made me feel not comfortable because it could have happened in my experience if I resided during that period of time. I feel that by watching Western world Side Tale a second period due to this assignment, it allowed me to to see a few of the hidden communications on racism and oppression that happened within the musical. The 60s was a period where migration rates spiked up with immigrants coming from places like Malograr Rico and Dominican Republic with a prefer to chase the American dream. In a nut shell, Western Side Story is a sixties version of Romeo and Juliet having a hint of recent York flavor. I would definitely recommend observing West Part Story, a great urban take pleasure in story intended for the ages.
