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  • Essay / Critical Analysis of The West Side Story

    From my point of view, the biggest challenge for drama and film creation is the lack of new stories to tell, because the content of the stories has not evolved with development of society. To solve this problem, two effective methods have been developed. The first is to tell ancient stories in an innovative way. The second is to introduce different historical contexts to give the same story different period meanings. It can be said that West Side Story successfully combined these two methods to present a distinctive story to the audience. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why violent video games should not be banned”? Get the original essay This musical is adapted from Shakespeare's classic play Romeo and Juliet. The setting of the story shifts from 16th century Britain to the Upper West Side of 1960s New York. The two feudal families Capulet and Montague become two irreconcilable groups of young hooligans composed respectively of Puerto Rican immigrants and local whites. The male and female protagonists move from Romeo and Juliet of two rival families to Tony and Maria of two youth gangs. The same touching love meets enormous resistance in different historical contexts. Much like their processor, Tony and Maria's love is fragile in the face of brutal reality and will inevitably be overwhelmed. However, the same tragic ending does not affect the fact that love can never be truly defeated. “Neither story uses the marriage trope in the way we have defined it here, because the love that binds the two lovers is not truly based on the differences that matter in the world around them but is instead presented as a pure force independent of this world and the opposing factions within it. The lovers may be separated by external physical forces, but their love will never disappear. Instead, true love ultimately wins. a great victory in the hearts of the public, even if the ending of both stories takes the form of tragedy. As we know, the United States is a country of immigrants. On the one hand, this is an advantage. for this nation to absorb talent from around the world. On the other hand, the complex issue of immigration constitutes one of the most serious social problems in American society. Conflict and integration between indigenous culture. and immigrant culture run through the history of the United States. Today, the national attitude toward immigrants is becoming more open, and immigrants and their descendants can enter the heart of American society. But in the 1950s, American society was at the height of immigration problems, and the term "immigrant" was still a strongly derogatory term. This is exactly the period in which West Side Story takes place. In the musical, Bernardo, the Puerto Rican gang leader, and his girlfriend Anita realistically portray inner conflicts as immigrants. On the one hand, they are proud to be Americans and hope to integrate into American society and realize their own American dream. On the other hand, they maintain vigilant, even resistive, attitudes toward American culture. This contradiction is perhaps one of the main reasons why the immigration problem is so complicated and difficult to solve. Keep in mind: this is just a sample. Get a personalized article from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay Overall, West Side Story is essentially a tragedy. The tragic fate of the lovers has long been doomed as they become embroiled in the dilemma..