Month: November 2016

The movie West Side Story takes place in New York during the 1960s and from the first few scenes we are able to the construction of race and difference in the American empire. It involves two rival gangs such as the Jets who are the white American neighborhood gang and then the Sharks are a new rival Puerto Rican gang that seeks to take over the Jets territory. It first occurs in the beginning of the movie as they are involved in a fight and officers arrive at the scene and automatically assume it is all the Shark’s fault for the big fight. Although it is showed before they fight how the Jets wander around town and scare people for their own pride and laughter meanwhile after the fight they discuss how the Shark’s are different compared to all the other gangs that tried to take their territory.

In relation to H. Briggs reading it is said ” Puerto Ricans sexuality and reproduction have been reputed to produce disease, literally and metaphorically” which relates by to scene once Tony, a Jet member, falls in love with Maria, the Shark’s leader sister, at a dance where both gangs go to. As soon as they kiss, her brother, the leader realizes and goes to confront Tony but then the Jets leader stops him and they are restricted from being in trouble amongst each other. It may cause concern for many of the Jet members because they want no association with their rivals but more towards the Sharks because they only like to breed of their own kind. Plus they are discriminated harshly from the get go and see Tony as man of the Jets, a racist. Also Briggs mentions that the Puerto Ricans “chose to stay, and many ended up on welfare” to show the stereotypes that were created. This goes back to the play when the Puerto Ricans sing the “America” song and mention all the stereotypes they get and yet see America as an opportunity.

On of the most important scenes in West Side Story is when the Puerto Rican females have a debate with the males about how life is in America. Right before this scene Tony first meets Maria and Bernardo , Marias brother doesn’t allow them to be together. The women take offense to this and talk about how they believe that life in America is great and that in America they can aspire to anything but the men see it differently.  The men see America as a place where they are held down by the white supremacist. This leads to a sing-off between men and women
The Briggs article speaks on relations between Puerto Rico and America and describes Puerto Rico as a polite school girl who respects and obeys the U.S which is like the females in this scene. Briggs also speaks on the relationship between Cuba and America and speaks on how Cuba was like a group of rebellious boys so while the Sharks are portrayed as only Puerto Ricans it can be said the they men act a lot like the Cubans did at that time.

“Puerto Rico is a good place to think about the meanings of colonialism and globalization because it has for a century been where the U.S has worked out its attitudes towards its own expansionism. These attitudes have wavered between celebration and denial.” (page 2)

Yesterday in class, we watched the film West Side Story. The film takes place in the city of New York during the early 60s. From the very first scenes, we get to see the racial tensions present. The white, American-born young adults of the neighborhood are at odds with the Puerto-Rican immigrants they live alongside. Both races divide themselves into two opposing gangs and avoid association with each other by all means. The Caucasian males belong to the Jets and the rival Puerto Ricans make up the Sharks. These divisions displayed throughout the film span far past the context of fiction.

One of the Jets during the film spoke on his disapproval of the immigrants they lived alongside because he felt his neighborhood was being overrun. Brigg’s article clarifies that feelings of discontent over the entire situation of Puerto Rico was common. There were not only Americans opposed to the incoming immigrants but also some opposed American involvement in the Caribbean nation altogether. The disputes over American foreign policy and immigration are still very much alive to this day and will more than likely continue for years to come.

West Side Story is a musical that incorporates many themes in it; one of them being race. The musical is about two street gangs, Jets and Sharks, that have a hatred for each other. The Jets are white and the Sharks are Puerto Rican. The story takes place in New York in the mid 1900’s.
In one particular scene, both gangs are at a dance. The whites stay on their own side of the room and the Puerto Ricans stay on the other side of the room. They don’t care to mingle with each other. The Jets keep their women close to them. The sheriff even tries to play a game that would force the two groups to interact and confront one another. This doesn’t end up working. Instead, they end up having a dance battle, each group trying to outdo the other. The Jets are way too stubborn and there is an obvious tension with the Sharks. They believe the Puerto Ricans are the enemy and they will only change and damage to the American ways and culture.
This scene is related to L. Briggs’ “Reproducing Empire: Race, Sex, Science, and US Imperialism in Puerto Rico” because he talks about this social and cultural difference between the two groups. Many argue that Puerto Ricans that have migrated from Puerto Rico to the mainland aren’t even immigrants because it is a part of the US. Others would disagree completely. That is where this hatred came from essentially. Puerto Ricans were turned to racialized minorities in the mainland and they were treated just as that. They were looked upon as having bad families and they weren’t given real jobs.

“the work of incorporating new nationalities into modern racial categories did change in the post-World War II period with the implementation of policies encouraging migration of Puerto Ricans to the mainland, and after 1965, with the lifting of some immigration restrictions.”

The Movie/Musical West Side Story pits rival gangs the Jets and the Sharks against each other in a gang war. In the midst of all this conflict a former gang member of the Jets named Tony falls for Maria a Puerto Rican girl who is the sister of the head of the Sharks. This act is what is said to initiate the gang war but it is made clear that their were tensions that existed prior to the act between these two groups. There were preexisting tensions due to the Puerto Ricans being newcomers in America and at the time it was a common occurrence for groups of people entering into the Americas to face discrimination and throughout the movie their are even hints at how they are stereotyped. Through the song “America” some of these concerns about the stereotyping and discrimination that occurs such as the racial slurs and the stage looks that they receive. But the other side of the argument is also expressed in which Anita speaks about all the opportunities in America and how much better the living conditions are.

The influx of Puerto Ricans into America is explained by the legislation passed which made it significantly easier to immigrate into America. This action was taken in order to make Puerto Rico into a model for democratic nations in post WWII America where they were attempting to make an example of what a democratic nation under America could look like. These new immigrants who came in did not have much and this is exactly where these stereotypes stemmed from. Just as many other peoples of different nationalities had come into the country where they sought opportunity.

The movie West Side Story and Brigg’s Reproducing Empire highlight Puerto Rican values, which caused families and gangs into disruption of the culture in America. West Side Story is a classic, in which there are two gangs, the American Jets and the Puerto Rican sharks. Both gangs claimed the same street as their territories, but each side couldn’t accept that. Of course, Riff, the gang leader of the Jets challenges Bernardo, the Shark leader to a fight for the streets.

One of the sparks of their duel was when one of the Jets members, Tony, interacts with Bernardo’s sister, Maria on the dance floor. Bernardo was extremely protective of her sister, especially from an American. Viewers can see how family plays a role in each of the Puerto Rican characters. With their lack of trust and fear, Bernardo didn’t want to affiliate his gang, family, or himself to Americans or other outsiders.

Reproducing Empire has many examples of Puerto Rican families having or causing problems due to their closeness and lack of trust. Chavez, who says that there is a “surprisingly strong family attachment and traditional family values” within Puerto Ricans. One example was that mothers were hesitant in even sending their children to day care because they believed in raising the children themselves. Beliefs such as sexual abuse and rituals in the day cares only strengthened their case. As a result, mothers and older children were out of the labor force in order to raise the children. There were many conflicts within Puerto Rican families because of their lack of trust and fear from the outside world.

West Side Story shows us two things talked about by Briggs in Reproducing Empire. These two things are Colonialism and Imperialism. You can see in Reproducing Empire that the United States is an Imperialist country who wanted to gain different lands such as Cuba, the Philippians, and most importantly Puerto Rico. Puerto Rico is the most important of the three because its people “appreciated the United States and the gifts it had to offer to its less fortunate neighbors.” Meaning that Puerto Ricans actually wanted the help of America as opposed to Cuba and the Philippians who were “rudely wagging guerrilla war against the U.S.” In addition to that Reproducing Empire spoke on why there was an influx of  Puerto Rican in America after 1965. This was because the U.S. lifted restrictions on their immigration laws in an attempt to incorporate new nationalities into modern racial categories.

Reproducing Empire relates to West Side Story because it tells us the backstory behind the why their were groups of Puerto Rico in New York City during the mid nineteen fifties. Which of course had to do with the help America was giving to Puerto Rico and the fact that America was lifting its restrictions on their immigration laws. One thing i find interesting is you can view the Sharks of West side story as an imperialist group in some way. The Sharks came into America for new better lives but are taking the Jets territory. This can be related to exactly what the American are doing to their neighbors the Puerto Ricans. Lastly an interesting Scene from West Side Story is the America song scene. In this scene the Puerto Rican girls are saying they’re happy to be in America while the guys say that its only nice in America if you’re white. This is interesting because the Americans help the Puerto Ricans while in Puerto Rico and get them to America but once their it appears they are left on their own.

West Side Story is a musical that explores the rivalries of the “Jets” and the “Sharks.” The “Sharks” from Puerto Rico are in a rivalry with the “Jets” who are from America. The two gangs both believe that they are the kings of the streets. Tony, who was a former “Jets” member and best friend to gang leader, Riff, falls in love with Maria. Maria is the sister of Bernardo, who is the leader of the “Sharks.” At the dance, Tony and Maria started dancing, which got Bernardo furious. Bernardo being the protective brother he is forbade Maria to see Tony and made her leave the dance. Maria and Tony were very in love and the two started to secretly see each other without the gang members knowing.

In Briggs’ novel, “Reproducing Empire,” we learn a lot about what people thought about the Puerto Ricans. In the mid to late 1940’s many Puerto Ricans moved to New York. Most New Yorkers were not happy about this. They believed that people who are Puerto Rican are poor and cause problems. Joseph Monserrat once said that when he was raised in Harlem he was often called a “Spik.” “I am now referred to as being culturally deprived, socially disadvantaged and a product of the culture of poverty.” We see that the whites were really not accepting of the Puerto Ricans.

In the film, West Side Story, the Puerto Ricans are poor and do at times cause problems. Although we are not finished with the film yet, it is clear to us the the whites are not accepting of the Puerto Ricans and the Puerto Ricans want nothing to do with the whites.

White Zombie (1932) tells the story of a young woman, Madeleine, who has the intent of marrying her fiancé Neil in Haiti, but is transformed into a zombie at the control of an evil voodoo master, Murder Legendre. Charles is a wealthy plantation owner who houses the couple upon their arrival in Haiti, and he is immediately taken by Madeleine. He wants her to leave her fiancé and marry him instead, so he seeks Murder’s otherworldly assistance. The only way for Murder to help Charles is by turning Madeleine into a zombie with a potion. Madeleine and Neil get married but shortly after the wedding, the potion works and Madeleine dies. After her funeral, Murder and Charles dig up her grave and revive her as a zombie. Because she lacked emotion and was non-communicative, Charles felt remorse towards her transformation.

The film accurately depicted the characteristics of zombies, which were a representation of how slaves were. The correlation between zombies and slaves is that they are both lifeless beings; slaves were subjected to their masters’ rules and did not have much of a say in their own lives. In The Magic Island, it says, “The zombie, they say, is a soulless human corpse, … beating it like a dumb beast if it slackens.” (93) This excerpt shows how slaves were conveyed and viewed by their masters. Slaves were basically dead and made to walk and act as if they were alive. Masters abused their slaves and placed difficult tasks upon them. If they were stagnant, they were treated lesser than humans, and had no rights.

The film and the text are both accurate portrayals of slavery in Haiti. Slaves were made to work and endure harsh circumstances. They could not have minds of their own, were dehumanized and essentially possessed no human characteristics.

White Zombies is a 1932 film that introduces the idea of zombies. In this film, anyone dead can be brought back to life as a zombie with some magic. Charles Beaumont, a plantation owner, is in love with Madeleine. However, Madeleine was set on marrying a different man, Neil. To keep her to himself, Beaumont goes to Murder Legendre for some magic that can enable him to keep Madeleine by his side as his own. In the scene where Beaumont visits Legendre in his sugar mill, we see that the workers are all these lifeless zombies. Legendre brought all these people back to “life” to serve as his slaves. These zombies were given hard, dull labor and it didn’t really matter if they were injured or maimed. One of such zombies fell over into the mill and was crushed, yet no one really cared. These zombies represented the slaves in Haiti.

In The Magic Island by William Seabrook, zombies are believed to be more than just any superstition. Constant Polynice spoke of a factory that offered bonuses to new workers. Ti Joseph of Colombier, a black headman was seen leading a band of ragged creatures who shuffled along him to registration. This band of people were then given jobs on a field far from the factory where they worked hard and the headman collected all their wages. These people were thought of as zombies because of their lifelessness and adherence to their masters without questions.

Slaves in Haiti were represented as zombies in the article and film. The brutal treatment and harsh labor had taken a toll on these people, leaving them numb to the effects. They basically had no life left and no motivation to live and lead a normal life. The enslaved’s only option was to accept what they were dealt and do as they were told to escape punishment and beatings. This portrayal of the slaves represented them as non human beings.