Thesis: West Side Story illustrates the real conflict immigrants faced when coming to New York, yet despite being targeted they were still able to thrive.
Paragraph One: Brief Summary of West Side Story and how it relates to my thesis/argument
Paragraph Two: Introduce Whalen, Carmen Teresa and Victor Vazquez-Hernandez, The Puerto Rican Diaspora: Historical Perspectives (especially “Colonialism, Citizenship, and the making of the Puerto Rican Diaspora” and “Jesus Colon and the making of the New York Community”) Discuss how it relates to West Side Story
Paragraph Three: Introduce NYT Article “The Puerto Rican Problem” which discusses how Puerto Ricans in New York were being targeted and almost treated as second class citizens
Paragraph Four: Discuss NYT Article “Police Move to Win Puerto Rican Amity: City to Tell ‘Every Cop’ to Mend Relations With Puerto Ricans” which discusses NY’s attempt to rekindle positive relations with the Puerto Rican community after years of conflict. Introduce idea of Puerto Ricans becoming more accepted in society and NY
Paragraph Five: NYT Article “City’s 2d-Generation Puerto Ricans Rising From Poverty: Puerto Ricans Rising From Poverty” which discusses how 2nd generation Puerto Ricans in New York were beginning to rise and thrive.
Conclusion: Restate Thesis, tie in with movie.
