Introduction
The Puerto Rican immigrants have been reflected on the West Side Story film and the past paper assignments. The immigrants were a key historical element of immigration to the United States. The immigrants with Puerto Rican descent were among the many immigrants into America with the intention of obtaining suitable employment opportunities so as to better their lifestyles. Puerto Rico as a country was in crisis with a high level of poverty.
The people were lacking essential needs. Their status relating to health, education and housing were being affected. All these factors influenced the Puerto Rican immigration to the United States. They migrated to the U. S. in numbers since this was the best opinion to them (Whalen and Víctor 17).
The immigration process was a great challenge to the Puerto Rican people. They had been affected by social and economic problems in their home country hence being forced to move. On arriving in a foreign country, things did not get any better. They faced new challenges that they were not aware of.
West Side Story Film
The West Side Story film is a musical film produced in 1961. The film is based on an American musical by the same name. The American musical has a book, music, conception and choreography done by different people. It was enthused by Romeo and Juliet, a play by Shakespeare.
The film’s plot was divided into two acts. This was intended at increasing more tension in the plot. The film shows the life of two gangs who are involved in music based tension in the Manhattan streets in the 1957 late summer. The gangs include the Jets and the Sharks. The Jets were a white American gang while the Sharks were a gang with Puerto Rican immigrants. The two gangs are rivals, and they harass each other.
The rift between the two gangs escalates. The two rival gangs agree to meet at an agreed location for a fight. The fight begins and ends up fatally with the two gang leaders being stubbed to death. The police arrive at the location and the other gang members flee away from the scene. Later on, the co-founder of the American gang is killed by a Puerto Rican gang member. The film ends with the arrest of the killer by police.
This film addresses the themes discussed in the previous assignments since it reflects on the lives of Puerto Rican immigrants. The film demonstrates the lifestyle of immigrants in a foreign nation. The film shows the elements that affected Puerto Rican immigrants. The film offers the perspective of the struggles the Puerto Rican immigrants underwent while in a foreign country.
Relationship Reflection
The film West Side Story and the past paper assignments support the same idea. The two consider the Puerto Rican migration and the challenges faced by them in a foreign country. The two show how it was difficult for immigrants to live a superior life in a foreign state.
The immigrants in both contexts were struggling with their settlement and their location. The immigrants who arrived in America ended up living in eastern parts of America, mainly New York. This is because they could not afford high rent rates in other areas. They did not get good employment opportunities that would sustain them to live better lives. Hence they were making a little income and could not afford to settle in good locations (Whalen and Víctor 21).
The immigrants in both contexts were involved in crime. The immigrants were influenced by the areas where they lived. The crime rates in America were on the increase with the number of immigrants increasing. The immigrants were faced by financial challenges hence they forced to indulge themselves in crime. The location of the immigrants was a setting of low levels of civilization.
The immigrants in both contexts were involved in cultural events. They were involved in various activities that developed culture. They practiced their culture in the foreign country. They were involved in the establishment of a cultural life of sociality. They preserved their heritage on culture by being involved in social and political movements (Fitzpatrick 49).
The immigrants in both contexts faced discrimination. The area in which the immigrants lived, the locals there felt that the immigrants have come to take their position and opportunities. They discriminated them since they were in their country. The immigrants were mistreated by the locals in different ways and setting.
For instance in terms relating to employment, they received discrimination at work by being paid the lowest payment. In terms relating to where they lived, they faced discrimination from people who claimed that they are not supposed to live in those areas (Whalen and Víctor 35).
Puerto Ricans
The film and the paper describe the Puerto Ricans on the island, the mainland, or the diaspora at large. The Puerto Ricans were people who targeted to improve their lives. Having faced hard times in their country, they were ready to make the changes essential in order to improve the status.
The Puerto Ricans were involved in social, cultural and political movements so as to influence change where possible. They indulged themselves in campaigns that would see them be recognized and be treated with acknowledgement.
Both the film and paper describe the Puerto Ricans on the island, the mainland, or the diaspora at large as people who valued their culture and were always protecting and promoting it. This is evident in the notable activities they used to be involved with. They practiced these so as to support their culture instead of letting it die off.
The Puerto Ricans were also shown to be people with unity. In the different locations they were, they linked themselves in one accord. This increased their popularity and strength as a community. They also helped each other in all situations in support of each other. When their own would get into a problem, they would come up with a solution that was meant to improve the situation (Fitzpatrick 14).
The message between the two contexts, the film and the papers, is that the Puerto Rican immigration into the United States was influenced by several aspects. This depended on the motive of the immigrants, with the main purpose of immigration was to gain employment.
Conclusion
The immigration of Puerto Rican people into the United States has impacted the social, political and economic aspects in different ways. The Puerto Rican people established a culture while in the foreign country.
This was among the several positive impacts they made. They practiced their customs and traditions that gained recognition by the locals. Their efforts to gain employment and work in the foreign country improve the economy status. Through immigration, the Puerto Rican people improved their status and that of their location (Fitzpatrick 77).
Works Cited
Fitzpatrick, Joseph P. Puerto Rican Americans: The Meaning of Migration to the Mainland. Englewood Cliffs, N.J: Prentice-Hall, 1971. Print.
Whalen, Carmen T, and Víctor Vázquez-Hernández. The Puerto Rican Diaspora: Historical Perspectives. Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 2005. Print.