America (west side story)
849 mots
4 pages
AMERICA This song « America », whose lyrics were written by Stephen Sondheim and whose music was created by Leonard Bernstein, is extracted from West Side Story. It is a 1965 film which is based on Romeo and Juliet (one of Shakespeare’s plays). The scene takes place in NYC, more particularly in the Spanish Harlem. This passage of the film, where the boys and the girls sing the song “America” is extremely famous. The song is a perfect testimony of what Puerto Ricans used to think about America once there. It is a complete analysis of the pros and cons of this dream-like country. Indeed, while the girls are singing in honor of the United States, the boys reply in an ironic way, being more realistic than the girls about the seamy side of the country. I will see the arguments of the girls, who praise the bright side of America, and then explain con-arguments of the boys. The song begins by the girls complaining about several disadvantages of Puerto Rico, their homeland. They say “Always the hurricanes blowing, always the population growing” and don’t want to hear about it “Let it slip back to the ocean”. To them, the US and Puerto Rico are poles apart. In Manhattan, there are no hurricanes, no overpopulation… “I like the isle of Manhattan”.
The chorus, well-known, expresses the complete content of the girls, who see in America the perfect country. “I like to be in America”.
The sentences “Everything’s free in America” and “Buying on credit is so nice” show that they are very positive about the economic prosperity. Now in New York, they can afford consumer goods that make simpler their daily => “I’ve got my own washing-machine!” is a proof of a much better standard of living: the women can save time, there are less home chores, and therefore they can go outside if they want. It is a big asset according to women at that time.
The second chorus evokes the increasing industry and technology in the US, there are a lot of modern skyscrapers and spacious