The greater economic security of middle-class Cuban immigrants and their children thus has not meant an entirely uncomplicated relationship with the new American homeland.
Puerto Rican-Americans
Although it is a small island, the history of Puerto Rico has been marked by many influences, spanning from Africa to Spain to Latin America. "There is an essential dichotomy [in] Puerto Rico's relationship with the United States. Within American jurisdiction, as reflected by common citizenship, flag, currency and numerous applicable Federal laws, Puerto Rico might seem in everything but name a State of the Union. But on the other side you will find a culture and society profoundly different from that in the mainland. It is a rich and varied culture but a unique one emanating from all those rich influences. This makes Puerto Rico a unique blend of the Spanish-Caribbean 'joy of living' and the American drive for organization and forward-thinking" (Puerto Rico, 2010, Culture/History). On one hand, Puerto Rico is 'closer' to the U.S. than other Hispanic nations in terms of its status as a self-governing commonwealth. Yet unlike Mexican-Americans who are desperately trying to be accepted as full U.S. citizens, either on a literal or a cultural level -- or both, Puerto Ricans wish to keep their unique identity as well as participate in the greater American community.
Puerto Ricans constitute 14% of America's population, and despite their cultural prominence in American media, spanning from the popular entertainers Daisy Martinez and Rosie Perez to Leonard Bernstein's West Side Story, they still constitute an economically disadvantaged group. Rather than gains, Puerto Ricans have registered a steady loss in economic status. "The ratio of median Puerto Rican to white family income fell from .62 in 1960 to .50 in 1980" and has continued to decline, according to Health Affairs, despite growing cultural prominence of the ethnic group in the media.
Columbian-Americans
Central and South American Hispanic immigrants "are better educated than most Hispanics" yet, "upon relocating to a new country, they initially experience downward mobility in terms of occupational status" (Schaefer, 2005: 252). While earlier waves of Columbian immigrants may have come from the...
West Side Story Like all musical films, the West Side Story relates to a production where the characters sing songs and sometimes dance too, all with the view of developing the characters and advancing the plot of the film However, the movie brings to the fore various special features, which notably set it out as a historical document. The era in which the film was produced is also of massive importance considering
West Side Story is a film about two rival gangs, the Jets and the Sharks. The Jets are American and the Sharks are of Puerto Rican descent. The movie has a Romeo and Juliet storyline -- however, in West Side Story the two lovers, Tony and Maria, are from two different ethnic groups as opposed to two sparring families in Romeo and Juliet. It is ethnocentrism that stands in the
West Side Story Social Tension and Doomed Romances in West Side Story Hundreds of years after Shakespeare's penning of Romeo and Juliet, the notion of warring families and star-crossed lovers has not waned in popularity. This is evident in the Academy Award-winning 1961 film West Side Story, which, stripped of its musical interludes and numerous dance numbers, becomes the adaptation of Shakespeare's romantic tragedy in its barest bones. Of course, West Side
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West Side Story, filmed in 1961, was one of the most ground-breaking works not only in terms of subject and genre, but also in terms of the boundaries it broke with its musical scores and choreography. Indeed, the film's dance sequences often form part of its plot. Its musical scores depict the deep distrust and underlying violence in the uneasy truces between the street gangs whose members form the basic
West There are three major religions that have established themselves in China: Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism; and of the three, only Buddhism is not indigenous to China. Buddhism found its way to China along the Silk Road, brought by missionaries from India. For centuries, the three religions have co-existed with many Chinese adopting elements of each in their daily lives. Whatever similarities, or symbiotic elements each contains, the three religions
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