Analysing texts: I like to be in America on the web-site for teachers and learners of English as a secondary language from a German point of view
<Click here and you will always get back to the table of contents>
Table of Contents		 Complete the analysis: I like to be in America  HOMEback to the homepagePAGE back to the previous page back to
Analysing texts: Westside story		 go on to
Solution: I like to be in America		 on to the next page

Complete analysing the song: I like to be in America

The text "I like to be in America" is a song from the musical "West Side Story" by Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim.
The song deals with the great differences between white and non-white Americans.
The setting of the musical is the West Side of New York City, a poor area where many Puerto Ricans live.
This song is sung by different groups of Puerto Rican girls who have come from San Juan, the capital of Puerto Rico, to live in America.
They compare the well-known version of the American Dream to the reality of their own experiences.
The song is divided into 8 stanzas.
first stanza  freedom  to pay for.  
second stanza  credit  to pay the interest rates  goods 
third stanza  better  housing situation worse.
fourth stanza  not let  to foreigner  
fifth stanza  sunny side of America  white fighter.  
sixth stanza  distributed among  classes   
seventh stanza  criticize  famous American dream   
eighth stanza  Puerto Rico  emigrated to the USA.  
Please complete this missing part with the help of the key-words above.

 
 
 
 
 
The authors try to convey an insight into the glorified American life as far as immigrants are concerned. Their message is that you should not believe in the tales of the Promised Land where everything is possible without doing anything. They want the listener to face the darker sides of America which belong to the positive aspects as well.
My own view of the matter is that the authors are right to emphasize that there are two different sides of American reality as we can face in Germany too. If you want to get on well you must know and follow the rules of the country in which you want to live. It's nonsense to think that the people of the country will change according to your imagination.

<Click here and you will always get back to the table of contents>
Table of Contents		 Complete the analysis: I like to be in America  HOMEback to the homepagePAGE to the top back to the previous page back to
Analysing texts: Westside story		 go on to
Solution: I like to be in America		 on to the next page