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West Side Story

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West Side Story
West Side Story
Day 4: 2-page essay

The West Side Story portrays the lives of two different gangs living in America, as well as their beliefs and examples of living a good life. The expectations of what people consider the good life to be may vary on a person's morals and their dreams of what life is truly about. In this movie, whether or not these characters were good people, lived a good life, or lived in a good society is a very controversial topic. The characters of the West Side Story were not good people. The two gangs focused their lives on fighting with each other rather than attempting to get along and accept the differences between them. The gangs did not have any hopes or aspirations for their futures and cared about nothing more than being in a gang. Each gang made one mistake after another and never learned from any of them nor did they try to. Doc, an old and wise man, informed the boys with his knowledge and tried to open the eyes of both gangs to the hatred that engulfed them. Everything Doc had to say went through one ear and out the other, because the boys refused to see past their differences. The Jets, one of the gangs, accept what society believes of them and never make any effort to erase their bad history. They listen to what others tell them, agreeing to the excuses for their bad behavior. This is just one example of how the boys do not attempt to make a better life for themselves, or try to prove others wrong. The two gangs believe that there is nothing better out there for them, and they do not understand that the hatred they have for each will bring them to an end sooner than expected. Although the characters believed they lived a good life, in my own perspective I saw the exact opposite. The good life is demonstrated through success, success through a career, education, goals, and love. The gangs only had one another and without the support of that gang, these boys would not exist as individual human beings. The

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