Sárraga López, Yamil

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    I’m in America: Critically exploring Latino cultural identity in West Side Story for English classrooms
    (2015) Sárraga López, Yamil; Irizarry Rodríguez, José M.; College of Arts and Sciences - Arts; Román Pérez, Rosa I.; Acosta Lugo, Maribel; Rivera, Rosita L.; Department of English; Carrero Figueroa, Rebecca
    Race, culture and identity, alongside portrayals of the Puerto Rican culture, are themes which are highly intertwined in the Broadway musical West Side Story. Starting from its Broadway premiere to its eventual film adaptation, the musical has often been challenged due to its limited and stereotypical portrayal of the Puerto Rican racial group in the United States. However, the musical has remained as one of the most important and influential pieces of United States popular performance. This research seeks to justify the integration of the musical as a text in English secondary classrooms in Puerto Rico as a way for students to critically examine and deconstruct this portrayal and the many discourses which surround it. Through the creation of lesson plans supported by Paulo Freire's Critical Pedagogy, this research aims for students to challenge racist and assimilation discourses in the musical through a close analysis of the social, racial, and gender conflicts, as well as power relations as portrayed in the musical. Additionally, Louise Rosenblatt's Reader's Response Theory allows teachers to measure students’ understanding of the conflicts portrayed and the stance they take upon the examination of the musical. Lastly, teachers are provided with a working framework towards the use of the musical in the classroom through the creation of lesson plans based on the Curriculum Maps provided by the Department of Education of Puerto Rico.