“America”
From West Side Story (1961)
Music by Leonard Bernstein, Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim
A. Answer the following questions:
1. Why would someone want to move to a new country?
2. What would be some of the difficulties that an immigrant would face in their new
home?
3. What are some of the difficulties immigrants faced or face in Israel?
“America”
From West Side Story (1961)
Music by Leonard Bernstein, Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim
B. Important Vocabulary
English Word
Definition
Immigrate (verb)
Immigrant (noun)
Dialogue (noun)
Skull (noun)
To move to a new country
A person who moved to a new country
Discussion between two people
Accent (noun)
A way in which one speaks, pronounces
words. This is usually because of the
regional (country) or social background of
the speaker.
Polack (adjective)
Spic (adjective)
Derogatory term for a person from Poland
Derogatory term for a Hispanic – someone
from Spanish, Puerto Rican or other
Hispanic county
negative
Nice looking
Good point
Someone who delivers things for a business
Someone who helps the person in charge
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Someone from a foreign or different place
Derogatory (adjective)
Cute (adjective)
Delivery boy
Assistant
Commercial
Foreigner
Lice and Cockroach (noun)
Handcuffs (noun)
Cadillac (noun)
Brainwashed (adjective)
queer for Uncle Sam (idiom)
US – United States = US = Uncle Same
Devotion (noun)
Hurricane (noun)
Smoke on your pipe and put that in.
(Idiom)
Slam (verb)
Terrace Apartment (noun)
Grime (noun)
Crime (noun)
Either by force or by repetition with the
result of getting someone to reject their
previous beliefs for a new set of beliefs
An outdated use of the word queer –
meaning crazy for Uncle Sam –
The state of being very dedicated or loyal to
someone or something
Violent storm with strong winds
an impolite way of telling someone that they
must accept what you have just said even if
they do not like it
An apartment with a patio and a view,
usually more expensive
To be covered with dirt
An act of breaking the law
Hebrew
Word
“America”
From West Side Story (1961)
Music by Leonard Bernstein, Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim
C. Listen and fill in the missing words
1. Anita, “Girls here are free to have ____________. She is in American now”.
2. Bernardo, “Puerto Rico is in American now”.
3. Anita, “Sometimes I don’t know which is thicker, your _________ or your accent.”
4. Other Boy, “Let them wait, is Maria all right?”
5. Other Girl, “I should be so all right.”
6. Bernardo, “It will not happen again.”
7. Anita, “First settle your stomach.”
8. Bernardo, “Never mind my stomach.”
9. Anita, “I mind your nose and your ___________ broken.”
10. Other Girl, “Broken?”
11. Anita, “Sure! They use Maria for an __________ to start World War III.”
12. Bernardo,” It is more than that.”
13. Anita, “More than what? She was only ___________.”
14. Bernardo, “With an American, who’s really a Polack.”
15. Anita, “Says the Spic.”
16. Bernard, “You are not so _________.”
17. Other Girl, “That Tony is.”
18. Other Girl, “And he ________.”
19. Other Boy, “A delivery boy.”
20. Anita, “And what are you?”
21. Boy, “An assistant.”
22. Bernardo, “Si, and Chino makes half of what the Polack makes.”
23. Anita, “Here comes the whole commercial!”
24. Anita and Bernard, “Your mother’s a Pole, your father’s a Swede.”
25. Anita, “But you were ____________ here, that’s all that you need. You are an American. But us?
Foreigners!”
26. Everyone, “Lice, Cockroaches”
27. Bernard, “But it is true! When I think of how I thought it would be for us here, we came like children
believing.
28. Bernard and Anita, “Trusting with our _____________ open!”
29. Other Girl, “With our arms open.”
30. Other Boy, “You came with your _____________ open.”
31. Everyone, “You’re the Spic and you go back in handcuffs.
32. Other Boy, “I am going back in a Cadillac.”
33. Others, “Air Conditioned!” “Built in Bar,” “Telephone” “And television.” “Compatible color”
34. Other Girl, “If you had all that here, why would you wanna go back to Puerto Rico?”
35. Anita, “Or even if you didn’t have all that _______, why would you wanna go back Puerto Rico?”
36. Bernard, “Is it so good there?”
37. Anita, “Is it so good here? We had _________________-!”
38. Bernard, “We still have nothing, only more expensive, Anita, Josefina.”
39. Anita, “No. It’s plain Anita now.”
(Everyone arguing about changing their names)
40. Anita, “Once an immigrant, always an _________________!”
41. Bernard, “Hey look, instead of shampoo, she’s been brainwashed. “
42. Anita, “Stop it.”
43. Bernard, “She has given up Puerto Rico and now she’s queer for Uncle Sam.”
44. Anita, “No, that’s not _____________.”
“America”
From West Side Story (1961)
Music by Leonard Bernstein, Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim
D. Listen
1. ANITA
Puerto Rico
My heart’s devotion.
Let it sink back into the ocean.
Always the hurricane’s blowing.
Always the population growing.
And the money owing.
And the sunlight streaming.
And the natives steaming.
I like the island, Manhattan.
15. ANITA
I will get the terrace apartment
2. OTHER GIRL
I know you do.
19. GIRLS
Life is all right in America
3. ANITA
Smoke on your pipe and put that in.
20. BOYS
If you are all white in America
4. OTHERS
I like to be in America!
O.K. by me in America!
Everything free in America
For a small fee in America!
21. GIRLS
Here you are free and you have pride.
5. ANITA
Buying on credit is so nice.
6. BERNARD
One look at us and they charge twice.
7. OTHER GIRL
I have my own washing machine
8. OTHER BOY
What will you have, though to keep clean?
9. ANITA
Skyscrapers bloom in America.
10. OTHER GIRL
Cadillacs zoom in America
11. OTHER GIRL
Industry boom in America
12. BOYS
Twelve in a room in America
13. OTHER GIRL
Lots of new housing with more space.
14. BERNARD
Lots of doors slamming in our face.
16. BERNARD
Better get rid of your accent
17. ANITA
Life can be bright in America
18. BOYS
If you can fight in America
22. BOYS
Long as you stay on your own side.
23. GIRLS
Free to be anything you choose.
24. BOYS
Free to wait tables and shine shoes.
25. BERNARD
Everywhere grime in America.
Organized crime in America.
Terrible time in America.
26. ANITA
You forget I am in America
27. BERNARD
I think I will go back to San Juan.
28. ANITA
I know a boat you can get on.
29. GIRLS
Bye-Bye
30. BERNARD
Everyone there will give big cheer.
31. ANITA (in a strange voice)
Everyone there will have moved here.
“America”
From West Side Story (1961)
Music by Leonard Bernstein, Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim
E. Post Listening – Answer the following questions based on the song,
“America”.
1. Using the HOTS skill of Comparing and Contrasting, in pairs look at the lyrics of
the song, “America” and see if you can find the positive and negative sentences
that reflect the complex feelings these immigrants had living in their new country.
The first one is written for you. Write the stanza number.
Positive
7. I have my own washing machine
9. Skyscrapers bloom in America.
verses
Statements
Negative
8. What will you have, though to keep clean
12. Twelve in a room in America
2. Using the HOTS skill of inferring, what can you infer, conclude from the following
stanzas?
a. Stanzas 5 & 6 –Bernard’s comment, “One look at us and they charge twice”
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b. Stanzas 13 & 14 – Bernard’s comment “Lots of door slamming in our face”
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c. Stanza 31 – Anita’s comment, “Everyone there will have moved here”
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