Essay on Gangs of New York - 905 Words

Gangs of New York: Who’s A True American? â€Å"You can hire half the poor to kill the other half.† Boss Tweed spoke these words in reference to the Draft Riots. It shows that you can easily turn the poor against each other, if you bring money into the situation. Gangs of New York is about the separation of the Irish and the Natives, which eventually led into larger conflicts. In this film there are two important characters, Amsterdam Vallon and Boyle McGloin, who were both Irishmen in the Five Points. Amsterdam was the son of Priest Vallon and he became a positive Irish Leader who was looked up to by many. Boyle McGloin was an Irishmen who was a Dead Rabbit, but later joined Bill â€Å"The Butcher† Cutting and became a â€Å"Native†. The character†¦show more content†¦The average Irishmen thought that since blacks were seen as equal, they were their competition, so they were against blacks. They also didn’t like the blacks because that’s why most Irishmen were being drafted for t he war (to abolish slavery). Amsterdam didn’t act that way because he didn’t discriminate, and had didn’t go against his Catholic/Irish beliefs. In Ireland in 1842 many signed a petition that declared â€Å"Irishmen and Irishwomen! Treat the colored people as your equal, as brethren.† That was what he seemed to believe. Boyle McGloin believed that a true American is defined as white and didn’t associate with â€Å"Blacks†. In the movie McGloin showed those traits, because throughout the movie he was very racist, a traitor, and willing to die for the Natives (and not his own people). In the movie, when Priest Vallon died he instantly switched to the Natives because he could pass for one of them, and he knew the Irish would be outnumbered. He also went against the Irish as if they weren’t part of him, just to be considered a Native and hang with Bill. In one scene, he was in the church praying and he saw a Black man with Amsterdam, his response was â€Å"No niggers among the Natives. Niggers as robbers are one thing, but niggers in a church that’s something else.† McGloin was very racist toward any colored person regarding the fact that they weren’t â€Å"white†, and he felt they were theShow MoreRelatedEssay on Gangs of New York1544 Words   |  7 PagesAmsterdam’s story takes place in Five Points District of New York, a filthy and dangerous part of the city before it was deleted form history. As a young boy Vallan witnessed his father’s murder at the hand of William Cutting or Bill the Butcher (Day-Lewis) during one of their many gang wars. As Amsterdam’s story progresses along side The Butcher they become inseparable, but Amsterdam had ulterior motive. Ultimately, Amsterdam attempts to betray his new found ally in order to avenge his father’s death.Read MoreGangs of New York by Herbert Asbury Essay3497 Words   |  14 PagesTHE GANGS OF NEW YORK, writ ten by Herbert Asbury, was used as the basis for the movie GANGS of NEW YORK, a gangster film directed by Martin Scorsese and starring Daniel Day-Lewis and Leonardo DiCaprio. Filmed in Rome, Gangs covers a period of New York Citys history, from the 1840s through to the bloody Draft Riots of 1863, at a time when graft and corruption permeated every level of government including the police department. The movies main plot revolves around revenge and the feuding betweenRead MoreGangs of New York, an Example of Naturalism Essay839 Words   |  4 PagesIn the beginning, it seems unlikely that Gangs of New York will be an example of naturalism. Unlike To Build a Fire or Open Boat, the whole story of Gangs of New York happens in a civilized area, and nobody is in a case of danger because of the nature. Naturalism is implicit in this article. But being implicit does not mean it is ineffective. Instead, the idea of naturalism within this article is more confound than other two stories we studied before. The very first scene, a cave is hidden underneathRead More Gangs of New York History vs. Hollywood Essay1120 Words   |  5 Pages nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;The movie begins in New York, in 1843, with a gang fight. Bill â€Å"the butcher† Cutting’s gang of â€Å"nativists† have challenged the â€Å"dead rabbits† (a gang of mostly Irish immigrants) to a fight to settle once and for all who is the most powerful gang in the area. After an intense battle the â€Å"nativists† win by killing the leader of the â€Å"dead rabbits†, also Amsterdam’s (the main character’s) father. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Amsterdam is then led into an orphanage whereRead MoreGangs of New York Essay697 Words   |  3 PagesGangs of New York: A Cultural Shift Jeremiah Harrity SOCI220 American Popular Culture Dr. Nancy Wack April 13, 2013 Gangs of New York: A Cultural Shift In the movie â€Å"Gangs of New York†, we see a city changed and reshaped through cultural influence of feuding individuals with different ideas. The movie is about a young man, Amsterdam Vance, who seeks to avenge his father, who was brutally murder in a gang dispute, against his adversary Bill the Butcher. On the surface the movie seemsRead MoreThe Film Gangs Of New York1726 Words   |  7 PagesThe film Gangs of New York, highlighted the facets of many different gangs; the most important being the Natives and the Dead Rabbits. Both gangs vied for power over the region called the Five Points during the Civil War time period. Within the film there were many different examples of social stratification like class privilege, status, and power. The examples of stratification were shown by both gangs and the individuals that the gangs were compromised of. The purpose of this paper is to analyzeRead MoreAnalysis Of The Movie Gangs Of New York 1352 Words   |  6 PagesP ositive Criticism - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0217505/ Warping you into Manhattan’s Five Points, an area in New York City upon which seemed as a place with no law during the mid-19th century. The drama film directed by Martin Scorsese, Gangs of New York, provides us an account of the anarchy that occurred; following the life of a man named Amsterdam, the son of a popular Irish-American leader, Priest Valon. Supported by the extraordinary acting performances by Daniel Day-Lewis (aka Bill the Butcher)Read MoreGangs of New York History vs. Hollywood1164 Words   |  5 PagesThe movie begins in New York, in 1843, with a gang fight. Bill the butcher Cuttings gang of nativists have challenged the dead rabbits (a gang of mostly Irish immigrants) to a fight to settle once and for all who is the most powerful gang in the area. After an intense battle the nativists win by killing the leader of the dead rabbits, also Amsterdams (the main characters) father. Amsterdam is then led into an orphanage where he grows to be a man, all while Bill Cutting runs the FiveRead MoreVersions of the Gangs of New York: A Comparative Analysis965 Words   |  4 Pagesthe name of creative license. This is undoubtedly true in the case of journalist Herbert Asburys The Gangs of New York: An Informal History of the Underworld, a seminal piece of investigative reporting weaved with lyrically lurid prose describing the debauchery, squalor and institutionalized barbarism of the era. Published in 1928, Asburys chronicle of the gangster culture spawned during New York Citys turbulent adolescence became a cult classic, one which eventually inspired famed American filmRead More The Western as Commentary about Decaying Values Essay3542 Words   |  15 Pagescontributed largely to reducing their state of mind to one of fear. Similar elements created strife for the protagonists in Ron Howard’s 2003 film The Missing. The film is a captivity narrative in whic h Maggie, a doctor who lives with her family in New Mexico in 1885, finds her lover killed and her eldest daughter taken captive by a band of Apache. At first scornful of her estranged father’s return to their home after several years of living among Chiricahua, she reluctantly asks his help to retrieve