West Side Story

Use these essay questions as writing and critical thinking exercises for all levels of writers, and to build their literary analysis skills by requiring textual references throughout the essay.

Scaffolded Essay Questions

Student Prompt: Write a short (1-3 paragraph) response using one of the bulleted outlines below. Cite details from the text over the course of your response that serve as examples and support.

1. Examine the role of women in West Side Story in the context of gang violence.

• How do attitudes toward women contribute to violence in West Side Story? (topic sentence)
• Consider Bernardo’s reason for bringing Maria to America, his reaction to seeing Tony kiss her at the dance, the Jets’ attack on Anita, Chino’s reason for going after Tony, and other gender-related incidents that propel the action toward the outcome.
• What is the relationship, if any, between the objectification of women and violent behavior in West Side Story?

2. Consider the placement of musical numbers relative to plot points in West Side Story.

• How effective is the placement of musical numbers in delivering an emotional impact in West Side Story? (topic sentence)
• Consider what happens in the story before and after several major musical numbers (e.g., the comic “Gee, Officer Krupke” following the deaths at the rumble).