Essay on Gangs of New York - 1544 Words

Picture Manhattan in 1860, a time before the city had been dolled up and gotten ready for the silver screen, before the glamour and allure took over. Amsterdam Vallan (DiCaprio) is a young Irish man that migrates to the USA at a young age. Amsterdam’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.†¦show more content†¦Trouble begun to stir when the new comers needed jobs, and the taxes along with the amount of space changed drastically. The amount of disgrace bestowed upon the points came across clearly fro m Amsterdam’s perspective. He saw the filth and hatred, yet he stayed and battles because it was his land and he had the right. Similarly, â€Å"Mag’s trademark was her ability to bite of rowdy customers, and she displayed these anatomical trophies in a pickle jar up on the back bar.†(Slayton 19), the influent loons who had lived in the era and were historical characters were present through Amsterdam’s life as well. Though after ruckus upturned by the gangs, street names were changed and Little Water Street was deleted, in order to clear the slum and undergo the demolition of a â€Å"shameful† part of history. That the place known as Five points has long been notorious... as being the nursery where every species of vice is conceived and matured; that it is infested by a class of the most abandoned and desperate character.... In conclusion your Committee remark, that this hot–bed of infamy, this modern Sodom, is situated in the very heart of your City, and near the centre of business and of respectable population.... Remove this nucleus—scatter its present population over a larger surface—throw open this part of your city to the enterprise of active and respectable men, and you will have effected much for which good men will be grateful. (Board of Assistant AldermenShow MoreRelatedEssay on Gangs of New York905 Words   |  4 PagesGangs 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 PointsRead MoreGangs of New York by Herbert Asbury Essay3497 Words   |  14 PagesTHE GANGS OF NEW YORK, written 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. 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