Tony Sopranos And The Italian Mafia

The gangster genre within films in America has accomplished numerous positive criticisms and constant willing audiences due to containing outstanding spectacles and mind-blowing action. The Godfather, being second on the IMDb Top 250 Movies, has set a new popular concept to life within the Mafia from their point of view. Doing so, creating a positive association. Yet within Italy, the same topic contains a complete different view. Movies such as I Cento Passi demonstrate unenthusiastic view by those whom are outside yet negatively affected by those members. Unlike American films, the gangsters are not as often viewed at the protagonist and are the main causes for the problematic events. But how different is Italian Mafia and American

Reading questions on the essay, “A Moral Never-Never Land: Identifying with Tony Soprano" by James Harold.

He grew up without a father, it was because of this loss that he often wondered what it would be like to have one. The fact that his own brother was hanging around the wrong people and falling deeper, and deeper into the world that demolishes any chances of a decent future for young people. A world full of violence, drugs, and imprisonment. Tony undoubtedly influenced Wes for the worst. This is obvious when the author writes, “To Wes, Tony was a “certified gangsta.”

     Although the characters believed they lived a good life, in my own perspective I saw the exact opposite. The good life is demonstrated through success, success through a career, education, goals, and love. The gangs only had one another and without the support of that gang, these boys would not exist as individual human beings. The Jets did not want to have jobs, and they mocked the ex-gang member, Tony, for leaving the gang to make a future for himself. Life outside the gang was not an option for the Jets. None of the boys had any future plans or felt the need for anything else in their lives. Tony did not live the good life, but he did have dreams. He knew there was a better life for him out there, and parting from the gang allowed him to search for that life. He wanted to get away from the city, have a peaceful home, and a wonderful wife. His future was important to him; he wanted to be a successful man. Tony’s character contradicts the beliefs of the Jets, allowing viewers to see into the minds of the gang members and their beliefs about the good life.

Tony grew up with to the best upbringing and home life. When he was younger his father left him and his family behind and he has not had ay contact with

“It was during the troubled years of the 1860s that the Italian kingdom’s ruling class ruling class first heard talk of the mafia in Siciliy” (Dickie, s38, 2004). In this quote we find a potential reason to why the idea that the mafia was born during the making of the modern Italian state has become leading with scholars. Most likely this event shaped the mafia into what it has become because of the political influence that the Italian state bestowed upon Sicily. However, it is not unlikely that the mafia wasn’t already existing in Sicily during this time, and most definitely that criminal gangs of Sicily before this time had traits that were transferred into the mafia as it evolved under the new Italian kingdom. While the mafia is largely

Topic of Choice: Cite and Analyze three specific characters or events which lead Tony 's’ revelations that would later foster his religious ambivalence

“ They rely on a viewer's preconceived idea of how a particular person or ethnic group should act and merely fulfill these expectations. External signs and cues are used to indicate and suggest the veneer of culture. Dress, eating habits, and language accents are exaggerated…” Even though the directors of the movie did not directly refer to Italian Americans, the way they portrayed the characters based on their language, clothes, food and etc. indirectly told the audience that the characters were of Italian background. By seeing this occur in every movie and show, the public got accustomed to seeing Italian Americans as the mafia and failed to recognize that the mafia was only a small percentage of Italian Americans and the rest were just like ordinary people trying to make a better life.

Tony was very protective over his little brother. In the book it says, “[Wes] loved his brother but had learned to ignore his occasional 'do as I say, not as I do' tirades. Tony, by contrast, was desperately trying to give his little brother information he thought he needed, the kind of information that Tony never got. Tony felt his little brother's life could be saved, even if he felt his own had already, at age fourteen, passed the point of no return.” (Moore 27). This shows that Tony doesn’t want Wes to join the drug business like he did because he knows it could have ruined his life. Despite what Tony told him, Wes started to distribute drugs which eventually, he got caught up with the

3). Tony has been in and out of jail since he was an adolescent. He hits, steals, and he destroys property and says he enjoys doing so "because people are stupid". He shows little remorse for his crimes, behaves impulsively, and lacks empathy for the rights and feelings of others.

When talking about a true American crime story, one can start and end the discussion with one of the most powerful and influential true stories ever told: GoodFellas. Based on the incredible true story, the film follows the rise and fall of Lucchese crime family associates Henry Hill and his friends throughout the 50s, 60s, 70s, and 1980s. Originally written as the non-fiction novel “Wise Guys” by Nicholas Pileggi, the story takes you deep into the world of arguably the most notorious crime posse America has ever known: the Italian Mafia. It is viewed by scores of critics and moviegoers alike as one of the greatest crime/drama movies ever filmed – so needless to say, with such a

The American media has had a substantial influence on the Italian-American stereotype, especially that regarding mobsters. The American cinema has created movies and TV shows such as The Godfather, Goodfellas, The Sopranos, and more. The media has the power to influence how people think and see things, including ethnic groups and races. This was seen extensively in the 2016 United States Presidential election. Hollywood has always had the strength to have ethnic groups be seen in a positive or negative light. In the twentieth century, the media had a negative portrayal of Italian-Americans that has evolved as time passed. The reason for the views changing with each passing decade is the fact that foreigners and their future generations became more “Americanized.”

The American Mafia, commonly known as the mafia, is an Italian-American criminal society. The American Mafia had the greatest impact among any criminal organization on the United States throughout its history. The business aspect, structure, and sense of “family” the mafia lived by were extremely strong and contributed to the success they have had. The shows mafia direct ties to United States Government branches, both on a small and large scale, and in both, good and bad ways. Also, the American Mafia has done reconnaissance work for military branches.

Yes, Tony Soprano did a fantastic job in playing his role. Despite his criminal acts he was entertaining to the audience. He was often portrayed as a wonderful father who tries to gain is daughter trust. He also tries to separate is criminal life from his family life. In addition, the audience love his Enthusiasm.

The Italian Mafia in the U.S. can trace its origins all the way back to the Sicilian Mafia which was founded in Sicily during the 1800’s (Italian Organized Crime). After thousands of years of different armies with different nationalities conquering Italy and exploiting its people, the Sicilians became to be more clannish and family focused. Originally they were just resistance fighters that were protecting their friends and family. They were relied on for protection, justice, and survival. Nobody cared if they got money from it because it came from the oppressive authorities. Members of these groups were known as “Men of Honor” and they were well respected and even admired because they looked out for their family and kept silent sometimes even unto death. They didn’t become an organized crime group until the 1920’s however (Italian Organized Crime). It was around this same time that the US began to see what later became La Cosa Nostra or “our thing,” better known as the American Mafia which was aided by the “thousands of Italian organized crime figures, mostly Sicilian Mafiosi” who came to the United States illegally (Italian Organized Crime). The modern American Mafia is credited to Charles “Lucky” Luciano who came over in the 1920’s (Italian Organized Crime). Luciano structured La Cosa Nostra just like their Sicilian