Show Your Understanding Of An Italian Cultural Concept
After summarizing the origin of the Mafia, explore popular American derivations (The Godfather, The Sopranos, etc.) and to what degree they relate to Italian identity.
The purpose of this paper is to show your understanding of an Italian cultural concept, icon, figure, or a political/socio-economic issue. You should use and cite at least four academically appropriate sources in MLA format, two of which must be outside of assigned course readings. There are samples in the course content. Please be advised that Wikipedia is not an acceptable source.
Paper is appropriately formatted: 1000 words in length, 12-point font, double spaced with one-inch margins and numbered pages.
The Origin of The Mafia
Mafia is generally thought of a network of organized crime groups in Italy. It evolved over time in Sicily, an island ruled until mid-19th century by a long line of foreign invaders (Scarpinato 43). Originally, mafioso meaning mafia member had no criminal connotations and was used to refer to an individual who was suspicious of central authority (Scarpinato 43). However, during 19th century, some of these groups amalgamated as private armies known as Mafie (Scarpinato 43). These groups extorted money from land owners and ultimately become the violent criminal organization currently known as Sicilian mafia.
The Godfather is an American film directed by Francis Ford Coppola based on one of the best-selling novels of the same in 1969 (Scoggins 20). This film changed Hollywood because it made an impact on how Italians were depicted or perceived. In other words, it made Italians seem more realized people and not how they were stereotyped (Scoggins 20). The film was made by Italians by Italians. According to various studies, over 40% of movies featuring Italian-Americans characters, 40% are portrayed as being involved in organized crimes (Scoggins 20). On the contrary, godfather portrays Italian identity differently as it has always been stereotyped in most films and depicts the real characteristics of Italian identity.
Works Cited
Scarpinato, Roberto. “The fight against the mafia in Italy and Europe.” Bribery, Fraud, Cheating. Springer VS, Wiesbaden, 2020. 43-55.
Scoggins, Jacob, and Critique Two. “The Godfather.” Critique 2 (2018): 20.
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