Hello everyone,
When I was writing the general plan for my English Stylistics course at
Universidad Autónoma de Santo Domingo, UASD in the Dominican Republic, I
decided to include literary works in English written by Dominican Authors. I
found poetry and narratives. When it came to drama, it was a little bit
difficult to find such kind of plays. Fortunately, a friend of mine helped me
contact Reynaldo Disla, one of the most important playwrights in the country,
which permitted me to use his play Sparks
and Ash, the translation of Un Drama Psicológico Norteamericano by
James Edward Parsons. Besides the United States, It was published in the Dominican
Republic by Editorial Galipote (Galipote Editorial).
Front Page of the Play
Reynaldo Disla,
The Playwright
Back in the second semester of 2018, I had my students read the said play.
Then they did radical revision by changing it into a brief narrative. Among all
those narratives, the one written by Sandy Pichardo called my attention. What
do you think about the narrative written by Sandy out of Reynaldo Disla’s play?
Take a look at the brief narrative
SUMMARY ON SPARKS AND ASH BY REYNALDO DISLA
By Sandy Pichardo
The play,
Sparks and Ash, written by Reynaldo Disla is about Eddie who reads a script and
drinks whisky. Then, he throws the glass on the floor. After this, Rosemary
asks him to control his temper. Then, he hits her on the face. Later on, she
tells Eddie that she wants save their relationship and he tells her that their
marriage has been a mistake. After this, he gets out of the apartment. A few
hours later, he returns. Rosemary asks him to tell her the truth about where he
has been. He confesses that he has cheated on her. Then, he asks Rosemary for
the divorce. When the play is over, Eddie asks for some money to the director.
Rosemary asks him for part of the money. Eddie asks Rosemary what she wants the
money for. She tells Eddie that she needs to wash her hair. Eddie replies her
that she wants to look good for other men. Then, she calls him imbecile. Later
on, Eddie pulls her down to the floor. Rosemary manages to shake him off and
asks him to get out of her way. At the end, Eddie tells rosemary that the play
is over, but she tell him that she is not acting. After this, they give the
audience advice on marriage.
Later on, in the second semester of 2019, besides having them write narratives out
of the play by Reynaldo Disla, I had my students analyze it in terms of main
topic, subtopics and its connections to societies in general. This discussion
resulted in five-paragraph essays. Among them, I liked the one by Genesis Martínez
the most. I hope you all enjoy it. Which of the topics discussed by Genesis
called your attention? Why?
Now take a look at the essay
ESSAY ON
SPARKS AND ASH WRITTEN BY REYNALDO DISLA
By Genesis
Martínez
The play, Sparks and Ash,
written by Reynaldo Disla and translated by James Edward Parsons is about
marital problems. They are responsible for many divorces nowadays. They do not
come alone; they are caused by many different situations in which the following
can be included: Unfaithfulness, jealousy, stress, lack of intimacy, monotony,
boredom, economical problems, weak communication, family matters, changes in
life´s style and beliefs, misunderstanding, and mistreatment. According to the
Center of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)´s National Center of Health
statistics, roughly 3,000 couples in the U.S. get divorced each day well over 1
million per year. The 20-25% of these people is divorcing for the second, or
even the third time. Twelve million U.S. families were headed by a single
parent during 2000. Marital problems can be prevented and solved. It is just a
matter of couples´ attitude toward their problems. Small details make the
difference in a relationship. People should start telling their boy or girl how
much they love him or her, worry a little bit more for his or her things, show
affection through kisses, hugs, and words, share happiness with him or her, and
struggle together in order to strengthen their love day after day.
An issue that is affecting families all
over the world and is connected to marital problems is children abandonment. It
is one of the biggest mistakes parents can ever make. Some parents abandon
their children by giving them to someone else, leaving them totally alone in
the street or simply by not paying them the attention they need. This situation
is caused because of the irresponsibility of some parents and the lack of love
toward themselves and their children. Also, some parents want to blame their
kids for their marital and economical problems. However, they must be aware
that their kids did not ask to be born and they should have thought twice
before getting married and having kids. A way parents with not enough resources
to support their kids to avoid children abandonment is giving them in adoption
to someone who really wants to raise a child or take them to an orphanage.
Children abandonment is found in the paly, Sparks and Ash when the son of Eddie
and Rosemary is immersed in drugs.
Another problem society has is domestic
violence, which is a type of aggression that takes place at home when the
husband hits the wife and the kids or vice versa. There are two types of
domestic violence: verbal and physical. The first happens when people insult themselves
through words. The second type of violence occurs when people hit each other.
Unfaithfulness, drugs and alcohol, desire of power or control, cultural
beliefs, and jealousy can be mentioned among the causes of domestic violence. A
way domestic violence can be solved is through psychological intervention.
According to the Center of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 1 in 4 women
and 1 in 7 men will experience physical violence by their intimate partner at
some point during their lifetime. At least 5 million acts of domestic violence
occur annually to women aged 18 years and older, with over 3 million involving
men. Domestic violence is shown in the play, Sparks and Ash, when Eddie and
Rosemary insult each other during the whole play.
Besides, another trouble that can be found
in society is jealousy. It is the distrust a person feels for another, mainly
in a relationship. Jealousy is caused due to lack of confidence in others. For
example, in the case of a couple, jealousy happens when one of them is being
flirted by somebody else or when he or she spends more time doing other things
or with another person than with his or
her couple. Another example is when, in the labor sphere, an employee gets a
higher position or is recognized as the employee of the year. Sometimes, jealousy
can be normal, but some others it is dangerous. People must be careful when
feeling jealous because if it is not controlled, it can cause many
misunderstandings such as verbal and physical violence. Jealousy says “present”
in the play, Sparks and Ash, when Eddie asks Rosemary about Arthur, a friend of
her.
To conclude marital problems happen very
often in many couples around the world. Connected to them is children
abandonment, which is a sad reality that affects many kids every day. Also, domestic
violence has destroyed many families and increases because of the absence of
love among couples. Besides the said problems, jealousy is a sign of insecurity
and weak self-esteem. The message Reynaldo Disla wants to teach human beings
through the play, Sparks and Ash, is that respect should go over disagreement
in marital life. I agree with the author because people must be aware of their
imperfections and, as a result of that, tolerance is a great value that allows
people to appreciate the others´ attitude and opinions, even though they do not
agree.
Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic 2019
