Historical Context
In a paradox of time, the 1960s in America mirrored Charles Dickens's famous depiction of the French Revolution: a period of both promise and peril. The Democratic-controlled government embarked on an ambitious quest to combat poverty and racism, setting the stage for monumental shifts. 1965 marked the introduction of "The Great Society," a term encapsulating the ambitious programs aimed at uplifting the impoverished. However, despite a focus on domestic poverty, the U.S. government imposed restrictions on wheat sales to the Soviet Union amidst their agricultural crisis, insisting that half of all transactions be conducted via American vessels, inflating costs significantly. Meanwhile, Civil Rights legislation, though enacted, found its true strength in the people—those who bravely stood against racism and segregation, prompting governmental action. Yet, these protests sometimes spiraled into violence, claiming the lives of civil rights activists and igniting riots that brought destruction to urban landscapes.
While efforts to uplift the poor within American borders were underway, the U.S. simultaneously escalated a controversial military venture in Southeast Asia—specifically Vietnam. This uninvited intervention was criticized by many nations as a stark example of imperialistic ambition. Within America and beyond, dissent flourished, spurred by passionate opposition from students and the arts community. As the Civil Rights and anti-war movements gained momentum, a palpable tension suggested the potential for a domestic revolution, akin to those in less stable nations further south.
The Cultural Landscape
I, Too, Speak of the Rose offered a poignant glimpse into the lives of society's marginalized during this chaotic era just south of the border. As Timothy Leary advocated for psychedelic drugs to transform perception, the play challenged audiences to ponder the essence of reality itself. In the realm of popular culture, The Rolling Stones captured the zeitgeist with their hit "I Can't Get No Satisfaction," while The Grateful Dead emerged from San Francisco, becoming synonymous with both psychedelic music and vibrant aesthetics. This era also saw the rise of legendary groups like The Beatles, Simon and Garfunkel, Sonny and Cher, Bob Dylan, and Big Brother and the Holding Company with Janis Joplin, all weaving messages that critiqued societal norms or sought liberation from them.
Literary Style
Monologues
Carballido launches I, Too, Speak of the Rose with an expansive monologue delivered by the Medium, setting a contemplative tone for this dramatic one-act play. Here, the flow is frequently paused to offer explanations of unfolding events, or to deliver reflections on their deeper meanings. This narrative technique harks back to the traditions of Greek theater, where much of the play's action unfolded offstage, narrated by the Chorus. The Chorus often elucidated the events and their significance before the main characters came into the fray, grappling with the repercussions of the news.
Monologues also abound in the works of Shakespeare, from Hamlet's somber soliloquies to Macbeth's anguished musings. Through these passages, audiences gain profound insights into the characters' inner worlds. A modern example can be found in Tennessee Williams' Glass Menagerie, where Tom Wingfield's extensive monologues invite the audience into his memories, which blend seamlessly into the present action of the play.
In Carballido's play, monologues serve to suspend the action, momentarily shattering the theatrical illusion—the pretense that the audience is part of the unfolding narrative, with characters and events that feel palpably real. The character of the Medium occupies a liminal space, seemingly detached from the main thrust of the play's action. Her musings, often philosophical or spiritual, diverge from the central narrative of the train derailment. Her presence reminds audiences of the artifice of theater, underscoring that this is merely a representation, not reality. Monologues also become...
(This entire section contains 519 words.)
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the vehicle for the professors and the Announcer to voice their ideas. Meanwhile, the Newsboy interjects with brief monologues, ostensibly hawking his wares, yet subtly signaling shifts in perspective regarding the train derailment. These monologues interlace with dialogue to create a mosaic effect that encourages viewers to question reality and the essence of truth itself.
Nonconventional Style
Carballido's storytelling often navigates the boundary between realism and fantasy. He deftly orchestrates rapid scene transitions, using lighting changes or blackouts to signify shifts. These brief, punctuated scenes resemble a series of images flashing across a screen. The play prominently features its longest scene early on, offering an intricate, realistic portrayal of the children’s lives and the events of that fateful afternoon in Mexico City.
Subsequent scenes delve into hypothetical scenarios, inviting audiences to witness the reactions of academics, whimsically portrayed as fantasies. A Freudian psychologist imagines repressed sexual thoughts within the youth, projecting his interpretation onto them, while a Marxist analyst reshapes the same scene with a different script. The action remains constant, yet the dialogue is reimagined, creating a fantastical narrative landscape. Here, imagination reigns supreme.
The announcer's scene, with its three interpretations of the rose, exists purely in the realm of imagination, contrasting sharply with the stark realism of Tona and Polo in prison.
Attempts to categorize Carballido’s work often fall short, as he defies conventional theatrical norms. Although this play eschews traditional narrative structure, Carballido remains elusive and unconfined. Scenes where children reenact the events leading to the derailment unfold as imaginative fantasies, possibly interpretations by the professors. Yet, the playwright skillfully reins the narrative back into stark realism, keeping viewers perpetually on their toes.
Compare and Contrast
1965: The conflict in Vietnam reaches new heights as the United States intensifies its military campaign, launching significant bombing raids against North Vietnamese targets and dramatically increasing draft calls. Viewed by many international observers as a manifestation of imperialistic ambition, this war is primarily seen through the lens of America’s economic interests. Waves of antiwar demonstrations sweep across major cities and university campuses, driven predominantly by the fervor of the younger generation.
Today: The Near East stands as a powder keg, fraught with tension, where Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein frequently adopts a menacing posture, prompting the United States to engage in exchanges of threats, sometimes coupled with bombing missions. Although the Gulf War of the early 1990s ignited a fervor of antiwar protests, modern-day aggressive military actions elicit only muted responses.
1965: Iconic civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr., along with over 700 demonstrators, faces arrest while challenging Alabama's oppressive voter registration laws in Selma. This bold act ignites further unrest in the South and becomes a pivotal moment in the relentless pursuit of civil rights.
Today: Despite the monumental strides made by the Civil Rights movement, America still grapples with deeply entrenched prejudice and enduring injustices against minorities.
1965: Harvard psychology professor Timothy Leary, aged 44, releases The Psychedelic Reader, urging readers to embark on an introspective journey: "turn on, tune in, drop out."
Today: Drug use retains its allure for many, yet now the focus often lies on the "turn on," with fewer individuals pursuing it as a spiritual quest. In the 1990s, drug use is mainly recreational, yet it frequently reflects broader social and economic distress, as numerous individuals seek refuge from life's harsh realities through substance use.
1965: In New York, Swami Prabhupada establishes the International Society for Krishna Consciousness. Devotees, recognizable by their shaved heads and saffron robes, chant "Hare Krishna." Their path to enlightenment is marked by an ascetic lifestyle devoted to spreading truth rather than indulging in drugs.
Today: The world of religious and spiritual cults has taken a shadowy turn, with many embroiled in accusations of abduction and brainwashing of their followers. Some groups, like the Branch Davidians, Heaven's Gate, and Aum Shinri Kyo, have tragically resorted to violence and mass suicides.
1965: The creation of the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and the Humanities (NEH) marks a new era, as Congress funds these organizations to foster the flourishing of the arts and support individual artists, thereby preserving and promoting cultural heritage.
Today: Year after year, the NEA and the NEH fight for Congressional funding, besieged by right-wing Republican factions perturbed by the controversial works of certain grant recipients.
Bibliography and Further Reading
Sources
Bixler, Jacqueline Eyring. "A Theatre of Contradictions: The Recent Works of Ermho Carballido" in Latin American Theatre Review, spring, 1985, pp. 57-66.
Cypess, Sandra Messinger, "I, Too, Speak* Female' Discourse in Carballido's Plays" in Latin American Theatre Review, fall, 1984, pp 45-50.
Jones, Willis, Knapp Behind Spanish American Footlights, University of Texas Press, 1966.
Peden, Margaret Sayers. Emilio Carbalhdo, Twayne Publishers, 1980.
Skinner, Eugene R. "The Theater of Emilio Carballido: Spinning a Web'' in Dramatists in Revolt- The New Latin American Theater, edited by Leon F Lyday and George W. Woodyard, University of Texas Press, 1976, pp 19-36.
Taylor, Diane. "I, Too, Speak of the Rose'' in International Dictionary of Theatre: Volume 1. Plays, edited by Mark Hawkins-Dady, St. James Press, 1992, pp. 353-54.
Woodyard, George. "Bmilio Carballido" in Encyclopedia of Latin American History and Culture, Simon & Schuster, 1996, p. 550.
Further Reading
Bixler, Jacqueline Eyring. Convention and Transgression-The Theatre of Emilio Carballido, Bucknell University Press, 1997. This book is a newly published one with extensive criticism and interpretation of all the writings of Carballido, including his plays.
Camm, Hector Anguilar, and Lorenzo Meyer. In the Shadow of the Mexican Revolution; Contemporary Mexican History, 1910-1989, translated by Luis Alberto Fierro, University of Texas Press, 1993. This provides a good look at Mexican history in the twentieth century, with an examination of the economic situation and its impact on the poor.
Taylor, Kathy. The New Narrative of Mexico: Sub-versions of History in Mexican History, Bucknell University Press, 1994 This author present an up-to-date look at Mexican fiction in the twentieth century, combining both history and criticism of the works.
Versenyi, Adam. The Theatre in Latin America Religion, Politics, and Culture from Cortes to the 1980s, Cambridge University Press, 1993. By exploring the history of Latin American theater, the author shows how the theatre has been a force for social change and has combined religious and political concerns
