Cuban Swimmer Got Jokes? Milcha Sanchez-Scott's Play, Essay

Cuban Swimmer

Got Jokes?

Milcha Sanchez-Scott's play, "The Cuban Swimmer," contains a great deal of comedy. Although most of the humor in this play is intended by the author, some of it is not and lends itself to a form of entertainment that is somewhat unsophisticated in nature. However, most of the play is quite farcical, if not outright satirical, and therefore primarily provokes an emotional response of laughter. Although such laughter may have been intended by the author, the overall effect of the comedic work makes it fairly difficult to lend any significant credence to its themes as being of high literary standards.

One of the most entertaining parts of this dramatic work occurs in scene two when Margarita and her family garner the attention of a broadcast helicopter which is monitoring her progress in a swimming competition. Although Margarita's family is initially flattered and delighted at the attention which they've earned, they soon lose this sentiment at what they perceive to be an insult.The results are quite hilarious, as the following quotation evidences.

"Aida: Do you hear me, Eduardo? I am not simple.

Abuela: Si.

Aida: I am complicated.

Abuela: Si, demasiada complicada.

Aida: Me and my family are not so simple."

Aida's indignation at helicopter broadcaster Mel Munson's referral to her family as "simple," among other disparaging references, is quite laughable, particularly in light of the fact that she prefers to term her and her family "complicated" in an attempt to restore her dignity. The humor in this instance comes from the understandable reaction of Aida to disprove the broadcaster, even if by doing so she must call herself the complete opposite of what hr said, which is "complicated." The irony and humor in this response is that Aida and her family are decidedly simple people, as their current endeavor (and other instances in the text) seem to indicate.

However,….....