A scene from the play “Invasion!” This photo belongs to the New York Times.
“The true genius shudders at incompleteness – and usually prefers silence to saying something which is not everything it should be.” –Edgar Allan Poe
Words sometimes appear as just letters rearranged in many different orders, while other times, they can have a powerful, unexpected, rippling effect.
Although ten years have passed since the notorious day of September 11, 2001, it is still hard to come up with the proper words when speaking about the horrors that affected our whole nation on that solemn day. No matter what one tries to conceive, as a proper reaction to the day, there will never be a word that can explain, truly, the emotions felt, even ten years down the line. Sometimes that awareness of helplessness is best just to be embraced. Richard Nelson’s “Sweet and Sad” tells the story of a small family gathering on September 11, 2011. The family meeting is met with moments of uncertainty, and dubious attempts at conversation, as the topic of the day is the event that happened ten years prior. The overlapping of personal family losses with the never-ending dismay of 9/11, steals the words of each family member. Not one person is able to thoroughly express himself, resulting in cumbersome conversations and outbursts of emotions that are then blanketed with the usual ho-hum banal riposte to the troubling topics. The play is filled with beautiful awkward moments that fills the gaps of incomplete thoughts, letting only the true emotions be expressed. Although the words don’t last long, the feelings of 9/11 are forever.
The Second play, “Invasion!” written by Jonas Hassen Khemiri, showcases the multifaceted use that a word can attain, without ever being created for its use purpose. A word throughout the play attracted to itself many different meanings. To a group of high school students the word, Abulkasem, meant something that was awesome. Yet, we learn the name is also the name of an Osama-bin-Laden like terrorist. Throughout the play the words mutates into different meanings and proper uses.
I find it quite interesting how language can be found to be useful in its two extremes; both its omnipotent ability to take form to the meaning needed at the moment, and the impotency it contains for being just a random order of sketches called letters. Sometimes language is able to encompass all, and fully explain what one is thinking, at other times, only the silence is one’s loudest voice. The contrast of these two new plays I think shows a beautiful balance in the way art can be expressed; two people can take the same medium of communication and use its polar opposite abilities to create works of art. Although everything may not be able to be fully expressed, all is definitely understood.
If you want to see these two plays, you can find “Sweet and Sad” at the Public Theatre until Sunday, and “Invasion!” at the Flea Theatre through October 1st.
The full article can be read here.
I think you need to be more careful with your writing. If you read it quickly, it sounds brilliant. But if I stop and try to parse its meaning, it is very vague. For example, your sentence “I find it quite interesting how language can be found to be useful in its two extremes; both its omnipotent ability to take form to the meaning needed at the moment, and the impotency it contains for being just a random order of sketches called letters.” The structure of the sentence (omnipotence and impotence) is a very “writerly” juxtaposition, but the writing is sloppy. “Language can be found to be useful in its two extremes” could be “Language exhibits two extremes.” Longer is not better. I also have to question the idea you express that words can be a “random order of sketches called letters.” Huh? This is a very poetic use of language, but I’m not sure it means anything. I think you are a good writer, but you need to be a better editor to make sure your writing says what you want it to say effectively.