Mark Jeremiah
May
Eng 15
No Saco Nada de la Escuela
What Does the Title Mean?
"No Saco Nada de la Escuela" literally translates to "I don't take nothing from school", or as the playwright Luis Valdez phrases, "I don't get nothing from school". The play is focused on six students following their educational experience from elementary school through college. This play is also very racially charged. The protagonist is Francisco, a Mexican American who in the beginning of the play doesn't speak English. He is put in a class where the teacher is insensitive and fails him for not understanding her language. ("Oh! Another one that can't speak English! Why do they send these kids to me?" p. 766) It's ironic that the teacher doesn't realize they send 'those kids' to her to LEARN! Therefore, Francisco doesn't get anything from school because all his teachers and his environment are hostile to his culture.
No Saco Nada de la Escuela should have offended me much more than it actually did. In fact, I was more offended by the play "Master Harold..and the boys" since "No Saco.." seemed like a form of comedic relief or a funny satire, created to destabilize and alleviate the racial tensions in the post civil rights era.
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