Sor Juana

Sor Juana, in the letter to Sister Filotea or bishop of Pueblo, mentioned that she learned how to read when she was three and by the age of six or seven, she learned how to write and embroidery and sewing. She even boasted how she learned Latin grammar when she did not take over twenty lessons. And by expressing her intelligence, she sarcastically said that she cut her hair “four to six finger lengths of it … to punish my [Sor Juana’s] dimwittedness.” This examples shows how sarcastic Sor Juana is about apologizing to or thanking the bishop of Pueblo.

As mentioned in the letter, Sor Juana’s act of cutting her hair which is described as “since this is true about women, and even more so in the bloom of my youth, that we value so highly the natural look of our hair”, shows that it is necessary for her to throw away the most important part of her womanhood in order to learn, and this shows just how determined she is.

Sor Juana

Sor Juana is a historical figure which almost never known or talked about essentially anywhere. Despite being a women in colonel times in New Spain she was still able to get a education and become intelligent despite it being against the church. In her letter in response to the bishop of Puebla, although a bit sarcastic in tone, is a highly intellectual and well written letter. She able to explain her live story and express her views of the role of females in their society. Sor Juana was in a position were she was willing to dress and present to be a boy in order to further her education so in her letter she explained that women were suppressed into in expanding their knowledge but rather to start families. She argues that women, especially those chosen by God, are also supposed to be highly educated so they can truely understand what the bible is saying. 

Sor Juana

My entire life, however long my hair has grown has always been an accomplishment to me. Ever since I was a little girl, I have always loved for my hair to be long. In the Sor Juana reading, the most amazing aspect was how she cut her hair as a punishment in order to push herself to become better. Although I could never have the courage to chop off my hair as punishment, I am capable of understanding the reason behind this action. As her hair grew, if she did not accomplish her goal, she did not feel worthy to let it grow. To me, this is the most amazing idea and I believe it takes so much courage.

Sor Juana is More Than Just a Nun

After reading Sor Juana's response to the bishop of Puebla, it made my realize how this nun has very strong characteristics that defines how she is through her writing. Sor Juana is more than just a nun is an aspiration. She tends to speak out loud and what is exactly on her mind. The way she is responds to the bishop is very sarcastic. I love the fact that she talks about how there are social differences between a male and female especially through the church. After I read this it was surprising to me because I didn't expect for somebody especially someone who is from the religious group to speak about the church. Sor Juana points out how the church is sexist. I love the fact that she does this, but at the same time I question how the church accepted this? Also, if there was any consequences because of how she spoke out?

Sor Juana

Watching the movie in class really got me thinking about life as a nun. I used to think that they were all happy living a solitary life in the convent but now that doesn't seem to be the case.  Sor Juana wanted more than just religion but was not allowed due to the views of the Catholic Church. Most of her books were censored and not everyone was allowed to have books.  The nuns were also treated very differently and I did not think this was the case in the convents.  The head man didn't even want to sit at the same table with a woman and had all their personal items removed from their possession. Although the movie was a little hard to follow with the subtitles and everything, it did change my perspective.

Sor Juana's Letter

In the letter, she described that God gave her a gift and that she must use it. This caught my attention because it shows how grateful she is having that gift. What is ironic is when she decided to cut her hair as a form of punishment. It can make readers wonder if she really has a gift or if she is really forcing herself to learn. Although she is not causing physical harm to her body, it is still a form of emotional harm. As we have discussed this quarter, hair can change a lot about a person's self esteem. It can make someone feel like they have a lot of power or it can make someone feel powerless.

Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz

Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz was a woman with beliefs that were too ahead of her time. In her position, time, and place, she had no way to voice her thoughts other than by writing. Even the writing was frowned upon by others since she was a woman who wasn’t allowed to do what the men did. She had strong thoughts on women having the right to get educated and not only through the convent. All these ideals she hoped for weren’t recognized until many years later. After learning about Sor Juana, I’m surprised that she isn’t more well-known by others as one of the first feminists.