Sor Juana Ines De La Cruz Analysis

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Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz lived in New Spain during the 17th century. She became a nun so that she could pursue her intellectual interests and she ended up becoming New Spain’s premier Baroque poet. Her education ended at primary school, but she continued to educate herself through reading. Not only was she an intellectual, but she was a nonconformist. Sor Juana was continually challenging the male dominated society that she was living in. She largely advocated the intellectual rights of women. Sor Juana was well known in New Spain and the first thing that helped her gain a sort of celebrity status was her letter of critique of Father Vieyra. After this letter, she was judged and her superiors wanted her “rebellious spirit” to be brought under control (Cruz ). Sor Juana’s rebellious spirit grew stronger every time she was challenged. For example, when Fernández de Santa Cruz wrote her a letter under a female pseudonym, Sor Juana chose to respond by “reinventing” her feminine side since Santa Cruz was attacking her presence in the male order (Cruz). Her letter, Response to Sor Filotea, represented her lifelong struggle for individual expression and it was in support of secularism. Sor Juana knew that her search for knowledge would bring her glory but it would also be her downfall. Her poems deal with many topics including the “shallowness of social behavior” and the “vulnerability of women to male demands” (Cruz). Based on Poems, Protests, and a Dream, it can be concluded that Sor Juana faced many hardships when it came to the male dominated society she lived in and her thirst for knowledge. The two go together because as she learned more about gender and identity, she became less satisfied with her society. Everything that a woma... ... middle of paper ... ...isplay[ing] art’s favors” (Cruz 169). In the first quatrain, Sor Juana addresses the idea that this painting lies and to the senses, it is “cunning counterfeit” (Cruz). In the next quatrain, she explains why the painting is a lie because of what it hides: “cruel years accumulated horrors. . . and thus oblivion and age defeat” (Cruz). She is suggesting that the painting hides the truth of her appearance, the things that age has brought. The two tercets end with Sor Juana saying that the painting is “but a flower by the breezes bowed” and it is “foolish labor” and “ill-employed.” I enjoyed this poem because it demonstrates her secure sense of self. She didn’t need praise that came from an inaccurate painting of her beauty. She believed that to be vain and pointless. I admire her self confidence and her nonconformist tendencies that are clearly visible in this sonnet.

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