Juana Inés de la Cruz and Ursula de Jesús, two female members of the Catholic Church, transcribed their experiences suffering injustice based on either their gender or race. Although they experienced the same form of struggle, they held different positions in the eyes of society. Juana Inés de la Cruz held the position of a nun, while Ursula de Jesús was a donada, a woman who could not become a nun due to her African or indigenous descent, but instead was considered to be ‘married’ to Christ instead of becoming a wife and living a traditional lifestyle. Both women, however, faced oppression throughout their lives, and this common disadvantage drove them both to similar conclusions and solutions about the hierarchies of the religious order of …show more content…
the time. One underlying theme that can be found in both writings is that all humans are equally judged under God. Ursula de Jesús began her journal in 1650 in the convent of Santa Clara, where she had recently begun to work as donada after a nun had purchased her freedom in 1645.
To de Jesús, in death everyone was equal and the only difference at that point was the quality of their actions in life, determining the amount of time they spent in Purgatory. She did wonder, however, if black women could go to heaven, so although she was very progressive in her thinking, deep seated racial factors still affected her view of religious hierarchy. Throughout the text, she often converses with holy voices in her head, and at one point asks, “Remember me, Lord? I am the little slave of my mother, Saint Claire” (Souls 133), to which the voices respond, “The more you lower your head, the more you can ascend” (133). In this interaction, the voices tell de Jesús that her status as a slave does not matter in the kingdom of God, but her devotion and faith will determine her position in heaven. While de Jesús wrote about equality in death, Juana Inés de la Cruz discussed the inequalities that women were forced to suffer under in …show more content…
life. In response to a letter from an admirer of her work and her contribution to the female sex, Juana Inés de la Cruz also expressed her views on the imbalanced system that was the religious order of the time.
De la Cruz talks about the female gender role numerous times in her writing, giving one example from the words of Paul straight from the bible, “Women should remain silent in the churches. They are not allowed to speak, but must be in submission, as the law says” (1 Corinthians 14:34, New International Version) . She then explains that, “He finally decides, in his judicious way, that to lecture publicly in the classroom and to preach in the pulpit are not legitimate activities for women, but that studying, writing, and teaching privately are not only allowable but most edifying and useful” (Sor Juana 229). This ancient way of thinking is ingrained so deeply in the culture, that even in making her point to prove more women should be well educated, she cites a blatantly sexist excerpt from the Bible. De la Cruz then breaks away from the strictly religious to discuss the lack of educated females in their society, stating that, “All of this would be eliminated if there were older women of learning … and instruction were passed down from one group to another” (233). De la Cruz’s writing aims to bring to light that ignoring the taboo of educating women could be the only way to break the oppressive cycle, and allow equally educated genders to become the
norm. De la Cruz goes on to make her point that the minds of God and his Angels are so superior, that all human brains are equally small by comparison, saying, “The angel is superior to man for no other reason than superiority of mind; man surpasses animal in mind alone” (Sor Juana 221). In comparison to the minds of angels, all humans are equal in inferiority, and therefore both genders should be treated the same. Much like de Jesús, de la Cruz promotes equality through the equal judgement of God. Juana Inés de la Cruz and Ursula de Jesús, both victims of an oppressive system, use religion to support equality. While de Jesús focuses on race and de la Cruz focuses on gender, faith gives both writers an argument to explain the erroneous societal norms that afflict their lives.
Throughout Catalina’s memoir, she builds up her masculine façade. She hides the characteristics of femininity and highlights the key concepts of being a man. As a young fifteen year old girl about to take her final vows of becoming a nun she, “got
“From Lieutenant Nun,” a memoir written by doña Catalina de Erauso, tells an intriguing story of a young Spanish female and her advantageous journey through Spain and the New World. Her family intends for her to become a nun but, that is not the life she seeks for herself. Therefore, she breaks away from the convent in hopes of finding somewhere to make her fortune by passing as a male. Catalina’s story is noteworthy because it gives readers another perspective of exploration focusing on self-discovery during the seventeenth century emphasizing how passing as a male is the only thing that secured her ability to explore. In the memoir, Catalina repeatedly reminisces about clothing and, whether she consciously or unconsciously does so, she allows the reader to see that this is an important aspect of her exploration. Throughout Catalina’s journey, clothing plays an increasingly important role not only in her travels but, also her personal life because it symbolized ones status, role, gender and privileges.
Soon after the Bishop of Pubela reads one of her letters, he publishes it (without her knowing), and she responds with a respectful yet sarcastic letter (Lawall and Chinua 155-156). Cruz’s “Reply to Sor Filotea de la Cruz” was written during the period of Enlightenment of Europe (1660- 1770). This era in Europe cast an opaque shadow over women’s rights to educate themselves and self-expression. Sor Juana’s piece however is both inspirational and empowering for every woman.... ...
Women are not only assumed to only take care of their family, but to not have the education that they do rightfully deserve. Women can contribute to the world as plentiful and gloriously as men can, but the chances are not given to them. For example, when Minerva tells Trujillo that she dreams of attending the University to study law, he replies "'The University is no place for a woman these days'" (99). Trujillo implies that by going to school to heighten her education, it would be ...
Maria Teresa Mirabal, also known as Mate was born on October 15, 1935. She is the youngest out of all the Mirabal sisters and we mostly get to know her from her journal entries. Mate received her diary from Minerva on the day of her first communion. At school, people would make fun of her for having the diary and would steal it from her. Mate used to think differently about Trujillo as a little girl, she thought he was someone that everyone loved and should be respected. On Benefactor’s Day, she wanted to give Trujillo her best wishes, "I am taking these few minutes to wish El Jefe Happy Benefactor's Day with all my heart. I feel so lucky that we have him for a president." (37) Mate’s sister Minerva starts to get in trouble at school for leaving
Our lady of Guadalupe is the most venerated and respected by the Catholics. The appearance of the Virgin caused a great commotion in the Catholic Church. Ever since the Virgin's first appearance, Catholics have respected and acquired so much faith to the Virgin. The lady of Guadalupe has so many faithful followers that believe in her without any hesitation because of the miracles that she has made for the people that were once suffering and were miraculously helped by her. Because of the help that she has provided for those who were suffering people never forget her and they celebrate the day of her appearance every year by doing parties in her honor. The Lady of Guadalupe’s appearance certainly changed the belief of Catholics and, I believe
In the story, there are many examples of women who suffer from a lack of an education. One of the Mirabal sisters, Patria, has a dream of becoming a nun, but Papa does not support her. “It started with Patria wanting to be a nun. Mamá was all for having religion in the family, but Papá did not approve in the least. More than once, he said that Patria as a nun would be a waste of a pretty girl. He only said that once in front of Mamá, but he repeated it often enough to me.” (Ch. 2 pg. 11) Papa believes that a woman cannot be more than a pretty face, that they should not pursue their interests and have an equal position in society. This describes that women were not allowed to become more than they could be. When Minerva tells her family that she aspires to become a lawyer, her mother does not take her seriously: Ay, Dios mío, spare me." Mamá sighs, but playfulness has come back into her voice. "Just what we need, skirts in the law!"(Ch. 1 Pg. 10) This shows that even Mama believes that women should not have a say in certain matters because she has a notion that women were not cut out for things like politics. Sometimes, even the women agree that they should not have equal representation as men. Mama seems to imply that it may be better for woman to preserve one’s innocence and integrity by avoiding politics. Minerva again argues that women deserve equality in their society. This is because at that time, the thought of a woman studying law was unusual. No one believed that a woman would be capable of studying law, which proved that women were not considered equal. Even though women were not given equal opportunities as men, the sisters fought for equality, and
In 1531 the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to a poor and humble Indian man named Juan Diego at Tepeyac Hill, northwest of what is now Mexico City. The “Lady from Heaven” (Our2) requested of Juan Diego one thing – to build a church on the ground where she appeared. She said to Juan Diego “"My dear little son, I love you. I desire you to know who I am. I am the ever-virgin Mary, Mother of the true God who gives life and maintains its existence. He created all things. He is in all places. He is Lord of Heaven and Earth. I desire a church in this place where your people may experience my compassion. All those who sincerely ask my help in their work and in their sorrows will know my Mother's Heart in this place. Here I will see their tears; I will console them and they will be at peace. So run now to Tenochtitlan and tell the Bishop all that you have seen and heard" (Our1)
Meese, Elizabeth A. ?Ortality and Texuality in Their Eyes Were Watching God? Crossing the Double Cross: The Practice of Feminist Criticism. North Carolina Press, 1986. 59-70.
As a girl, St. Teresa strived to be worthy of God, as did her siblings whom she loved. Instead of acting like she was a princess with the other girls, she and her brother Rodrigo would pretend to be hermits in the back yard.... ... middle of paper ... ... Works Cited Kiefer, J. a.
The life of Catalina de Erauso narrates a story full of bravery, danger, and adventure. The influence of the Spanish culture over the Latin American is highly noticeable throughout this reading. For example, the introduction illustrates signs of chauvinism and the exclusion of the woman. In the 17th century, most women were destined to grow up in a convent without the possibility of becoming something else rather than a nun. In other words, women were enclosed in a stereotype based on inequality and rejection. In addition, religiosity is also an aspect that can be emphasized. According to the reading, there was no other option for women rather than becoming a nun. Basically, society was immersed by religiosity because we cannot deny that the church
3. Dan A. Chekki also told that, “Divinity resides in families in which the women are respected; where they are not, there is ruin.” (Dan A. Chekki, page 75)
In the film this appears evident when Santa Cruz uses Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz as a pawn in his own political games. He encourages her to write a rebuttal to a sermon by a popular Portuguese theologian, which she does under the belief that it will remain private and unpublished. The bishop, Santa Cruz’s political rival, greatly admires the theologian’s work. Santa Cruz then publishes her rebuttal under the name Sor Filotea with a personal addendum denouncing her studies. On the other side of the issue, Sister Ursula and the bishop had previously conspired to solidify her power and tighten control in the convent. Hierarchical issues did not only occur in the Convent of Santa Paula. Ursula de Jésus, a slave who rose to become a donada in the Convent of Santa Clara in Lima, experienced such tensions. Often nuns of the black and white veils would claim that her position was worthless. She prayed to St. Francis concerning her worries and, according to her confessional, he reassured her of her worth. Nancy E. Van Deusen, modern editor of her diary, notably comments “power relations that foster stratification and hierarchy often perpetuate inequality toward those of a lower
... a merely a reflection of Hebrew society of the time (Stanton). Jesus Christ, being a reformer, should have improved the status of women with his message of love and acceptance. However, there is no denying that the stigma is carried with women into the present day. Women’s position in society can be greatly attributed to their depiction in religious text. Holy word is still a factor in making women more susceptible, more culpable, and more sinful an impure than men. Even as women move up in the social order, religion is timeless and ever bearing on the struggle women fight for sexual equality.
This course of women and gender studies, as would all courses, have produced awareness by coherently explaining the situations women are facing in the world today. One may not know of theses situations until taught. By learning of these occurrences, one can properly act upon them. Many women and men have taken the opportunity to attend classes on women’s and gender studies and have since then made strides to make a difference in the unjust society that must be faced.