preview

Analysis Of To The Gentleman In Peru

Decent Essays
Open Document
Sor Juana again demonstrates her superior knowledge and capabilities in employing complex Latin language into her argument. As suggested by Stephanie Kirk, “Latin wielded a symbolic power throughout the early modern period” (Kirk 83). Therefore, Sor Juana’s use of Latin language when speaking directly to the patriarchy is ironic as she flaunts her immense knowledge to those who originally restricted her from pursuing education. Ultimately, Sor Juana’s “To the Gentleman in Peru” is a poem filled with critical language and addresses issues of gender roles and the limitations of “woman” in Colonial Mexico. Sor Juana’s poem “Foolish Men” highlights the hypocrisy of men through the use of a condescending tone and the revealing of hypocrisy as…show more content…
Lastly, Sor Juana concludes with, “your arrogance is allied/ with the world, the flesh, and the devil!” (A Sor Juana Anthology 113). Ultimately, Sor Juana directly refers to men and the patriarchy as evil. This revelation coming from a nun is all the more significant as the church looks down on both evil and sin. Ultimately, her role allows her more influence and gives more significance to her writing as seen by Sor Juana’s uncovering of the patriarchy as evil and sinful. Sor Juana established herself not only as a feminist voice in Colonial Mexico but also as one of the most influential writers of her time. Her writing continued to be controversial and, while she wasn’t silenced by the convent, the threatened patriarchy eventually took action. While it is believed that her “writing was an act of defiance” (Bergmann), she also “struggled against the ecclesial authorities that tried to silence her voice” (Gonzalez 102). Sor Juana was not only brave in her publication of her work and going outside of Mexican printing to do so (Kirk) but her work was also a direct commentary on the dominant patriarchy of the time. In response to a bishop who wrote under the disguise of “Sor Filotea,” Sor Juana attempted to defend a woman’s rights to education for the last time. However, she ultimately faced
Get Access
Related
Get Access