What?
When she is teaching young girls to sing at the convent school, she stops to tell them that “perception and curiosity,” “intelligence” and the “desire to explore” are not just gifts given to men, but traits that women should be proud of having too. Sor Juana is preparing girls for what men will try to tell them as they grow up, and to give them knowledge that there is an alternative—that women are every bit as capable as men.
This seems to mirror issues still current in our culture. In Borderlands/la frontera, written by Gloria Anzaldúa in 1987, she starts off her story sitting in a dentist’s chair. The dentist, a man, tells her—not just once, but twice—that they are “going to have to control your tongue.”
As we move closer to becoming a society of fairness, some may think that the quest for gender equality has ended… but it has not. Even today, there are so many double standards between men and women. If a man works hard and ignores others’ needs to get ahead, he is honored as a devoted businessman. If a woman does the same, she is a bitch. If a man sleeps with multiple partners, he’s a playa. If a woman does the same, she’s a slut. If a man talks a lot, he is celebrated for his strong personality. If a woman does the same, she is a gossip.
But, women are not sitting by idly.
At the end of the movie, the actress portraying Sor Juana sits alone in quiet contemplation and there is a sense of resiliency around the woman she embodies—a sense that she has not given up writing or creating. In her poem, “In Reply to a Gentleman from Peru, Who Sent Her Clay Vessels While Suggesting She Would Better Be a Man,” the real Sor Juana writes in a sassy, memorable voice—suggesting to the man that it is indeed just fine that she is a woman, and that diversity is good and enables all to share their God-given gifts.
This idea, that diversity is a beautiful reality rather than a frightening one, is one that easily carries through from Sor Juana’s 17th century to our present day. Diversity in sex, orientation, race, ethnicity were all issues dealt with in Colonial Mexico. Interesting that they remain the issues most often tiptoed around in America today.
But it is well that such great talent
live in many different zones,
for those who are with greatness born
should live not for themselves alone
[Sor Juana]
Lavonne, I really like how you identify the way male dominance from the past still exists in our culture today. The double standards between men and women that you listed as examples made me laugh, but mostly because they are very true. How do you think our culture can begin to change those stereotypes and rethink the way we "label" the actions of men and women?
ReplyDeleteYou say that "diversity is a beautiful reality rather than a frightening one." I love this. It is amazing to see how attitudes have shifted to this same mindset, but it is also obvious that there is a lot of work that needs to be done.
Sor Juana's clever response to the gentleman from Peru make me wonder how he reacted to her poem. Was he aware that she reacted with a witty tongue or did he assume she was agreeing with his reply?
Lavonne, I also love your comment about diversity being beautiful instead of frightening!
ReplyDeleteIt is definitely true that the issues of colonial times are still issues in todays world, right here in the United States. How could these same issues follow us through time? What does this say about the very nature of people?
The last scene of the movie intrigued me. It is neat that the last scene gave you a sense of resiliency about Sor Juana, a deeper desire to Create and Be. The ending for me was sobering. I didn't get that same effect. I felt that Sor Juana gave up the self she was, the self she knew when she had her books, and instead gave in to a different Juana, one she didn't know. I wonder if the director purposely filmed the last scene in a way that could be interpreted differently by different people.
I wouldn't mind seeing this movie again sometime to see if I get a different sense at the end, or view her differently at the beginning.
I loved your comments about the gender stereotypes that still exist in our society! Even if they aren't as blatantly obvious as they were in the past, sexism is still a real issue. Because of this, I thought that Sor Juana's witty remarks to the Peruvian man, made during a time in history when words could kill, were very radical.
ReplyDeleteIn listening to Vincent Harding talk tonight, I also agree with what you said about how "diversity is a beautiful reality." There are many people today who would rather be colorblind than face the fact that people are different. Changing traditions that have been a part of society is very difficult, but because of people like Sor Juana, change is possible.
This is a beautifully written and engaging post. You do a great job of showing how cultural perceptions of women still limit and proscribe how they are viewed in certain situations. Women can write and teach today, but are they really accorded the same respect and status that a man is in a similar situation? Part of it depends on the individual--but part also depends on the cultural framework through which we interpret that individual's actions. I appreciate that you also draw on Sor Juana's poem for your comments as well as the movie portrayal. Finally, your comment about appreciating diversity is highly relevant!
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