The Theme of Identity and Self in Sor Juana’s "You Foolish Men" and "Love Opened a Mortal Wound"

Name:
Instructor’s Name:
Course Name/Number:
Date:
Thematic Analysis
The seventeenth century was not a good period to be a woman in most countries in the world. This was especially true in Mexico where it was customary for women to commit their lives to serve their fathers – and later their husband, produce a few children, maintain neatness in their homes, and say nothing regarding the events that were taking place around them. However, at a young age, Sor Juana Ines De La Cruz had already decided that domestic life was not appropriate for her. In 1667, she became a nun in order to learn and develop intellectual skills. She resided in Mexico City, in the convent of San Geronimo, where she met her death. While at the convent, she amassed a library which was surprisingly large for a woman in that period. She later started publishing her own poetry which advocated for women’s rights to education by condemning the societal standards that were upheld during that time. Entailed in this paper is a discussion of the theme of “identity and self” in Sor Juana’s You Foolish Men and Love Opened a Mortal Wound. Also discussed is the significance of the theme in each poem and its effects on the characters, reader, and plot.
In You Foolish Men, the theme of identity and self is evident in the first stanza of the poem. The poet writes, “Misguided men, who will chastise a woman when no blame is due, oblivious that it is you who prompted what you criticize” (1-4). This blatant indictment calls attention to the fact that men wrongly blame women for issues they themselves have created. This accusation also portrays men as hypocritical and illogical thus challenging the reader to rethink the dominant discourse that is often associated with the male gender. Men’s’ irrational reasoning is addressed once more when she likens them to a child who after calling the bogeyman weeps at the sight of the monster (5-8). Here, the poem works to illustrate that man, along with his supposed superior identity is no more than an uneducated and frightened child. In the ninth stanza, Sor Juana poses a question to the men. She asserts, “You always are so foolish your censure is unfair; one you blame for cruelty the other for being too easy” (33-36). These four lines expose the absurdity of men, boldly accusing all men alike. From her perspective, she realizes that a man can disgrace a woman’s identity and harm her reputation and after doing so proceed to cast the blame upon the woman. Her poignant assertion demonstrates how disadvantageous double-standards are to women.
Sor Juana refutes the notion that women are irrational compared to men, questioning the oddness of a man who intentionally mists a mirror and proceeds to complain that it is not clear (21-24). This assertion forces the reader to regard the theoretical belief that men are superior to women. This assertion, as well as the ones discussed above express her aspiration to belie gender differences so as to place women and men on the same continuum. In the fourteenth quatrain, she addresses the issue of prostitution. “Who is more to blame, though either should do wrong, she who sins for pay, or he who pays to sin?&rdq...