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I, the worst of all, depicts the story of Sor Juana Ines De La Cruz, who is met with a grimsley demise due to duplictious systemic sexism within the church, and society. This, segregation that was dealt with Sor Juana was not unique, and was the universal attitude towards women in society in the 17th century, forcing many to become nuns or in positions that were demeaning and unequal to men. This film, directed by Maria Luisa Bemberg, depicts events that happened from 1669 when she first began a friendship with viceroy Conde De Paredes, to her untimely death in 1695. I, the worst of all, shows the male hierarchy of the church by demolishing the aspirations, and livelihood of the nuns and leaving them to rot in the end. In all of the sources, misogyny in the 17th century infects all parts of life.One might maintain that the film shows the misogyny in society and the church, by the portrayal of the sordid acts done to Sor Juana. However, further analysis of the film with primary and secondary sources proves that some of the nuns were complicit with the orders given by the church while hurting and disparaging the other sisters, as they were soon abandoned themselves. Envy, fear, and hatred of women continued under the facade of the Church, …show more content…
She used her platform to criticise the church and society for its double standards, as she states very eloquently, “Since I couldn’t dress as a man, I dressed as a nun” (I, the worst of all, 1990). During the 17th century the convent was less seen as a privilege and duty to God, but more so a refuge for a woman who found herself unable to do many things that a man be able to do. Although, many women might have chosen the convent for other reasons, becoming a nun was a viable career or occupation, that would entitle means to earn a living and maintain social status, and gaining respect in
Although the Catholic Church kept nuns enclosed in convents in order to regulate their sexualities, Jeanne de Jussie’s writings highlight some of her own experiences with violence, in addition to offering examples of the stories that Catholics circulated (Crawford 87). In the chronicle, Jeanne de Jussie mentioned issues of domestic conflict incurred by the Reformation; many women were caught between their husband’s wrath and their Catholic faith (de Jussie 95). She also described some of the violence committed by heretics against Catholics; for example, before the heretics locked away the Lords of Bern in an inhumanely small cell, they “villainously grabbed him and pulled him from the pulpit and treated him harshly, so that he almost died there and then” (de Jussie 94). According to Jeanne de Jussie’s accounts, religious people from both sides of the conflict went to war with each other; she described that “good fathers went to battle with many other monks because it was for the religion but they did not bear arms” (de Jussie 79). Women and children also instigated Catholic violence against the heretics; “many of the women . . . carried rocks in their bodices to throw at the Lutherans. Along with the women there were at least seven hundred children between twelve and fifteen who were determined to do their duty with their mothers” (de
Misogynistic Confinement Yellow Wallpaper depicts the nervous breakdown of a young woman and is an example as well as a protest of the patriarchal gender based treatments of mental illness women of the nineteenth century were subjected to. The narrator begins the story by recounting how she speculates there may be something wrong with the mansion they will be living in for three months. According to her, the price of rent was way too cheap and she even goes on to describe it as “queer”. However, she is quickly laughed at and dismissed by her husband, who as she puts it “is practical in the extreme.” As the story continues, the reader learns that the narrator is thought to be sick by her husband John, yet she is not as convinced as him.
From quite a young age, when many people do not know what they are doing with their lives, Mary had already decided that she wanted to be a nun and help people as much as she could, she wanted to help the poor and less fortunate than her. Mary worked with people and children and ...
The article starts off looking at the limitations and duties of a woman in the 18th century from the point of view of a man. Women were not permitted to do many professions such as law, economics or science related; these professions were reserved for men. Women were meant to be "the object of knowledge rather than its producer" (Frith 1994, 101) meaning that women were not to be educated but were to only of their responsibilities for pleasing a man, staying beautiful, and staying virtuous. Women were believed to be inferior intellectually and were therefore not to be educated and were basically forced to marry if they wished a decent life. However, Montagu feuded t...
She questions “why should I be my aunt / or me, or anyone?” (75-76), perhaps highlighting the notion that women were not as likely to be seen as an induvial at this time in history. Additionally, she questions, almost rhetorically so, if “those awful hanging breasts -- / held us all together / or made us all just one?” (81-83). This conveys the questions of what it means to be a woman: are we simply similar because of “awful hanging breasts” as the speaker of the poem questions, or are we held together by something else, and what is society’s perception on this? It is also interesting to note Bishop’s use of parenthesis around the line “I could read” (15). It may function as an aside for the reader to realize that the six year old girl can in fact read, but also might function as a wink to the misconstrued notion throughout history that women were less educated and didn’t
“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.
Her book pushed women into wanting greater rights. She stated that what women needed to feel more inferior was education. Mary said that “Till women are more rationally educated, the progress in human virtue and improvement in knowledge must receive continual checks.” (Pettinger): meaning that women don’t get the same education opportunities as men therefore men see them as a person who doesn’t do anything but stay home and does what they say. She said that it was only the lack of education that made women seem to be intellectually inferior. Men will see them weaker if they don’t know how to do anything, if women did have the education that they need then they are able to speak their mind and change the way that men see women. Women shouldn’t think that they need men’s help in order to be someone in
They were rebellious, even though they were watched closely by their masters and were isolated from each other. Throughout history, many women tried to change the role of women in society. For example, Anne Hutchinson was a religious woman that opposed the church fathers of the Massachusetts Bay Colony by saying "that she, and other ordinary people, could interpret the Bible for themselves." She started to hold big meetings for women (and even a few men came) to hear her criticize local ministers. She was put on trial twice for two separate reasons, but she still stood her ground. The first trial was by the church for heresy and the other was by the government for questioning their authority. Eventually, she was banished in 1638 from the colony. However, this didn 't stop future women from trying to gain independence from traditional values and
The Nun or Prioress is on page 218 of the Norton Anthology of English Literature, seventh edition volume one. Her passage discusses her impeccable manners.
The fifteenth century was a gruesome era in world history. Church and state were not separated which caused many problems because the Church officials were often corrupt. The story of Joan of Arc, portrayed by George Bernard Shaw, impeccably reflects the Church of the 1400’s. Joan, a French native, fought for her country and won many battles against England. But Joan’s imminent demise came knocking at her door when she was captured by the English. She was charged with heresy because the armor she wore was deemed for men only but she justified her actions by stating that God told her to do it. Today, Joan of Arc would be diagnosed schizophrenic because of the voices in her head but she would still be respected for serving in the military. But in the fifteenth century, she was labeled as nothing more than a deviant. She was tried and the Inquisitor characterized her as a beast that will harm society. Through his sophistic reasoning, loaded diction, and appeals to pathos and ethos, the Inquisitor coaxed the court into believing Joan was a threat to society and she had to pay the ultimate price.
Leading up to 600 CE, East Asia and the Middle East had several similarities. For instance, they both were starting to develop their civilization during the Neolithic Revolution.This is when human beings in some places discovered agriculture and began to settle in permanent communities. The switch from hunting-foraging to agriculture created a more reliable source of food, which in turn fostered population growth and more complex economic and social systems. Throughout Periods 1 and 2, East asia and the Middle East shared and divided their ways of development through the way of codification of religious and philosophical traditions. These developments were seen to made happen by the use of a patriarchal society,governmental politics , and the spreading of religion.
There exist five female characters with somewhat substantial bearing on the plot of 'Stoner': Stoner's mother, Ma , Edith Bostwick (later Edith Bostwick Stoner), Mrs Bostwick, Grace Stoner and Katherine Driscoll. Each of these characters can be seen as adhering to themes of love and family, and the strife that the subject of family can imply. Shaweller's allusion to, and accusation of misogyny is based on the characterisation of Edith in particular. As Stoner's wife, Edith is represented somewhat typically from chapter five onwards. Shawaller describes her characterisation as 'shrewish', a description fittingly alluded to in the critical
Right away Anne was considered a threat to authority because of her growing number of followers. People said her meetings were disorderly, but she said she was following God. Mostly because she was being more than a wife and mother and going above her place as a woman, the church banished her. The church leadership was getting upset because she had said that certain pastors were wrong and that people should live only under a "Covenant of Grace," not works, something which sounded like antinomianism. They figured that getting rid of her was the only answer.
According to Buckley (35), a woman’s life was largely based on moral, sacred and the emotional spheres of life, which basically included religious ties and family affairs. During this period, an increase in women’s population in the church was noted. To some extent, their growing numbers in the church, even outnumbered those of men. The woman’s role was therefore viewed as that of spreading both moral and religious values. Through being involved in church activities, women could now feature in the public sphere of life. Women were also considered to be of very little value when it came to matters of the economy. It was believed that they would best serve as mother figures to their children. They were to serv...
Among her minor things, the nun in the tale actions was cautious and splendid. Her manners were unique, and practiced with perfection. "Her table manners were admirable: she never let a morsel fall from her lips, nor wet her fingers too deeply in the sauce; daintily she carried a morsel to her lips, taking care that no drop should fall on her breast: she took much pleasure in proper etiquette." (133) The author makes us understand that her behavior with such perfection was not because she was obligated to act in this way.