"I, the Worst of All" was very helpful for me when getting a broader outlook on the history of Latino Literature. Being able to view and read about the strict moral codes and hierarchies gives me a better glimpse on why a lot of the literature of that time came out the way it did.
Juana shows a lot of the sides Latino writers all over the world had to endure, and the fact that she was a woman made it even more difficult for her to write freely and express her opinion about the wrongs of society in that time. She also shows that even though literature for a Latina woman was difficult to come by, those who wrote or even dedicated their lives to literature and education did the best with their opportunities, and really helped bring around a wave of new thinking and changes that helped revolutionize the rest of the world.
The identity that Juana has for herself, and the identity that Juana portrays throughout the film shift while watching the movie. She starts out a little backward, quiet, and not abash but then becomes more outgoing and critical as she gets respect from her peers. During parts of the movie I did not think that the other characters even bothered that she was a woman because her knowledge and education meant more to the Viceroy.
Altogether it was a sad story that during 17th century Juana was not able to pursue her educational career like she would have wanted, but she helped pave the way for all Latino writers that came after her time.
The Devil's Highway
12 years ago
Nathan, you make a very good point that Sor Juana used the opportunities available and was, in fact, so brilliant that many of the intellectual men around her treated her like an equal--until they started feeling threatened by the power hierarchy. You also point out one of the things that make this film so fascinating--the portrayal of Sor Juana's character and the shifts in her identity in relation to others. She seems to grow in confidence as she gains a friend in the Viceriene, and when she gets approval for her writing and her wit. When those who support her disappear, her identity undergoes another shift as she comes to doubt herself and suffers as Mexico undergoes flooding and the plague. Fortunately, the Viceroy and Viceriene smuggled her writings out of New Spain and had them published in Spain so that we can all enjoy the today.
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