Sor Juana's The Answer
In The Answer, Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz effectively illustrates her own unjust exploitation by inferring a parallel between the social restrictions and betrayal that lead to her destruction and the crown of thorns Christ wore during his crucifixion. Both the criticism and odium Sor Juana received for her intellectual pursuits and Christ's crown of thorns were literally and figuratively aimed towards the head and intended to injure the place in the body where thoughts and ideas originated. Sor Juana elaborates on her own pain and frustration by ironically comparing Christ's crown to one of the Roman crowns of glory. Finally, by illustrating the similarities between her own eradication and the crucifixion of Christ, Sor Juana confirms that her own pain and frustration may be beneficial and inspirational to others in the future. Sor Juana establishes the primary link between her own oppressors and the crown of thorns by identifying how both are meant to condemn her own and Christ's beliefs and goals. Sor Juana makes this connecting by first explaining the literal and figurative meanings of the crown, and then applying these meanings to her own life. Unlike all the other instruments used in mocking Christ, the only one that l
dional crown is presented. Furthermore, this crown is given and received with respect. The circumstances under which the Christ receives the crown of thorns are exactly opposite. It is an act of complete humiliation. There are two layers of irony in this comparison: First, the metaphorical crown that both Christ and Sor Juana should be receiving is one like the obsidional crown, rewarded for enlightening people, utilizing external information, and applying it to the achievement of a better understanding of life. Technically, both figures are freeing people from a "besieged city;" they are unlocking the doors bound by ignorance and introducing them to faith and opportunity through thought. The second meaning comes into play because although Sor Juana knows that neither figures actually received such deserved recognition, she still compares the crown of thorns directly to that of the Romans. This ironic comparison is effective because it illustrates the great contrast bet! ween the two crowns and just how degrading the crown of thorns is in comparison to one of such glory. Now, as Christ's crown of thorns contributed to his slow death on the cross, Sor Juana's torment and oppression lead to feelings of pain and frustration that promote her eventual demise. punishing and castigating her for her writings, these men, like the crown, were not just tormenting her; they were striving to drain the life out of her mind. Having established the parallel
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Approximate Word count = 986
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)
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