Io Sono L'amore

I feel like Emma is struggling with her own sense of self. She was forced to forget her Russian childhood and identity when she married Tancredi. She became Italian. She had to change herself to be a Recchi wife. I think this shows her disconnect with everyone around her. The only person she mentions loving that she is Russian is Edo. Not even her husband. In order to fit in with this high society family, she had to become someone else, essentially. "When I moved to Milan, I stopped being Russian. There was too much of everything, in the street, in the shops... I learned to be Italian... He brought me to Milan and I haven't been back to Russia since." She also comments on how Tancredi had been in Russia in search of treasure. While she literally meant artworks, I think it can also be read that in a sense, Emma was a treasure. Tancredi went to Russia to find treasure, and came back with a wife- a status symbol. Their relationship is far from loving and nurturing. It is as if they are putting on a show, in order to live up to their lifestyle. She wears beautiful clothing, lives in a beautiful house, and has beautiful children but is she happy? That is clearly a no. It isn't until Antonio comes along and shows her how enjoyable life can be. He makes her feel free and allows her to be herself. She is no longer constricted by the rituals of high society. She looks back on her Russian roots with pride. I think Emma struggled with her sense of identity throughout the movie. In the end, when she disappears, she has finally taken her life back into her own hands.

Simple Passion

The beginning of the novel is shocking because it just jumps right in to the vivid description of sex. There is no introduction or explanation. You wouldn't expect the novel to start out like this. I think the most interesting thing about the beginning is when she says, "something one could barely take in without dying has become as easy to watch as a handshake." People become desensitized to things. This reminded me of our own culture. 50 years ago the things we see on TV would have been unthinkable. It would have been improper to show a half naked woman on television. Now, we see it during prime time. Shows about violence and death are everywhere. We have become desensitized to dead bodies and sex. I think she believed that writing should stir these same emotions. It should make you think and push your comfort barriers. 

I think she definitely lives in the present. She doesn't think about the future, the only thing she thinks about is waiting for this man to call. "I had no future other than the telephone call fixing our next appointment. I would try to leave the house as little as possible except for professional reasons, (naturally he knew my working hours) forever fearing that he might call during my absence. I would also avoid using the vacuum cleaner or the hair dryer as they would have prevented me from hearing the sound of the telephone." Her entire life revolves around this man. She doesn't even live. She waits for him to call as if she is only living when he is around. "It would last only a few hours. I never wore my watch, removing it just before he arrived. He would keep his on and I dreaded the moment when he would glance at it discreetly." She completely lives in these temporary moments. She doesn't even want to be reminded of time so she removes her watch. Her association with temporality is ridiculous. 

Beyond Silence

     Lara took care of her parents from an early age. She went through things that children with hearing parents would never have to. For example she made calls for her mother and translated for them. Her parents depended on her in many ways. I think Lara's father depended on that and didn't want it to change. His strained relationship with his sister didn't help this. He felt like Clarissa was trying to take his daughter away from him, that she was trying to turn Lara into herself. It is human nature to resist change and I think we see a lot of this in the movie. The final acceptance of Lara's dream by her father shows that he has come to terms with her growing up. Before her mother dies, she gives Lara tickets for a concert and says she will go with her. I think this shows Lara's mother's acceptance of her dream. She wants to share in it with her even though she can't hear the music. Lara's father's acceptance comes later in the film. He has more resentment toward music from his childhood. 

  Lara's relationship to music compared to her father's is quite interesting throughout the movie. We learn that her father has some resentment toward the clarinet because when he was younger he was put in his room whenever Clarissa was playing the clarinet. Clarissa gives Lara her clarinet and cuts Lara's hair so it looks like Clarissa's hair when she was young. This reminds Lara's father of Clarissa and in turn causes him to resent his own daughter in some ways. He can't hear music. He doesn't understand that feelings that rise for Lara when she plays or listens to a piece. He doesn't understand why music is so important to her. This is why I thought the end of the film was so moving. Her father shows up to her audition, even though he can't hear. He puts his hands on the railing. I saw this as him feeling the vibrations of the music. It was his way of supporting her and encouraging her. 

     The differences between home and Berlin were also interesting. Lara's hometown was quiet and serene. The fact that the only way she communicated with her parents was through sign language made her home life even more quiet. When she gets to Berlin we see the noise and excitement of the city. City life is completely different from what she is used to. She is able to develop her musical skills in the city.

Like Water for Chocolate Day Two

"When she came out of hiding, Tita immediatly missed the constant cooing if the doves, which had been part of her everyday life ever since she was born. This sudden silence made her feel her lonliness all the more. It was then that she really felt the loss of Pedro, Rosaura, and Roberto. She hurried up the rungs of the enormous ladder that went to the dovecote, but all she found there was the usual carpet of feathers and droppings." (page 92)
     I think this moment really reinforces the loneliness in Tita's life. She has lost everyone who meant something to her; Pedro, Nacha, and now her doves. Her doves were the only things left that she could nurture and love. Her nephew had been taken away from her along with the man she was in love with. She couldn't marry or have children of her own so she displaced those instincts and feelings onto the doves. Everything has been taken away from Tita and this paragraph evoked a strong emotion. You can't help but feel terrible for Tita and the lonely life she has to live. The sparing of the one newborn pigeon is like a glimpse of hope. "From then on, her main interest lay in feeding that pathetic baby pigeon. Only then did life seem to make a little sense. It didn't compare to the satisfaction derived from nursing a human being, but in some way it was similar." (page 93) This baby pigeon gaver her something to focus on, something to shed her love on. She was substituting this baby pigeon for the child she longed to have but knew she could never.

"She made her cuts through the rind with such mathematical precision that when she was done, she could pick up the watermelon and give it a single blow against a stone, in a particular spot, and like magic the watermelon rind would open like the petals of a flower, leaving the heart intact on the table. Unquestionably, when it came to dividing, dismantling, dismembering, desolating, detaching, dispossessing, destroying, or dominating, Mama Elena was a pro. After she died, no one ever came close to accomplishing the same feats, no one ever came close." (page 96,97)
     This quote struck me because of the words used to describe Mama Elena. She was good at 'dismembering, destorying, dominating.' It gives you a good glimpse into Mama Elena's character. I also thought it was interesting that right before Mama Elena is described in this way, they are speaking about the watermelon. She was able to cut it just right so that the heart was exposed (kind of like Tita). Mama Elena knew how to destory Tita, emotionally and physically (beating her).

Like Water for Chocolate Day One

    Tita was born in the kitchen while her mother was chopping onions. "Tita was literally washed into this world on a great tide of tears that spilled over the edge of the table and flooded across the kitchen floor." (Page 6) When her mother couldn't feed her (due to the shock of losing her husband), Nacha, the cook, took over. Tita grew up in the kitchen amidst the colors and smells. She learned to see the world through food. Her isolation in the kitchen only contributed to this more. Once she was forbidden to play with her sisters, she was confined to the kitchen with Nacha which led to Tita having a different outlook on life than her two sisters. Mama Elena tells Tita that she can't marry Pedro because Tita must take care of her. When she suggests that Pedro marry Tita's sister, Tita is incredible upset. Even a Christmas roll, her favorite food, can't cheer her up. Normally the food would comfort her but here it doesn't. She feels cold and has insomnia. Her staying up late could draw comparisons back to Freud. Her insomnia was a physical manifestation of the extreme sadness she felt over being deprived love.      Furthermore, it seems as if the emotion Tita feels at the time she bakes something, is transferred into the food. The people who eat that food immediately feel that same emotion. An example is at the wedding. When Tita was making the icing for the wedding cake she was crying. Tears fell into the icing and when Nacha checked to see if her tears had ruined it, Nacha fell sick. When the guests at the wedding ate the cake they too experienced a profound sens of lose and some vomited. They find Nacha dead at the end of the chapter and Tita is made the new cook. To cope with the loss of Nacha, Tita throws herself into elaborate dishes. Everything is revolved around food.

I think Tita represents the 'rebel', for lack of a better word. She refuses to conform to the social responsibilities and customs put on her. Mama Elena tells her she can't marry because she must take care of her until the day she dies. This is the custom, as everyone in the family has done before, and she won't let Tita be the one to stop it. The very way Tita came into the world foreshadows her life. The moment was exaggerated with magical realism but she "washed into this world on a great flood of tears". I think this foreshadows the sadness Tita will experience through her life, longing for Pedro, having to endure her mother's strict rules. She also represents the oppression that many women went through. Being denied something like love, something that today we take completely for granted. She is a symbol of struggle to overcome the negative things dished out to her in life.

Duras Day 3

When Chauvin is speaking about the woman who died he said, "When he called her she came back. And when he told her to go, she left. To obey him like that was her way of hoping. And even when she reached the threshold she waited for him to tell her to come in." Later on,  he says to Anne, "I'd like you to leave....Anne Desbaresdes got up from her chair and stood motionless in the middle of the room." (Chapter 6)
     I think this quote shows the parallel between the couple and Chauvin and Anne. The woman who died did everything her husband told her to, just as Anne does with Chauvin. It also shows a shift in their relationship. In previous chapters Chauvin is constantly asking Anne to stay longer, to drink more wine. Now he is telling her to leave. It seems like she made him uncomfortable when she touched her neck. His desires overtook him but then reminds himself that she is married. This is my reading of it. His comment telling her to leave is so abrupt that I am not sure how to take it. I do think this shows the shift in their relationship. He wants her to leave after asking her so many times to stay longer. 




“Anne Desbaresdes did not go in, but paused at the door of the cafe. Chauvin came over to her. When he reached her she turned towards the Boulevard da la Mer...."
"Chauvin raised his head towards the dark blue sky, which was still faintly lighted, and moved closer. She did not move back.” (Chapter 6)
   I think this quote shows that their relationship is coming to an end. She has never really paused before she entered the Cafe. There are a few instances in this chapter where she mentions that she needs to get home, that she has to go to a party. Chauvin repeatedly attempts to get closer to her and she doesn't reciprocate his actions. While I think their relationship is coming to an end, I don't think she wants to leave him. She keeps saying its getting late and they shouldn't drink so much wine, yet she continues to drink and stays to talk with him. 




"Tonight one of them does not share the others' appetite. She comes from the other end of town, from beyond the breakwaters and oil depots at the other end of the Boulevard de la Mer, from beyond the limits imposed upon her ten years before, where a man had offered her more wine than she could handle." (Chapter 7)
     During this chapter, they are at a dinner party. During this scene, food seems to be symbolic of the rules of society. By refusing the duck at the table it is as if she is refusing to behave how she is 'supposed to'. The others at the dinner party gossip about it. She no longer cares what people think of her. 

Duras Day 2

"He watched it for a time, till it landed in a tree in the garden next door, then continued on his way till he was beneath a certain window behind a beech tree. He looked up. Every day at this time there was a smile for him at this window. The smile was there. 'Come on,' shouted Anne Desbaresdes, 'let's go for a walk." (page 92)
    This quotes shows the routine of their everyday life. Each day she waits for him at the same window where he meets her. Each day they go on a walk. The event in the cafe disrupted their everyday, mundane life. This is one of the reasons why Anne is so interested in it. While the event was tragic, it was interesting. Anne returns to the cafe multiple times to talk about it and try to find out more information.

"I'm not used to going so far away from home," she explained. "But it's not because I'm afraid. I think it's more surprise, or something like it" (page 102)
    This quote also shows her routine. She doesn't travel or go out on her own. She doesn't stray from what she is used to or knows. Even the fact that she is drinking wine in this cafe is out of the ordinary for her. "It was obvious that she was not used to drinking wine, and that this hour of the day she was generally doing something quite different." (page 85) The murder of the woman in the cafe has made her do things she wouldn't have normally done before.

"It's difficult for a woman to find an excuse to go into a cafe, but I told myself that I could surely think of something, like wanting a glass of wine, being thirsty..." (page 94)
   I think this quote is significant because it shows that Anne is well aware of how she is being perceived and the pressures society puts on her. The others at the bar look at her disapprovingly. Even when she orders wine a few times, the bartender gives her a weird look. She knows that what she is doing is out of the ordinary for a woman but her curiosity gets the best of her.

Duras

The piano lesson is very stressed. The child doesn't seem to want to be taking piano lessons. He refuses to tell the teacher what moderato cantabile means. He refuses to play the song. The teacher seems irritated that he won't play. His mother repeatedly comments on his stubborness. The lesson seems to almost paralell the woman's scream and then the loudness of the crowd. At first the child won't play. By the time the crowd's noise has peaked he is playing the song perfectly (although the screaming is drowning out the song). The way Duras writes adds drama to the scene. She infuses the actions going on outside into the piano lesson. "A motorboat was framed in the open window. The child, facing his score, hardly moved- only his mother noticed it- as the motor boat passed through his blood." The motorboat outside is tied into the lesson. Then Duras goes back to the the lesson. "Are you sure for the last time now, are you sure you don't know what it means?" I think the murder happens while the piano is being played because it adds drama to the scene. Think about when someone dies in a television show or in a movie- sad, dramatic music is usually played in the background. The boy playing the piano adds drama to the scene.

A peice of music that was supposed to be played moderatly and harmoniously, like in this case, should have been calming. Instead we get the exact opposite feel from this lesson. The characters are stressed and angry with the child. He won't answer the teacher as to what moderato cantible means even though he should know this. He won't play the song for her. At the same time a woman was murdered at a cafe and the screams can be heard within the lesson room. The novel begins with quite a stressful and sad scene.

Under the Sand

I think that the traumatic event in the film is when Jean goes missing. Since she has no proof (until the end) that he has drowned she is in limbo. She doesn't want to admit that he is dead and can't get closure because she doesn't know for sure. She doesn't want to admit that he is no longer alive. I think her coping mechanism is her imagining that he is still there with her. She speaks about him as if he were still there and nothing ever happened. Her friends show concern when she does this. Concern that she is not mourning correctly. But I think it is because there is no physical body. She can't believe its true when she has no proof. Other theories cross her mind- did he leave her? Was he depressed and committed suicide? The prolonged mystery of his dissaperance messes with her.The mind does crazy things when a traumatic event takes place in someone's life. She finds comfort in (I forget his name) the new man in her life but I think it is only as a temporary filler for Jean. Having someone there makes her feel better at the time but she distanced herself from him.

When she went to the morgue and saw her husband's body, his clothing, and his watch I thought that she would finally face the truth. When she breaks down on the beach and begins to cry it makes you think she has finally come to terms with reality. I think the man she is running to is her husband. She is still seeing him which I think suggests that she really hasn't come to terms with his death. She is still holding onto him even after she was given tangible proof.

Freud Day 2

After Freud interpret's Dora's dream about the jewel case, she tells him that when she woke up from the dream, she smelled smoke. Freud interprets this as a connection to himself. The three dominant men in her life, Freud, her father, and Herr K all smoke. Freud thought that the smell of smoke represented Dora's wanting to kiss a man (which would smell like smoke if the man was a smoker). He concludes that she thought of kissing Freud during one of their sessions. "I came to the conclusion that the idea had probably occured to her one day during a sitting that she would liek to have a kiss from me. This would have been the exciting cause which led her to repeat the warning dream and to form her resolution of stopping the treatment. Everything fits together very satisfactorily upon this view; but owing to the characteristics of 'transference' its validity is not susceptible of definite proof." (pg 66)The definition of transference is "a phenomenon in psychoanalysis characterized by unconscious redirection of feelings from one person to another." He thought that she was redirecting feelings for someone else onto Freud (unconciously). This all seems to make sense but I feel like Freud put the peices together so that it would fit his own theory. He interpreted this which is great but what was Dora's view on it? She wouldn't give him any information on the subject so he filled in the blanks.

Through dream anaylsis, Freud let the patient tell the dream and then associate it to whatever came to mind. It seemed like sometimes Freud only cared about his interpretation of the dreams. Even if Dora refused to agree with his interpretation Freud would run with it.

Freud Day 1

Merriam Webster Dictionary defines literature as "the body of writings on a particular subject". Freud's analysis of Dora is exactly that, the writings about a subject. The analysis is clear and well organized. It presents a story- Dora's psychoanalysis. I think what also makes it literature is that it can be studied. We can learn a lot from Freud's work. Another definition from the Merriam Webster Dictionary is, "writings in prose or verse; especially : writings having excellence of form or expression and expressing ideas of permanent or universal interest ". I see Freud's analysis as literature because it is the story of a woman's internal struggle. Not only can we learn from it but it is an interesting subject. It is first and foremost important literature in the field of psychology. (I am reminded of the novel "Sybil"- the story of a girl


In the introduction to the study, Freud notes that he didn't take notes during their sessions so that he didn't disturb the patient. He would record the conversations immediatly after. This gives rise to a question, when recording something you listened to is it not easy to transfer your own thoughts and biases into it? Do you remember everything that happened objecively and clearly? This raised a flag when I was reading. Also, he didn't speak with the mother. He spoke to the rest of the family. I think that speaking with the mother would have been beneficial because (normally, but not in this case) girls look up to their mothers. Even if they don't look up to them, the mother has a significant impact on her daughters life and actions. If the mother suffered from "housewife's psychosis" wouldn't it have been beneficial to meet with her in person? Freud notes that part of Dora's problem could have been heretitary. If he believed this why didn't he bring the mother in? This seems like a major blind spot.

Freud was far from being pro-women. "According to Freud, penis envy occurs when a girl realizes that she has no penis. Girls hold their mother responsible for their lack of a penis and do not forgive her for their being thus put at a disadvantage," Freud suggested (1933). Many view Freud's work with the Odeipul concept condescending. He wasn't a supporter of the women's emancipation movement and thought that women ""Women oppose change, receive passively, and add nothing of their own."

Sor Juana Day Three

In my creative writing class I was told that, historically speaking, the writing of poetry by women was accepted because it didn't require much education. I think this helps Sor Juana because it allows her to be more open. In the prologue poem she basically says, I don't care if you like it nor am I expecting you to, this is my poem, take it or leave it. She also speaks to the relationship and dynamics between men and women. This seems to be a prevalent theme throughout this poetry. She addresses how men aren't good for women. An example is in Poem 165. "Why do you woo me first with flattery only to spurn me next with mockery?" This is similar to the Disenchantments of Love. How many stories did we read where the man flattered the woman constantly until she married him only then to turn cold and abuse her? In class you had asked how could a nun know of romantic love? I think she has taken the images she has read or seen. It is possible to have a sense of romantic love without actually experiencing it yourself. In poem 149 she addresses choosing a life "one must endure until death." (This can be seen as Sor Juana's own struggle with life. She didn't want to get married so she chose to become a nun. This is a lifelong commitment- until death. Was she praising herself for her choice or regretting it? I am not sure of this. What I do think is that she is praising the bravery of women who choose a path like this. She attacks men and accuses them of bringing women down in poem 92, Philosophical Satire. "You foolish and unreasoning men who cast all blame on women, not seeing you yourselves are cause of the same faults you accuse." This can also be related to The Disenchantment of Love. Men were destroying women's honor in most of the stories. Because of their actions these women were "ruined". Common themes in these poems are religion and the arrogance of men.

Sor Juana Day Two

"Well, and what then shall I tell you, my Lady, of the secrets of nature that I have learned while cooking? I observe that an egg becomes solid and cooks in butter or oil, and so on the contrary that it dissolves in sugar syrup. Or again, that sugar will flow freely one need only add the slightest bit of water that has held quince or some other sour fruit. The yolk and white of that very same egg are of such a contrary nature that when eggs are used as sugar, each part separately may be used perfectly well, yet they cannot be mixed together. I shall not weary you with such inanities, which I relate to give you a full account of my nature, and I believe this will make you laugh. But in truth, my Lady, what can we women know, save philosophies of the kitchen. It was well put by Lupercio Leonardo that one can philosophize quite well while preparing supper.I often say when I make these little observations, "Had Aristotle cooked, he would have written a great deal more." I declare that all this is so continual in me that I have no need for books."
     In this paragraph she is using the skills that 'all women should know' and showing that even while she is cooking, she is philosophizing. Even without books or the means to learn, she can learn through observation. Not only does she know what women are supposed to know, she credits it to helping her learn. If Aristotle had cooked (a great philosopher) he would have written more. Cooking (a woman's job) helped her to learn. She also shows her intelligence (and humility) by even mentioning Aristotle. The fact that she knows such a great philosopher shows how learned she is. I also liked how she says that she won't bore "her lady" with the talk of cooking. Not only is she learned and a keen observant, she can cook! This is just another way she shows her intelligence along with humility (and sarcasm).

"Nevertheless the many books that I have read have not failed to help me, both in sacred as well as secular letters. For there I see a Deborah issuing laws, military as well as political,and governing the people among whom there were so many learned men. I see the exceedingly knowledgeable Queen of Sheba, so learned she dares to test the wisdom of the wisest of all wise men with riddles, without being rebuked for it; indeed, on this very account she is to become judge of the unbelievers. I see so many and such significant women: some adorned with the gift of prophecy, like an Abigail; others, of persuasion, like Esther; others, of piety, like Rahab; others, of perseverance, like Anna the mother of Samuel; and others, infinitely more, with other kinds of qualities and virtues." 
     First, she mentions how she has read many books, further showing her intelligence, which have helped her in her letter writing. She blatantly goes into conversation about women who make political and military laws, women who have are persuasive, who persevere, and with "other kinds of qualities and virtues." Women are capable people, the Queen of Sheba made laws. Women are full of admirable qualities (one even tested the wisest of men. Women are capable of standing up for themselves. By mentioning these women, she is also (again) showing her intelligence. The fact that she knows of all these women shows her education and that she is well-read.

Sor Juana Day One

1. In the beginning of the letter, Sor Juan a definitely expresses both humility and superiority. She expresses humility when she says, "I can answer nothing more to the first obstacle than that I am entirely unworthy of your gaze... I can offer nothing more than amazement, instead of thanks, declaring that I am unable to thank you for the slightest part of what I owe you. It is not false humility." She expresses superiority when she says, " “For ever since the light of reason first dawned on me, my inclination to letters was marked by such passion and vehemence that neither the reprimands of others (for I have received many) nor reflections of my own (there have been more than a few) have sufficed to make me abandon my pursuit of this native impulse that God Himself bestowed on me.”  Since she is a nun, she knows her place and knows the doctrine she is to follow. At the same time I think she is proud of the fact that she is a nun and feels she should be honored in some sense. Since the letter she is responding to is from man I think she has to take extra care. While I do see a sense of sarcasm in some of her writing, I think she had to write differently than if she were responding to a letter written by a woman. She uses sarcasm to convey how remarkable she is instead of just gloating about her intelligence and education. She only learns so that she can "become less ignorant." The way she says this shows that she is proud of her intelligence yet knows not to boast about it, especially when she is responding to to a criticism by a man.


2. A quote I found interesting was " I do not study in order to write, nor far less in order to teach (which would be boundless arrogance in me), but simply to see; whether by studying I may become less ignorant. This is my answer, these are my feelings." Isn't that the entire point of learning? To become less ignorant? The way I read this was that she was trying to suppress her intelligence. 
Another quote was, "I began to study Latin, in which I believe it took fewer than twenty lessons. And my interest was so intense, that although in women (and especially in the very bloom of youth) the natural adornment of hair is so esteemed, I would cut off four to six finger lengths of my hair, measuring how long it had been before." Here she is kind of boasting of her intelligence, that it only took her 20 lessons to learn Latin. That she defied what women normally did. 

Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown

I think the telephone represents the constant miscommunication between the characters throughout the film. Pepa had big news to share with Ivan yet it took her the entire film to finally tell her. She was in love with him but he didn't return that love. No one was really communicating with each other. On the other hand it is also the means of communication between the characters. Pepa waits for a call from Ivan. Candela tries to reach Pepa. In the end, the telephone is broken representing the failed communication. Pepa never did tell Ivan her news, she just broke it off with him. 

I think the title really speaks to the fact that women are constantly trying to keep up with what society and the world expects of them. At some point or another a woman may just have a nervous break down! What is expected of women is often oppressing and a woman cannot flourish in that environment. In this film the women are quite feminist. Throughout the film Pepa thinks that she just has to have Ivan in her life. By the end, she realizes that he isn't worth it. He is a womanizer. Instead of Pepa telling Ivan that she is pregnant and 'trapping' him into loving her, she doesn't tell him. This is quite a feminist action. To take on that responsibility alone. I think this movie really speaks to women empowerment.The women in this film represent how women feel and act in real life - to the extreme. It shows that women have their own problems. I think that the comedic factor was needed because this altered reality was so extreme. In order to deal with all the frustrations and plot twists there needed to be a comedic factor. 

The Disenchantments of Love 3

     I think story ten definitely has an effect on the overall book. In this story the main characters switched roles in a sense from the characters in the previous stories. Florentina commits terrible acts of betrayal and causes a mass murder in her home while don Gasper does nothing wrong. (Besides perhaps 'loving the ladies' a bit too much).I think de Zayas ended the book with this story because it illustrates that will many men deceive women, some women also deceive men. In the end of the book it says, "In a machine as wide and vast as this world, there must be a mixture of good women and bad just as there are men both good and bad... There are in this day and age more loose and viscous women then there have ever before been, but that doesn't mean there aren't more good women than bad." I think that although this book is meant to defend women, it couldn't be left out that there are  some women who give "motive to men for their widespread lack of regard for women." After all, de Zayas writes these words in the paragraph that directly follows the tenth story. I think she wanted to emphasize that while there are some women who give men reason to deceive, the good women outweigh them. For this reason, women should be defended and protected from these deceitful men. The female gender shouldn't just be generalized as viscous and deceiving.

     I think that fact that there is such a high body count in the tenth story (almost all women) is that if you deceive there will be a consequence. In this case, two women were a part of the deceiving yet anyone who got in don Dionis' way was killed. Once you have lost your honor or deceived your punishment is to die for it. don Dionis believed in his mind (party due to the society at the time) that if a woman betrayed her husband she was to be punished. Death by a husband wasn't uncommon. After all, Florentina's maid suggests that they get don Dionis to kill Florentina. Her justification behind it is, "I think the best way, so that neither of us is in danger, is to get her husband to kill her. That way nobody will be blamed." When don Dionis comes home to find Fernando in his wife's room he immediatly kills them both without thinking twice. In our society today it wouldn't matter whether it was the husband or a stranger that killed dona Magdelena. Either person would be held accountable and it would matter a great deal. This just goes to show a husband's hold on his wife; his ownership. He can do what he wants to her.
     In the beginning of story seven I got that feeling that dona Blanca was unhappy despite her control of the situation because she didn't actually want to get married. She wasn't the one who arranged this marriage. She wanted a husband that she actually knew, hence the one year courtship. She says, "I'm in even greater despair because the time is running out so quickly and if they think it's too long, I think it's too short." I think that dona Blanca is different than most women we've seen in that she wants a courtship. She doesn't want to just marry a man she knows nothing about for this would bring about despair. "All too often women who get married without pleasure, and without pleasure they go from life to death, never really living during all the time of their marriage." I think this condition of a courtship was in part she didn't think she had the courage to do it. She said, "It took great courage for a woman to marry a man about whose nature and habits she knew nothing simply for the convenience and pleasure of others." This would end in one of them being deceived. "When a marriage is not founded on love, you can blame no one but yourself."

The Disenchantments of Love 2

     In the sixth story Esteban conceals his identity by dressing as a woman but I don't think he actually takes on a new gender role. When he arrived at the house as a maid everyone spoke of 'her' beauty. They saw what they wanted to see, not as it actually was. They wanted to believe Esteban was a woman so that is what they saw. Esteban didn't experience a role change, he was still a man he was just dressed as a woman. "Since she was a woman in dress only, she didn't know the meaning of shame." Unless he had grown up as a woman he wouldn't have known how a woman really feels in society. Even when all the women were crocheting, he remarked on how he wasn't good at it. I think people today are still fascinated with this topic because the male and female gender are so incredibly different. Not to mention the extreme gender 'norms' that are forced on each by society from the moment a child is born. Blue for a boy, pink for a girl. Trucks for a boy, dolls for a girl. To see people cross the borders of gender is fascinating and often quite humorous. Esteban acts as a woman is supposed to in the society. That is the only way in which he changed genders. Biologically (and mentally) he was still a man.
     In the beginning of the story she tells us"Men have always been the authors of deception, scriptures and history tell us that." If we follow this statement and choose to believe it than Esteban was truly a man, both in biology and in mentality. He deceived Laurela by dressing and acting as a woman. He tricked her into falling in love with him only to abandon her once her life was in shreds. He was sick of the chase, he was married already. If you ask me, he was a master of deceit. If we follow this statement, that men are the deceitful ones, then Esteban was definitely  a man through and through. 
     In the poem that Esteban recites he speaks of a jealousy fueled by love. Many of the examples he uses come from his actions with Laurela. For example, "follow after her footsteps and pursue her with your heavenly light... cause her a thousand annoyances, keep her from enjoying her love." Esteban was with Laurels constantly. When she would go out with even her mother and sisters he would cause her anguish when she returned home. He would cry and act jealous. (Hardly the actions of a normal chambermaid). He wanted to keep her from don Enrique, the man she was supposed to marry. "Heart do you not love? Then bear patiently these bonds." Perhaps he is speaking to the fact that he is bonded to Laurela. He is so in love with her that he lives a lie, he has bonded himself to her household as her maid. He also speaks quite violently within this poem about the other man in this woman's life (perhaps don Enrique). This jealousy he feels enrages him. 

City of Ladies Day 2

    Christine addresses marriage and the role women play in it.She asks Lady Rectitude if it really is women who make married life so hard. Is it because of the 'wrong they cause'? Lady Rectitude goes on to talk about all the women who live a life of suffering because of their husbands actions. How many women stayed silent through their suffering. How many men went out drinking while the women was home with a house full of kids. How can these husbands be so miserable in their marriage if they are never there? A marriage takes two people to work and it is not always the woman who is the problem. Men can make married life just as difficult (if not more) than women. She acknowledges that not all marriages are terrible. "Not all marriages are conducted with such spite, for there are those who live together in great peacefulness, love, and loyalty because the partners are virtuous, considerate, and reasonable. And although there are bad husbands, there are also very good ones, truly valiant and wise, and the women who meet them were born in a lucky hour."
    What makes Christine's writing so powerful is the way she asks questions and then has one of the allegorical ladies answer them. She asks if women are the reason for miserable marriages and then Lady Rectitude answers and defends the female sex with examples of women who were very committed to their husbands. They also speak of  the education of women. This is what I found most interesting. Some men don't want their daughters to be educated because they would become immoral. She addresses this with "Here you can clearly see that not all opinions of men are based on reason and that these men are wrong." She then goes into examples of women who were educated. Some men believed that their daughters should be educated. (Christine's father included.) These educated women, daughters of great princes and such, went on to either make decisions in their father's place, teach in their father's place, or persuade others to see their side. It did not ruin these women. Men are afraid that women will become smarter than them. It is more a question of pride and insecurity. When women are educated they compete with men on a level mental playing field. This scared the man's ego.
     Her greatest argument (given the time period) is that even God's scriptures don't speak ill of women."You will find little said against them in the holy legends of Jesus Christ and His Apostles; instead, even in the histories of all the saints, just as you can see yourself, you will find through God's grace many cases of extraordinary firmness and strength in women." There were many cases of great women helping saints in their time of need or taking them in and providing shelter. If God is the final word than how can men say that women are not strong? What I find as a fault in this section is that while they speak of women helping saints they still place women in the "homemaker" lifestyle. Women taking saints into their homes and cooking them dinner.
   In the end of the book Christine addresses the future of women. She doesn't seem to be trying to replace this patriarchal society only defending what women contribute to it. Defending that women are an important part of society and not a lower class citizen compared to men. In order to keep the walls of the city strong, women can't depend on the great women of the past. Women must continue to live a virtuous life and add bricks to the walls of the city. Women are responsible for defending the city. By living a virtuous life and living within these 'standards', women can defend this great city. It is up to the women of the future to mold the way women are perceived and treated. She doesn't limit the power of women to just those born into nobility, she means every one who has a 'noble spirit'. "I could tell of countless ladies of different social backgrounds, maidens, married women, and widows, in whom God manifested His virtues with amazing force and constancy." It is not about your family tree or a birth right, it is about who are inside and how you carry yourself and live your life.

The City of Ladies

        The tone Christine uses reflects her uncertainty and disbelief of the status of women. An example of this is when she says, "Og. God, how can this be? For unless I stray from my faith, I must never doubt that Your infinite wisdom and most perfect goodness ever created anything which was not good. Did You yourself not create woman in a very special way and since that time did You not give her all those inclinations which it pleased You for her to have? And how could it be that you could go wrong with anything? Yet look at all these accusations which have been judged, decided, and concluded against women." Her tone shows that all of these things she has heard men say will be challenged throughout the rest of her text. She says, "I considered myself most unfortunate because God had made me inhabit a female body in this world...I finally decided that God formed a vile creature when He made woman, and I wondered how such a worthy artisan could have deigned to make sure an abominable work." Her tone seems almost sarcastic. Nothing but negative things have been said about the status of women, how sad that she is a woman. "Sadness welled up in my heart, for I detested myself and the entire feminine sex, as though we were monstrosities in nature." She talks about how men badmouth women but "it seems that they all speak from one and the same mouth." They all repeat themselves. They all sound the same. These "famous and notable men" couldn't all be wrong, could they? She goes on to say that even after seriously thinking about this she could not see these terrible qualities in women. But how could all of these men be completely wrong? She is criticizing society's view of women and questioning the integrity of these "famous and notable men". Her gullibility shows in that she seems to almost accept what others have said. The way she speaks seems to make her appear to be less intelligent than she actually is. By wording her statements in the introduction and her questions to the three ladies in this way, the point she is trying to make seems more dynamic. For example, instead of saying that to build a city takes great strength she asks the three ladies, "where would I find enough physical strength in my weak feminine body to realize such an enormous task?" While the beginning of this text seems to state terrible after terrible ideas of women, the female sex is defended when three women representing Reason, Rectitude, and Justice appear to Christine. They tell her to build a city and populate it with great women, to defend against these accusations being made by men. They first woman says, "for you know that any evil spoken of women so generally only hurts those who say it, not women themselves."