Olivia Schienke

 Hey Angela! I think it is a very good point you brought up about the double standard for women as shown in the poem. Men wanted women who were easily seduced but at the same time they wanted a pure woman for a wife. This shows the impossible standard women were held to and are still held to today. Men want both but in reality they can't have both so the fact that they shame women who wait and women who don't wait is disgusting. Men were able to do whatever they wanted  but if a women did the same thing, she would be immensely shamed. 

 One of the most interesting things that stood out to me this week was the movie "I, the worst of all" and the poem and article by Sor Juana. These works showed the true division of gender equality the way it was in that time. Women were seen as being inferior and not as capable as men as shown in the movie when the archbishop reprimands Juana for being so into literature and poetry. Men believed that women should not be allowed to interpret certain intellectual and religious information. The poem showed the impossible standards women were held to and how in men's eyes the woman is always wrong. The article focused more on the intellectual discrimination towards women. For example, when it talked about how women were allowed to read intellect but were not seen worthy enough to interpret it. Yet, a man with no knowledge was allowed to interpret.  Sor Juana's work called out the unfair standards and rules set by men and brought to attention the way that women should be ...

 Hey Joe! I thought it was very interesting to learn about the importance of protecting ones name. The extent that Erauso went to, killing her own brother as you said, shows just how important honor was to them. Violence erupted at the smallest of debates, thank goodness we don't settle all of our fights today to the extent of how Erauso handled them. 

      This week I found the reading The Lieutenant Nun by Catalina de Erauso very interesting. It brought attention to the idea of all of the social norms that people have conformed to and still conform to today. The fact that women and men were treated so differently is really pronounced in this reading because of the way it shows both perspectives. Because Erauso was born a woman into the family line she was born into, she was automatically destined to be a nun. However, Erauso did not accept this destiny. Rather, she left and took control of her own life. She dressed as a man and immediately the difference was shown between how men and women were supposed to act. As a man, Erauso fought as a soldier, worked hard labor jobs, and got into brawls on the streets. Women were seen as more of just the people to take care of the household and children and to obey their husbands. Men, as shown through Erauso's life, were meant to fight and work. Looking at these social nor...

 Hey Linnea! I also found the battle between the brothers to be quite interesting. It really shows the different culture and how they were more concerned about power than about family. The way Atahualpa was able to have his brother killed just so he could have a chance at the throne shows how important ruling was to them. This internal conflict ended up helping the Spanish and making the Inca's lose control of the empire completely. This also shows us how the Spanish were able to gain control, it wasn't that they were stronger than the Inca's its that the Inca's in a way helped the Spanish by fighting among each other. 

 This week one of the things that really stood out to me was in reading the Royal Commentaries of the Inca, learning how internal conflict can lead to the destruction of a whole empire. Atahualpa and Huascar battling for the throne caused neither of them to have it but rather the Spanish took it over. This shows that its not that the Spanish were stronger, its that these other conflicts helped them gain control. In some cases the Spanish did have the upper hand though. We read about the weaponry advantages and disadvantages in the Guilmartin article for professor Stark's class. Learning how the cutting weapons were able to kill more quickly and were easier to handle than the stone crushing weapons shows hat the Spanish were able to kill more effectively. Both internal conflict and more advanced weapons were factors in how the Spanish were able to take over.