Foolish Men
Sor Juana de la Cruz
What is it?
"Hombres Necios", or "Foolish Men" is a poem written to defend women and shame men for their sexist actions. It accuses men of actions that they blame women for when in reality it is the men who caused the problem in the first place.
A selection from "Foolish Men"
Silly, you men - so very adept
at wrongly faulting womankind,
not seeing you're alone to blame
for faults you plant in woman's mind.
. . .
You batter her resistance down
and then, all righteousness, proclaim
that feminine frivolity,
not your persistence, is to blame.
Sor Juana de la Cruz
Sor Juana on a bank note
Painting by Miguel Cabrera
Painting by Friar Miguel de Herrera
Who was Sor Juana?
Sor Juana was born in November of 1651. She was a self-taught scholar who knew that the only way a woman of her time could get an education was to become a nun, and so that is exactly what she did. During her time she was known as "The Tenth Muse" and she wrote many plays and poems. Her works are some of the very first feminist pieces ever published.