Lieutenant Nun: Identity and Social Position in a New World

General Standards: Your essay should be two pages in length, typed and double-spaced. You should also use standard margins, and 12 pt. Courier or Times New Roman font. In addition, you must document what you write with footnotes. For more on footnoting and some tips on writing historical essays, see the general guidelines for writing section of the course syllabus.

Specific Guidelines: Having read Lieutenant Nun, by Catalina de Erauso, choose one of the following questions and answer it in a well-argued and well-supported paper. Remember you must document what you say using De Erauso's memoir and, if you wish, additional sources assigned for this course. Do not use any other sources for the paper.

1. Catalina de Erauso claims many different statuses (including that of gender) and occupies a number of different positions in the social order as she makes her way from northern Spain to the Americas and back. Write a paper in which you identify the different statuses and positions she claims and explain why she claims them and which one of them is most central to her self-definition.

 
2. Although Catalina de Erauso's narrative does not make many explicit references to the different roles played by men and women in Spain and the Americas, her story refers to the differences with regularity. Identify the roles allotted to men and to women in the Spanish world and explain the importance of gender in determining one's position in the social order in the Spanish world.

 
3. Using the information you glean from the Catalina de Erauso's memoir, describe the social order in the Spanish Americas and explain its guiding principles. Remember to include ethnicity/race, gender, and social rank in your discussion.

 

 
 
 

Good Luck!

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