In The Time Of The Butterflies: Chapter Analysis

The monarch butterfly, as known as Danaus plexippus, is often called the milkweed butterfly because its larvae eat the milkweed plant. They are also sometimes called "royalty butterflies" because their family name comes from the daughter of Danaus, ruler of Argos. There are many other interesting facts about this butterfly including its anatomy and life cycle, where the butterfly lies on the food chain, the migration from Canada to Mexico, why the butterfly is being threatened, and lastly, what is being done to help the butterfly.

In The Time of The Butterflies, memorializes the lives of Patria, Minerva, and María Teresa Mirabal, three sisters. The women became symbols of freedom and revolution for the Dominican Republic after their assassination for being involved in a movement to overrule Trujillo. The Mirabal sisters were not only fighting against the Trujillo regime, but also against the Dominican Republic’s patriarchal culture and gender roles. In the Dominican Republic women were expected to abide by the rules and expectations their fathers or husbands set out for them. In the novel, all four sisters reject their stereotypical roles as women in the society by standing up for their beliefs and the revolution.They decided that they would not let the

“That moment, I understood her hatred. My family had not been personally hurt by Trujillo, just as before losing my baby, Jesus had not taken anything away from me. But others had been suffering great losses…” This quote was stated by Patria in relation to religion. “I had heard, but I had not believed. Snug in my heart, fondling my pearl, I had ignored their cries of desolation. How could our loving, all-powerful Father allow us to suffer so? I looked up, challenging Him. And the two faces had merged!” she went on. Patria had begun struggling to keep her faith in God after she had lost her baby. She shows her disbelief in how callously God is behaving toward her. Throughout In the Time of the Butterflies, Julia Alvarez’s Patria Mirabal develops from and optimistic young Catholic girl to a woman who doubts.

Death is a word associated with loss, grief and sadness, but in the novel In the Time of the Butterflies we see death in a whole new perspective; martyrdom. Strong, independent, caring, honest, and having firm beliefs are all characteristics we see in a martyr especially in Patria. In the novel we explore the wonders of Julia Alvarez’s writing and get to witness Patria as a martyr and an individual who fought for the right of women against a dictator: Trujillo.

Throughout the novel In the Time of the Butterflies, Julia Alvarez utilizes the characters Patria, Maria Teresa, and Minerva, to display the daily struggles of women in the Dominican Republic who are fighting in a patriarchal and oppressive society against the regime. All that the Mirabal sisters have ever know is a world where they are thought of as inferior to men. Where male authority defines who they are; women trapped in a community where their voices don’t matter and they should be seen and not heard. As perceived in the novel, Alvarez uses figurative language as well as the theme of oppression to describe the fact that Dominican women are sexulized based upon their apperances.

“Man cannot discover new oceans unless he has the courage to lose sight of the shore.” (Andre Gide) In the novel, In the Time of the Butterflies, written by Julia Alvarez, four sisters are led through a risk infested journey in which they must overcome hindrances with hollow consequences. This historical fiction novel takes us through a rollercoaster of events, incorporating everything from the partialities towards women, to life below the oppressive administration of the Dominican Republic’s dictator, Rafael Trujillo. The events painted by the four sisters give us some insight as to the positives and negatives of life in the Dominican Republic. As the novel progresses, we see the diversity in relation to the

There are many instances of Foster’s How to Read Literature Like a Professor being applicable to In the Time of the Butterflies. One such instance of this is the appearance of the bible in the novel. Religion had a large impact on the Mirabal sisters, especially Patria who was more in touch with her religion than the other sisters. This is increasingly apparent in her views of Pedrito who she calls her earthly groom. Also, Trujillo is similar to a god through his use of spies, through which he can see everything, and his authoritative rule over the Dominican Republic.

I would recommend In the Time of the Butterflies by Julia Alvarez to my friend because the novel gives the four Mirabal sisters a voice to show why they rebelled against Rafael Leonidas Trujillo’s dictatorship through their experiences. In the novel, it states, “’People who opened their big mouths didn’t live very long,’ Sinita said. ‘Like my uncles I told you about. Then, two more uncles, and then my father.’ Sinita began crying again. ‘Then this summer, they killed my brother.’ My tummy ache had started up again. Or maybe it was always there, but I’d forgotten about it while trying to make Sinita feel better. ‘Stop, please,’ I begged her. ‘I think I’m going to throw up.’ ‘I can’t,’ she said. Sinita’s story spilled out like blood from a cut” (18). This quote shows Minerva’s first time hearing about the disturbing deeds of Trujillo. Sinita’s story made Minerva realize that the man that she had regarded as a god wasn’t as honorable as she thought. Consequently, Minerva started rebelling against Trujillo’s dictatorship because of his wrongdoings to the

Las Mariposas Mártires (The Martyred Butterflies) If one thinks of the word “dictator,” the first pictures that come to mind are of Adolf Hitler, Joseph Stalin, or even Fidel Castro. Not many people think of Rafael Trujillo, the dictator of the Dominican Republic for over thirty years. Julia Alvarez tells the story of Trujillo and his deadly regime in her novel In the Time of the Butterflies through the eyes of four Dominican sisters. In this novel, Alvarez combines her personal experiences from living in the Republic with the stories of the true heroes that were the Mirabal sisters to expose the realities of living in a dictatorship.

In “ In the Time of the Butterflies” written by Julia Alvarez, Minerva’s kind actions towards to Senor Mirabel mistress and her four daughter shows a better understanding of her character. Though she did not approve or agree with her father’s decision she understood it was not their fault. Even with the gender inequality in Dominican Republic Minerva also wanted to make education a possible privilege for her half sisters. Minerva actions show how she is considerate and strong sense of fairness towards to her half sisters. The first action that shows a better understanding of Minerva’s character is when she first meets her half sisters they are on the street in raggedy condition,and she asks the girls who their father is and if they have a brother?

“In the Time of the Butterflies” by Julia Alvarez fictionalizes the harrowing lives of the Mirabal sisters, who came to represent an underground resistance against the dictator of their native Dominican Republic, Trujillo. Though the Mirabal sisters were indeed real and parts of Alvarez’s novel reflect true events, this is a fictionalized account of what these sisters faced throughout their lives. Readers know from the beginning that three of the four sisters will not survive the regime, but they were shown to be noble warriors for their people throughout the novel regardless. Alvarez utilizes immersion, tension, and point of view to weave a unique story of survival and strength in the face of opposition.

In the Time of the Butterflies by Julia Alvarez is about four sisters growing up and facing the regime built by Trujillo. Patria was the oldest of the four girls, and her sisters, in the order that they were born were, Dedé, Minerva and Maria Teresa. All of the sisters, except for Dedé, fight in revolution against Trujillo. Patria changes greatly throughout the book. As a child and a young adult, her religion is extremely important to her and she does not believe in the revolution; when she loses her child, she realizes why the revolution is important and loses her faith; while carrying her fourth and final child, she realizes she has to fight for the revolution for her unborn child.

In the novel, In the Time of the Butterflies by Julia Alvarez, the life changing stories of the Mirabal sisters from the Dominican Republic come to light. One of the sisters, Minerva Mirabal, is quite a unique character in the fact that she is audacious and fearless but at the same time she is also caring and amiable when she knows what is equitable or not. One way that we see the considerate side of Minerva is when she agrees to meet and help the other daughters of her father go through school. The construction of Minerva’s character comes shortly after she meets her other sisters for the first time and possibly changed her to who she became by the end of the novel.

The setting of the book took place in the Dominican Republic. In 1960 by Julia Alvarez the Author of the time of the Butterflies. She rented a ca it was with a road map in it.

Butterfly's tongue is a film, which is interpret explanations of language and sense of the characters in the movie . Also brings his story: a master of Republican ideas in a very small town with minded people saw, on the principles of what would become the tragic Spanish Civil War. The film screened, as many other films, this special relationship between an adult and an innocent child. Don Gregorio old master, and his student, Moncho the child likes to learn and discover new things. The master, with its good teachings and crafts, strives to enter a world of teaching which contributes its experiences as a teacher and his ideals of Republican politics.