In The Time Of The Butterflies Chapter Summary

Thomas C. Foster’s How to Read Literature Like a Professor allows people to take books that they normally wouldn’t think to analyze in a certain way and opens a whole new spectrum on literature. In the TIme of the Butterflies by Julia Alvarez connects with the idea and principles of Foster’s book if you take a deep look in the book you are reading. Like Foster says in chapter seven or the bible, In the Time of the Butterflies is a literary work able to connect with this chapter, having a bible reference to extend or emphasize the story thematically.

“When dictatorship is a fact, revolution becomes a right.” Stated by French poet, Victor Hugo. He is stating that people should have the right to rebel against a dictatorship. When a country is under a dictator, people should speak out and fight for their independence. Some will accept the fate of the dictator and become weakened by it, but some will choose to stand up against it. Speaking out for your independence is demonstrated in the person Minerva Mirabal, from the novel In the Time of the Butterflies. In In the Time of the Butterflies by Julia Alvarez, Minerva Mirabal is shown as a strong woman who is able to stand up to the dictator, Trujillo. Minerva Mirabal is living in the Dominican Republic at

Out from the kitchen and into the world, women are making a better name for themselves. Although humankind tends to be male dominated, men are not the only species that inhabit the world that they live on. In Julia Alvarez's novel In the Time of the Butterflies, the women of the Dominican Republic are expected to grow up to be housewives and lacking a formal education. Women may be cherished like national treasures, but they are not expected to fulfill their truest potentials as human beings.

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.

The novel In the Time of the Butterflies, by Julia Alvarez and the play Antigone by Sophocles, both include similar characters, situations, and actions that react to the idea of a dangerous growing authority. The characters Dede from the Time of the Butterflies and Ismene from Antigone both strive to stay out of trouble with the government; however Dede’s approach is more effective as she becomes an oracle character by the end of the novel, for she lives to tell the story of the Mirabal sisters. Dede uses her relationship with her sisters and her own family to survive through the dangerous reign of Trujillo. When facing a regime such as Trujillo's regime, the survivors who live to tell their story, like Dede, are crucial to understanding and analyzing important historical moments. These survivors live through real tragedies, so they are primary resources with personal opinions and experiences.

“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

During this time, instead of giving up their cause, they held steadfast and kept their voices heard. They believed in their cause with so much passion, that they would not surrender to the cruel tortures of the SIM, Trujillo’s secret police. In fact, they tried convincing other prisoners to want to overthrow Trujillo by secretly taking newspaper clippings of his wrongdoings and having them in their hair. Had they given up in prison, their cause and motivation for other revolutionaries would have died right there. However, they stayed persistent and resilient to continue fighting against Trujillo’s regime. Imagine if they had not stayed true to their cause. Trujillo may not have been overthrown! His despotic and inhumane ways of treating his country and people may have never ended. People who would say anything opposing him would be instantly put to death. There would be no freedom of speech. The very basic rights and freedoms people live and long for would be taken away from them. By sacrificing their time with their families, friends, and children, the Mirabal sisters ensured that the entire nation’s future generations would live with peace and

The murder of the Maribal sisters has given the world an inside view on the lives of the sisters. Trujillo‘s evil dictatorship impacted the lives of the dominican people and left a scar on their hearts forever. Since the assassination of Trujillo, the sisters have been recognized through their poems, letters, and books. Larry Rohter, author, explained in a 1997 New York Times article that “the sisters were known in their days as members of the anti-Trujillo underground, into symbols of both popular and feminist resistance.” This explains the power and freedom the sisters were able to achieve for themselves and for the Dominican society. The sisters fought for freedom continuously and were able to defeat a dictator with their power of

The novel In the time of the Butterflies by Julia Alvares is an incredible story about four sisters , known as the Mirabel sisters from the dominican republic. They want to over throw the Evil dictator rafael Trujillo. As a result of the deaths of the three sisters Dede is left to tell the story of her sisters and continues to keep the story alive. The author tells the story in a way where you can see how each sister shows courage and purpose. One of the purposes used in this novel was to show how important it is to help and care for others just like the Marible sisters cared for each other.

In the book “ In the Time of the Butterflies,” the author describes the lives of four revolutionary sisters in the Dominican Republic. These sisters were Dede, Patria, Maria Teresa, and Minerva Mirabal. Minerva was the one who stood out the most to me. The passion she had and showed made her sound like a sacrificial leader. Minerva was the type to stand up for what she believed in. Rafael Trujillo was the leader of the Dominican Republic, whatever he say or want to be changed it changes. He was a brutal dictator. Minerva showed him that she is brave and strong. In the book she stated “ I was the one always standing up to him”. When she needed his help she buttered him up into making a deal with her. The Mirabal sisters will always be a

Julia Alvarez’s In the Time of Butterflies is a work of historical fiction set in the Dominican Republic under the rule of powerful dictator known as Trujillo. Four sisters work together to resist a force greater than themselves to stand up for their beliefs and protect their family. Patria, Dede, Mate, and Minerva, “the butterflies”, experience the loss of their father and family members to the regime. They work together to retrieve them back or use their losses to drive them to overthrow their compelling government. Each of the sisters represent a larger theme of the novel such as religious importance, identity, or coming of age. Minerva Mirabal is driven by the need to escape the “cage” she is locked in by Trujillo. Therefore, the theme

A lot of important events occur between the chapters eight to ten in the novel In The Time of the Butterflies. First, Patria and Dede finally decide to help Minerva and Mate in the revolution. In the beginning Patria did not want to help because she was afraid of the trouble that would come if she joined. In addition, she was afraid for her oldest son Nelson, who she believed was following in the steps of his uncles, who were revolutionists too. Later she sent Nelson away to school, which I think was a good idea because it protected him from harm. Patria finally decided to help her sisters after she took a trip with her church group in the mountains and saw a young boy get shot during an invasion. She helped out by hiding boxes with weapons

Alvarez’s politically fueled novel caused several critics to attack the work, mentioning that she inaccurately portrays the sisters, fictionalizes the sisters’ childhoods, and clutters the story with misdeeds and misfortunes. Although Ruth Behar praises In the Time of The Butterflies in many aspects, she also expresses select criticism. Behar believes that Alvarez could have improved her novel by developing Dedé’s perspective more thoroughly and by expanding on her own role in the story as an interviewer. She explains her argument by stating, “But rather than explore the limits of recovering and

“In the Time of the Butterflies” takes place in the Dominican Republic in the 1960s. The author, Julia Alvarez is a native of the country, but moved to the US at a young age. She first heard about the sisters roughly around 1986 and instantly felt the need to share their story with the world. In the book, Alvarez tells the story of the Mirabal sisters and their fight for freedom against the Dominican dictator Trujillo. Rafael Trujillo reigned for about 30 years until his assassination in May of 1961. Trujillo’s reign of terror began in 1930 and the violence soon followed. The self centered dictator changed the names of cities and murdered roughly about 20,000 Haitians from the neighboring country. The book not only tells the sisters’

This journal will be about the final chapters of In The Time of the Butterflies. The story has finally reached its conclusion, and I think that the ending was very awful. I knew that the Mirabal sisters were going to be murdered, but to read about how they died in Dede's perspective broke my heart. A lot had happened before the story had reached this point. In chapter eleven, Mate and Minerva are in jail, and they struggle to keep hope alive. Their husbands, including Patria's husband, are all in jail too. They are sad that they have to be away from their families, especially their children. Minerva does her best to help Mate and the other people in jail. What I thought was interesting was that Mate had a change of heart after talking with