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Analysis Of In The Time Of The Butterflies By Julia Alvarez

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In the Time of the Butterflies
The title is significant because it represents how the Dominican Republic was governed by a dictator, his name was Rafael Trujillo. A group of three sisters formed a resistance to combat his rule. They became known by Las Mariposas or in english the butterflies. Their ultimate goal was to overthrow Trujillo. Alvarez chose this title to illustrate the journey that caterpillars proceed through to become butterflies.
In the Time of the Butterflies is a nonfiction novel about life in the Dominican Republic during Trujillo’s rule seen through the eyes of the Mirabal sisters. Julia Alvarez wrote this book because she wanted to tell the story of what she had to flee from with her family in the Dominican Republic. This book was published in 1994 and was written to show what it was like to …show more content…

They don’t want to anger their family but some of the ideas force them to make a choice of loyalty and civil duty. This is significant because they can either bite their lip and follow their family or they can disagree with family and upset everyone. The first external conflict is how Trujillo rules the Dominican Republic. This is significant because he treats them horribly such as how he takes young girls out of school and uses them for sex until he is done using them. Minerva faces an external struggle about her commitment to the revolution against Trujillo. This is significant because even after being imprisoned for months she still remained loyal to what she believed in.
In this novel, the story takes place in the Dominican Republic during many years starting in 1938 and going to 1994. Key settings include their father’s farm and Inmaculada Concepion. The mood of the story is an older rustic feeling because it of how in started in the early 1930s. It is significant because it determines how the reader feels about subjects such as Trujillo’s

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Then, Dictator Trujillo ordered his troops to murder three of the four Mirabal sisters and Sinita’s family. In the Time of the Butterflies is also structured as a hero’s journey because the novel is about four sisters

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In the Time of the Butterflies, written by Julia Alvarez follows the lives of the 4 Mirabal sisters: Minerva, Mate, Patria, and Dede in their efforts against the oppressive rule of Rafael Trujillo in the Dominican Republic. All 4 sisters have varying values and identities that dictate the way they respond to adversity and develop throughout the novel. Patria, the eldest and most religious sister, has a strong connection to her faith, while simultaneously trying to figure out its connection with her internal and external struggles. Throughout the novel, Alvarez shows how Patria's identity, namely her commitment to religion and driven, family oriented nature become a source of stability during adversity, showcasing the connection between faith

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In paragraph 27 it states ,”there were still old cronies of the dictator around who would love an excuse to go after my family after my father ,after her ,” the cronies were loyal servants to the dictator even when he was dead so alvarez's mother thought they were still in danger of being captured or killed ,because of the cronies the mother would live in fear unlike alvarez who didn't fully believe they would come after them . Alvarez wrote her novels knowing they may wreak havoc on her family members who were still in the dominican republic and maybe her parents and sisters. In paragraph 29 and 30 it talks about the last novel she wrote about the island and how her mother thought about it ,”I don't care what happens to us i'm so proud of you ,” her mother says ,alvarez wrote the novel at the risk of her family but her mother and her new the story had to be told and the things the people had to go through

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Aidan Colton Honors English Period D Mrs. Picozzi. In the Time of the Butterflies Prompt # 6 In “In the Time of the Butterflies” by Julia Alvarez, the Protagonists, the four Mirabal sisters are in a battle for freedom from a Dominican Dictatorship Regime (referred to as DDR in the rest of the essay). There are many big decisions in this book, all of these decisions will eventually lead to all but one of them getting killed.

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Julia Alvarez’s In the Time of the Butterflies is a work of historical fiction set in the Dominican Republic that focuses on the four Mirabal sisters who bond together to rebel against the corrupt leader of their country, Rafael Trujillo. The four Mirabal sisters, Patria, Dedé, Minerva, and María Teresa form closer relationships with each other as they figure out a way to bring down the tyranny of Rafael Trujillo. Although they have a mutual goal, each of the Mirabal sisters has different feelings and thoughts throughout this time period. The theme of coming-of-age and identify is best exemplified through the character of María Teresa, known as Mate, through the ways she matures throughout the novel and becomes her own person who stands up for what she believes in.

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Imagine living during the reign of Trujillo’s oppressing regime in the Dominican Republic. The events the occurred during this time were horrific, whether it was torture, or the assassination of innocent people Trujillo and his men were always installing fear into the people of the Dominican Republic. In Julia Alvarez’s In the Time of the Butterflies she delivers a firsthand account of the horrors of Trujillo’s regime, and how four sisters contributed to the ultimate downfall of Trujillo’s power. There were four sisters, but one particular one had the most effect on leading the revolt, and that is Minerva Mirabal.

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Butterflies are exceedingly beautiful. They gracefully fly as the sun beams on them endlessly. Their delicate wings allow them to be “free”. In Julia Alvarez’s novel “In The Time of The Butterflies”, four sisters (The Mirabals) from the Dominican Republic, encounter many obstacles. The novel takes place during Rafael Trujillo’s rule.

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It provides a role in character development shown predominantly in Patrias character. It shows the extent of Trujillo’s actions against the Dominican people by showing Patrias desperateness for her son. These examples depicted in the book show how the theme of religion has an impact on In the Time of the

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The Mirabal sisters were revolutionaries who opposed the dictatorship of Rafael Trujillo. During the revolution, they were given the code name “Las Mariposas”, or “the butterflies”. The term “mariposa” suits each sister in a different way. Patria, Dedé, Minerva, and Mate Mirabal each have their one reason to be compared to a butterfly. The nickname “mariposa” shows who the Mirabal sisters are; they transformed from domestic, innocent mothers and wives into brave, defiant martyrs for national freedom.

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