ipl-logo

Theme Of Before We Were Free By Julia Alvarez

516 Words3 Pages

“I wonder what it would be like to be free? Not to need wings because you don’t have to fly away from your country?”. Before we were Free is a novel written by Julia Alvarez. This book is about an adolescent girl named Anita. Anita and her family live in the Dominican Republic. Anita lives with her Papi, Mami, Mundin, Lucinda, and Chucha. Most of Anita’s relatives have moved to other areas other than the Dominican Republic, mainly the United States. Now it’s Anita’s turn. Anita’s family strives to escape and be free from the dictator, El Jefe. She risks everything in order to obtain freedom. She loses things she values most, though she remains gallant through it all. Julia Alvarez helped me comprehend the theme of this novel with 3 simple elements of the story which are character, conflict, and tone. …show more content…

It’s Anita’s first person POV. Her thoughts and actions helped me grasp the meaning of the theme. In the novel Anita loses her Papi on her journey to freedom and she asks herself “How can I really be free without Papi in my life?”. Anita was very mournful for when her Papi died, though she tried her best to be cheerful, even though at times she couldn’t. Another main character in this novel is Mami. “She looks so sad and thin..” She referring to Mami, has also been defeated after the passing of Papi. Both Anita and Mami are dynamic characters in this story and have impacted the theme of this story. Character is very major in understanding theme, though another important element is

Show More
Related

Comparing The Mirabal Sisters In In The Time Of The Butterflies

297 Words | 2 Pages

In the Dominican Republic, women were expected to go by what their husbands and fathers said. Women portrayed to have less power and authority than men. In “In the Time of the Butterflies”, the Mirabal sisters showed something very differently, instead they demonstrated the equal authority they have with their husbands. Their power challenged gender limitations that were forced on them by their patriarchal Dominican culture. Minerva, Patria, and Maria Teresa all were sisters who became involved in political movements against President Trujillo.

Read More

Summary Of Time Of The Butterflies By Julia Alvarez

683 Words | 3 Pages

Time of the Butterflies by Julia Alvarez is the inspiring story about the four Mirabal sisters who grew up in the dictatorship of the Dominican Republic. The novel depicts the events that leads up to the deaths of three of the sisters: Patria, Maria Teresa, and Minerva and shows how the remaining sibling, Dedé, deals with both grief and regret. Alvarez explores the dangerous history of the Hispanic Caribbean through fiction in hopes that her readers will be able to truly grasp the impact the lives of the Mirabals had on the Dominican Republic. While many different topics are discussed in the book, the violation of human rights and political unrest is what drives the plot of the book.

Read More

Summary Of In The Time Of The Butterflies By Julia Alvarez

1222 Words | 5 Pages

Julia Alvarez’s In the Time of the Butterflies tells the story of three sisters’ daring stand against an oppressive leader. Set in the Dominican Republic during the 1990s, In the Time of the Butterflies follows the interpersonal relationships and revolutionary affairs of the Mirabal sisters: Patria, Dede, Maria Teresa, and Minerva. A masterfully crafted work of historical fiction, the novel interweaves the real life and times of the Mirabal sisters with fiction and emotion.

Read More

Analysis Of Julia Alvarez: A Genetic Of Justice

543 Words | 3 Pages

Alvarez and her family have a lot of trauma considering there lives in the dominican republic and living under the dictator,through it all alvarez's parents raised a daughter who would share their story in a fashionable matter that told the story how it was.

Read More

In The Time Of The Butterflies Theme Essay

1029 Words | 5 Pages

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.

Read More

How To Struggle In Julia Alvarez's In The Time Of The Butterflies

997 Words | 4 Pages

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.

Read More

Theme Of Volar By Helena Viramontes

1223 Words | 5 Pages

In this analysis I will be comparing and contrasting “Volar” by Judith Ortiz and “The Moths” by Helena Viramontes. They are alike in various ways , but also different in a variety of ways. They both have the same central theme. In both the stories the protagonist suffer from the pain faced by a young adolescent's who not fulfill the conventional expectations of femininity. Helena Viramontes short story takes place in a latino neighborhood that is located in Los Angeles, California.

Read More

Time Of The Butterflies By Julia Alvarez Character Analysis

919 Words | 4 Pages

Reading through the intrepid journeys of this novel, we come to learn about each of the four Mirabal sisters, along with her attitude and actions towards her merciless leader. In Julia Alvarez’s In The Time of the Butterflies, readers are introduced to four sisters living under the dictatorship of Rafael Trujillo, the head of the Dominican Republic. All sisters harbor an intense hatred for the state, but among them, two sisters in particular bear stronger differences than the others—Minerva and Dedé. Minerva is an adamant character who delves deeper into the secrets of Trujillo and the coming revolution, whereas Dedé’s character shies away and lingers in the back.

Read More

In The Time Of The Butterflies Patria Character Analysis

540 Words | 3 Pages

Courage Courage is strength in the face of pain. Julia Alvarez portrays different types of courage in her novel, In the Time of the Butterflies. The novel is set during the time of Trujillo's dictatorship in the Dominican Republic. As a result, some of the Mirabal sisters; Minerva, Maria Teresa, and Patria, to take a step in joining a revolution against him.

Read More

Freedom Depicted In Among The Hidden, By Brooke Ross

849 Words | 4 Pages

Nelson Mandela, former President of South Africa, once said, “For to be free is not merely to cast off one's chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others”. This means that being free is more than not being physically locked up, but to go beyond the physical. It is about living life in a way that helps others achieve the freedom that they deserve. In the novel, Among the Hidden, by Margaret Peterson Haddix, Luke Garner is a third child and because of the Population Law he is illegal and doesn’t have the freedom that his brothers have. Similarly, in “Two Sisters Two Americas”, by Brooke Ross, Veronica Saravia came to the US without permission, making her an illegal immigrant, yet her younger sister, who was born

Read More

Symbolism In Liberty, By Julia Alvarez

405 Words | 2 Pages

In the short story Liberty by Julia Alvarez,Julia uses dialogue to symbolize that all liberty involves sacrifices. In the text Mami and Papi have been stressing how important it was for them to get thier visas and how exciting it will be to go to Amercia, but when the oppurtunity came they realized you can’t gain without lost. On lines 250-257, Julia realizes that she will have to leave Liberty in the Dominican Republic which is hard for her since she had grown so fond of her new dog. ”He doesn’t understand and keeps following me. Finally I have to resort to Mami’s techniques.

Read More

Theme Of Sacrifice And Freedom

1016 Words | 5 Pages

Sacrifice is defined as giving up something important or valued for the sake of other considerations, while freedom is defined as the power or right to act, speak, or think as one wants without hindrance or restraint. Through the actions of the characters in the passage, readers learn the themes of sacrifice and freedom. Harriet Tubman and Thomas Garrett show these traits through their vigilant efforts to free slaves. Furthermore, Ellen Craft demonstrates the themes for freedom and sacrifice in her effort to free both herself and her husband. Throughout the passage, these people demonstrate the themes of sacrifice and freedom with their actions and dialogue.

Read More

The Outsiders: Comparison Of Book And Movie

779 Words | 4 Pages

To me the best theme in the story is friendship. I believe that every person needs to show friendship to

Read More

Compare And Contrast The Old Man And The Sea

757 Words | 4 Pages

Every novel or stories gives a fundamental ideas or lesson for the readers. Most of the lesson are informative and it brings a changes to the readers mind. There will be a universal of an ideas explored in a literature and readers can abstract numerous themes depending on each individual. Similarly, in the novel “the old man and the sea” Hemingway depicted several themes related to nature, people and so on. However determination can also be one of the theme for the readers because the old man, Santiago didn’t gave up fishing even if he had cramp but he took this as an encouragement in his old age.

Read More

Literary Analysis Of Louise Erdrich's 'Captivity'

957 Words | 4 Pages

Captivity is defined as the state of being imprisoned or confined. A tragic experience is given a whole new perspective from Louise Erdrich 's poem, “Captivity”. Through descriptive imagery and a melancholic tone, we can see the poem and theme develop in her words. Erdrich takes a quote from Mary Rowlandson’s narrative about her imprisonment by the Native Americans and her response to this brings readers a different story based off of the epigraph. Louise Erdrich compiles various literary devices to convey her theme of sympathy, and her poem “Captivity” through specific and descriptive language brings a whole new meaning to Mary Rowlandson’s narrative.

Read More

More about Theme Of Before We Were Free By Julia Alvarez

Related Topics

Open Document