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What Is The Narration Of Helena Maria Viramontes 'The Moths'

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Everyone has a favorite piece of literature they have read in school; whether it is a poem from a man who is too afraid to be himself or a story on the difficulty of finding good men. “The Moths” by Helena Maria Viramontes tells the story of a young girl who has been bullied relentlessly by her family except her grandmother who takes care of her. Viramontes’ “The Moths” has been the most memorable text I have read because it is a narrative focusing on the detrimental effects of tradition and the oppression of women by providing a protagonist who is not afraid to rebel against tradition or those who hold her down. The text creates recognizable emotions in my heart due to the fact that the protagonist feels safe around a certain person in her life. Viramontes uses, “I always felt her gray eye on me. It made me feel, in a strange sort of way, safe and guarded and not alone. Like God was supposed to make you feel,” to express the strong connection between Abuelita and the narrator. Like the narrator, I didn’t have the best relationship with my siblings when we were younger. We would constantly argue and fight but no matter what I knew my mom was there. Although showing emotion was difficult because my mom never cried. She would hide hints of sadness and never cried. For me, I could never show emotion because either way I would end up being …show more content…

“I wasn’t even pretty or nice like my older sisters and I just couldn’t do the girl things they could do” (Viramontes), is a phrase used by the narrator to express how she feels compared to her sisters. Many girls in the world have been compared to those around them, whether they are fantastic at sports but aren’t ‘feminine enough’ or the most intelligent but can’t cook. In society, women are made to be housewives and have to look and act a certain way: well dressed, no questioning anything, and obedient. Taylor Swift once said, “They'd say I

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Do you have secrets that you would never tell anyone else? In the Time of the Butterflies by Julia Alvarez formats Maria Teresa’s chapter as a diary to offer the reader a more personal connection to the character and her life story. Maria Teresa, who is eleven and twelve in this chapter, confides in her “Little Book” and tells it things that she would never tell others, like how she cries when others laugh at her (Alvarez 31). Through the reader being able to read her diary, they know something that Maria Teresa’s family and friends do not know giving the reader a more intimate connection with the character. It also allows the reader to become more invested in the story because they now want to see if any of Maria Teresa’s secrets have

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As the historical fictional work of Julia Alvarez in In the Time of The Butterflies goes on, Alvarez is actually the interview woman, telling the story through the interviewer’s eyes. In the beginning, Papa predicts Dede’s future and not any of her sisters’ futures which inform readers that not only are all the sisters’ special but that Dede has her part to continue the legacy of her sisters. After living under the control of Trujillo, an evil and corrupt president, the sisters risked their own lives by starting rebellions and joining movements secretly against Trujillo. Dede, who didn’t join the rebellion, watched helplessly as her family fell apart: First, with the death of Papa, and later on the deaths of her sisters who were arrested. These sisters were nicknamed Mariposa which means butterflies to show how fearless they were to stand up for their beliefs.

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Determination and dedication is always hard, especially when trying to or being a revolutionary. In In the Time of the Butterflies by Julia Alvarez these sisters are facing many challenges and bumps while trying to do what is right. While all the sisters are revolutionaries there is always a struggle, not only for the girls but Trujillo too. All the things the girls try to or do to Trujillo just to lose their life means barely anything a couple months later after they die because Trujillo dies too. In Julia Alvarez’s novel In the Time of the Butterflies, she depicts the Mirabal sisters as revolutionaries through the characteristics of determination and passionate.

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In the Time of the Butterflies by Julia Alvarez portrays the Dominican Republics in a time where Rafael Leonidas Trujillo is the ruthless dictator. Throughout the novel, Trujillo accentuates the idea of manipulation by controlling all aspects of Dominican life and manipulates Dominicans from an early age by alluding himself to be the ideal leader. In the beginning of the novel there is a passage from a textbook that is meant for young Dominican children: “All through nature there is a feeling of ecstasy. A strange otherworldly light suffuses the house smelling of the labor and sanctity.

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In the book In the Time of the Butterflies by Julia Alvarez, Minerva is shown to be motivated to fight for the revolution and for the people. This revolutionary mindset has led her to fight against Trujillo, led her into prison, and eventually led to her death. Her attempts weren’t for nothing though as Trujillo would fall shortly after and Minerva and her sisters would be remembered as leaders of the revolution. Throughout her life Minerva’s relationships and health has been greatly impacted by her revolutionary ideologies because of how devoted she is to her goals, her relationships with her sisters, and her mental health struggles after being released from prison. Minerva’s driving motivation throughout a good part of her life had been

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From February of 1930 through May of 1961, the Dominican Republic fell subject to the tyranny of General Rafael Trujillo. Throughout his dictatorship, Trujillo relentlessly abused his power of authority and exploited the rights of his citizens. Meanwhile, underground resistance movements began to form, all with the intentions of expelling Trujillo from power. Though these resistance movements were mostly comprised of men, it is the Mirabal sisters who are likely the most notorious of these revolutionaries. In her novel

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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.

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Having the Courage to Rise Against Imagine this… the United States, a beloved nation, being ruled by one individual, the rules of the country being entirely arbitrary, rules based on violence and force, having no difference between state and government, and last of all having little to no rights or freedom. The picture that was just painted would be the United States if it were under a dictatorship. Currently in the world there are still forty nine countries that are run under a dictatorship. Out of one hundred and ninety five total countries one hundred and forty six managed to escape the fate of a being under a dictatorship.

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I think I do.’ He smiles. ‘For the first time in your life’” (Friesen 32). On the contrary, in “Boys and Girls”, characterization is shown through the disputed sexism throughout the story. The female narrator, feels that her female role models such as her mother and grandmother help create who she becomes.

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Butterflies, as free as they may seem, were once creatures incapable of flying along their own paths. As caterpillars, their mobility confines them and limits their abilities. Through their development in metamorphosis, caterpillars turn into an independent insect worth marveling over. In the novel In the Time of the Butterflies by Julia Alvarez, the symbol of a butterfly fits Patria Mercedes Mirabal well because her views on the rebellion change suddenly and dramatically, from isolation to involvement. Just like a butterfly, Patria Mercedes Mirabal changes as time and her surroundings require her to.

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The overwhelming power of emotion in In the Time of the Butterflies created more of a story line and encouraged the reader to read more. On one trip to visit Minerva’s husband in prison, “Manolo’s mood had changed, saying it was over for them and insisted on goodbyes” (Alvarez 268). Clutching Manolo’s hands, Minerva wept when she realized the men were being taken out of their cells at night in small group and killed. These strong emotions were placed all over the book, making me enjoy the pages as I read even more than

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573 Words | 3 Pages

Luce begins with a lighter and subtle tone, calling the women, “Sisters” and presenting on how women “still have lipsticks, and even silk stockings… [and] have gone into uniforms… [that] are made of good cloth and are well cut”. By providing examples of women’s lavish outlook, Luce defines women’s lifestyle as “glamorous”, expressing how fortunate the women are.

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Some poems are lengthy, and some poems can be very short, however when analyzed, they all express a deeper message. For example, when examining the poem, "The Changeling," by Judith Ortiz Cofer, the reader can easily spot the important message which the author is trying to reveal to the reader through the use of poetic devices. When closely reading this poem, the language and the terminology applied by Cofer enhances the readers ability to make connections between the theme of this poem and how it can be applied to real world scenarios. The poetic devices incorporated into the poem, "The Changeling," reflect on how young children interpret gender roles in their own way.

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This novel is also autobiographical. Throughout history, women have been locked in a struggle to free themselves from the borderline that separates and differentiate themselves from men. In many circles, it is agreed that the battleground for this struggle and fight exists in literature. In a

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