Rhetorical Analysis of In the Time of the Butterflies Julia Alvarez, in her novel, In the Time of the Butterflies, emphasizes the humanity of the Mirabal sisters, that many portrayals of leave out, in favor of highlighting their heroism. In order to make the Mirabals more relatable and to show that there’s a hero hidden in all of us, she (Alvarez) shows us their weaknesses, their fears,and most importantly, their faults. Alvarez’s purpose in my selected passage (pages 108-112), is to show that even in a scene where from the outside, Minerva’s behavior would often be perceived as courageous (and probably a bit stupid), Minerva Mirabal is in fact, filled with a sense of dread, and doom. Alvarez opens Minerva's scene at the National Police Headquarters…
Today,The Mirabal sisters are honored and recognized as heroines in the Dominican Republic. Thirty-nine years after the sister’s death the following day was enforced, “International Day Against Violence Against Women”. They were classified as symbols of courageous, loving, and sacrificing. In the book “In the Time of the Butterflies” written by Julia Alvarez, the character Minerva Mirabal stood out the most. She was a person who stood up to any and everything she disagreed with.…
The book is about a nonfiction story of three Dominican sisters who, in 1960 were killed for their attempt to overthrow the government. This book show all the difficulties and hardship the miraval sister and others went through while Rafael Trujillo was president. He was a physchopath and inhuman leader. Trujillo made all his enemies and anyone that disagreed with him disappear like they never existed. As you can see he was one of the most brutal man in…
In the novel "In the time of the Butterfly" by Julia Alvarez theirs four Mirabal sisters that live in Dominican Republic. The Mirabal sisters are all referred to as "butterflies". In the time of the butterflies talks about how the four courageous sisters came together to save their country. The sisters start of by not knowing nothing political to fixing it all. There's time when they struggle and put themselves at risk but they always worked together to go against Trujillo.…
“In The Time of The Butterflies” is the story of three brave sisters who chose to fight against the brutal regime of Rafael Trujillo. Their courage led to the eventual overthrow of Trujillo, despite not being alive to witness the outcomes of their sacrifice, their story will continue to live on through this novel. “In the Time of the Butterflies” was written by Julia Alvarez. Julia Alvarez was born in New York before her parents returned to the Dominican Republic. This is where her father got involved in the underground rebellion against Rafael Trujillo, consequently falling into deep trouble.…
Minerva’s courage came when she lied saying,”It was part of the play.” By doing so she made herself a threat to Trujillo. Rafael Trujillo is a dictator and leader of the Dominican Republic. Trujillo took control of the Dominican Republic in 1891 to 1961.…
Sources Of Power And Their Consequences People naturally craved power and believe money can achieve that. Some people can use that power for the good of everybody and some use power for their own good. Most people are wrong about the sources of power, having money only does half the job. Power comes from gender, race and education and used for people’s selfish desires as seen in the book Kindred by Octavia Butler. Gender plays a role in obtaining power.…
The 1940s and 50s, a troubling time for women all around the world, because they almost had no rights. At this time women could only do so much, like the cooking, cleaning, taking care of the children, caring for their husband, and doing everything he says. That is what the Mirabal sisters, from In the Time of the Butterflies, have to go through everyday and it can take a toll on someone. This is shown in the way the sisters are talked to, how they act, the way they are treated, and even how they are looked…
In The Time of The Butterflies The novel, “In the Time of the Butterflies,” by Julia Alvarez shows a persistent amount of courage with the main characters. The background of In the Time of the Butterflies is mid-20th century Dominican Republic under the dictatorship of Rafael Leonidas Trujillo and the story of the Mirabal Sisters. The Dominican Republic is ruled by a fascist dictator named Rafael Leonidas Trujillo or El Jefe, who runs and ruins everybody life who do not listen. The Mirabal Sisters were four sisters who formed a rebellion against the malevolent dictator and were killed because of his constant abuses against the people. One of the sisters, Minerva, shows exemplary amounts of courage throughout the novel.…
“In the Time of the Butterflies” is a historical novel by Julia Alvarez, relating an account of the Mirabal sisters during the time of the Trujillo dictatorship in the Dominican Republic. Maria Teresa is the youngest of the four Mirabal sisters. She is very superficial and materialistic in the beginning of the story, but she becomes a resilient, strong-willed revolutionary hero. Further, Maria Teresa is willing to sacrifice herself for the sake of her family’s right for a liberal nation. Maria Teresa is very artificial and bourgeois in the beginning of the story, but she becomes a robust, determined revolutionary hero.…
When in reality he is a cruel dictator. The Mirabel Sisters, also referred to as The Butterflies (Patria, Minerva, and Maria Teresa) were all brutally murdered because they involved in the movement to dispose Dominican dictator, Rafael Trujillo. With all the chaos happening, about the extended family and the Washburn’s moving in, the SIM don’t mind it because they suddenly burst into Anita’s house searching everywhere for Tio Toni, who is involved in the rebellion. The SIM are leaving their cars parked outside for days, forcing everyone to talk in hushed voices. Lucinda secretly and quietly explains why everyone is whispering in hushed voices in the house, “The SIM have probably hidden microphones in the house and are monitoring our…
The life and development of a young girl. The freedom and rights of people taken away through an unjust use of power. The fight to win it back. These are all crucial components of the novel “Before we Were Free” by Julia Alvarez. The story shows the growth of the young girl, Anita as she slowly comes out of her chrysalis to become a butterfly who struggles to gain back her freedom and to grow the strength to soar high out in the open sky of her home country, the Dominican Republic.…
The article “Are men born with power?” by Helen Fisher examines the reasons for males’ historical dominance over women from the point of view of biology. According to Fisher the aggressive behavior depends on the presence of hormones like testosterone and serotonin. And high position in society is linked with the high level of male hormones in men and monkeys. For instance, male monkeys have higher levels of serotonin in their blood.…
Rain is much more than weather in literature. In Julia Alvarez’s In the Time of the Butterflies, rain is used to symbolize a time of trouble and confusion that has washed over the country, but the destructive element of the weather is also used to symbolize the new start that is to come for the Dominican Republic. In Minerva’s chapter six, a large section of the chapter is titled “Rainy Spell.” When Minerva says “The rain comes down all morning, beating against the shutters, blurring the sounds inside the house.…
The quote is a good example of the families involved in the regime against the dictator who had to be brave, above all other, knowing that one day they will be free. The bravery had spread like a tsunami wave around the Dominican Republic, right after the “butterflies” were brutally murdered. Throughout the novel, glimpses of the “mariposa” story show up. The butterflies consist of four sisters who started to plot against the dictatorship. When three of the women were driving on a deserted road they were confronted by the SIM, brutally murdered, placed in their car and pushed off a cliff, in order to make it look like an accident.…