Emma Stavola, Niyah Goco, Yanibel Morales

Mrs. McKiddy

Pre AP ELA 9

21 March 2019

"In The Time of The Butterflies" Group Essay

Many people across the world constantly struggle due to injustices. A few incredible and

historical women, the Mirabal sisters of the Dominican Republic, stood up for what they

believed in and began a world changing revolution. These once ordinary women helped fix

society for the better and payed their lives in the process. In speeches like “Nobel Lecture” and

“A Saudi Women Who Dared to Drive” and the film “ The Secret State of North Korea,” this

idea of taking action against issues is portrayed. In the novel, “In The Time of The Butterflies”

Julia Alvarez proves that people become involved in revolutionary causes because of problems

like gender inequality, oppression against oneself or loved ones, and dictatorship.

[Emma] Ordinary people are engulfed by revolutionaries when one is affected directly by

an important problem, or even a loved one. For example, in the novel, “In The Time of The

Butterflies,” Minerva Mirabal becomes strongly aware and passionate in a revolution after her

new friend, Sinita, explains the way Trujillo affected her and her family. Minerva demonstrates

an ordinary person, who became greatly unhappy with the way Trujillo was treating their

country, due to what one close to her went through. As of many others, rebellion overcomes

them while feeling vigorous after the seizing of a prejudice on themself or a loved one. In

addition, in the “Nobel Lecture,” Malala Yousafzai speaks against the Taliban’s violations while

describing that her “...beautiful dreams turned into nightmares,” and “Education went from being
a right to being a crime.” As education was forbidden to be granted to Malala and her peers, she

became intensely interested in fighting for the rights she deserved. This cause was directly

hurting Malala and her future, giving her the passion to revolt. As Minerva Mirabal and Malala

Yousafzai, many ordinary people discover a desire to join a rebellion after being directly affected

by unequal rights, or loved ones.

[Niyah] Alvarez shows the hard life of gender inequality for women in the Dominican

Republic. Simply for standing for your beliefs is a crime. Minerva has always been the most

independent of her sisters. Always speaking her mind and strongly sticking to her opinion.

However, her actions have always come with restrictions. For example, Minerva had always

dreamt of pursuing her education and becoming a lawyer. She had told president Trujillo of these

goals and he prohibited her from following this occupation. He said education and the study of

law was no place for a women. Minerva was not allowed the same rights as a man as a result of

being a woman, something she has no control over. This caused Minerva and her sisters to join a

revolution against Trujillo and gender inequality. Society and even political stands show the

limitations on women and the harsh gender discrimination, causing passion to run through

people’s veins and joining revolutions for their rights. Equally important, in the speech “A Saudi

Woman Who Dared to Drive” by Manal al-Sharif, demonstrates gender inequality in Saudi

Arabia from her own story. Manal experiences oppression for the rights of driving in Saudi

Arabia. There originally was no law against driving as a woman in this country, but yet no

women would drive because of its looks on society, which made driving as a woman “taboo.”

Manal wanted driving and other rights to become a normal action in everyday life for women, so

she started a campaign to promote this. She decided to take it upon herself to take a video of
herself driving; she received death threats, threats of rape, and much more backlash. Manal

continued to rebel and abolished the taboo. Her and Minera’s actions towards this movement

provide an example as to why ordinary people embrace revolutionary causes.

[Yanibel] Thirdly, Alvarez and Frontline show themes of dictatorship. Alvarez shows this

by talking about Minerva and her sisters going to immaculate Concepcion. Alvarez states, “ one

time, I opened a cage [of the rabbit] to set a half grown doe free...but she wouldn't budge!...and

that's how I got free. I don't mean just going to sleep-away school on a train with a trunkful of

new things...i'd just left a small cage to go into a bigger one, the size of our whole country”

(Alvarez 11,13). ​Minerva desires freedom no matter what, while many people fear to leave their

comfortable cages, like she says in the text. The cage represents the dictatorship by showing the

rabbit inside the cage. Minerva says she relates to the rabbit by it being confined but soon

changes her mind when the rabbit decides not to leave the cage once opened because if it were

her she would have left. This rabbit metaphor continues later on in the chapter by talking about

how she had just convinced papa to let them go to immaculate. Minerva says how she just left

Papa's confinement but now is entering a bigger confinement. Situations like this one, having to

be in confinement because of a dictator will want to make people revolt against their dictator and

join a revolutionary. In addition, in Frontlines “Secret State of North Korea” shows how Kim

Jong-Un uses propaganda to establish dictatorship. Frontline shows this by showing a video of

Kim Jong-Un on a horse with soldiers surrounding him and stating how good of a leader he is

and how wise he is. He as well makes CD’s and videos prohibited inside North Korea.

(Frontline) This shows propaganda by showing how good Kim Jong-Un is when in reality he is

not what they make him out to be. He covers up the fact that he doesn't know what he is doing by
showing off how powerful he is and to run the country through fear. He also prohibits CD’s and

videos because he doesn't want the people to see other news outlets talking about north Korea

and what is going on. He wants the Koreans to stay oblivious to his acts and keep no form of

contact outside North Korea. This all shows how Kim Jong-Un is controlling North Korea and

the people in it showing his dictatorship.

In conclusion, in the novel “In the Time of The Butterflies” Julia Alvarez shows that

ordinary people become involved in revolutions because of gender discrimination, oppression

against oneself or loved ones, and dictatorship. Alvarez and the other sources teach their

audience to fight for all injustices and stand for what they believe in.