Group 1

Kaden Y., Jack M., Samuel L.

Ms. Woelke

Pre-AP English 9

8 February 2019

“Violence Against Women and the Example of the Mirabal Sisters” Essay

In Minou Mirabal’s moving speech “Violence against Women and the Example of the

Mirabal Sisters” (6 November, 2006), she expresses that violence against women is a huge

problem that should be addressed. The author first shows this by giving examples of how badly

women were treated throughout history, especially in the Dominican Republic; she then shows

how women are constantly mistreated by giving shocking, and somewhat depressing, statistics of

domestic abuse according to her source, the “office of the National Prosecutor,” and to conclude,

she proves the treatment of women to be negative through use of personal anecdotes about how

the Dominican Republic treated her mother. Her purpose is to inform people about how people

throughout history have treated women, and persuade the audience in order to stop the way

people have treated women, and hopefully make men and women equals. She seems to have an

audience that has a passion to end sexual discrimination in mind because she presents to the

audience ways to end the mistreatment of women tells the audience how she will need

everybodies help in order to stop the sexism present throughout history.

In the very beginning of the speech, Minou uses facts and emotional vocabulary to show

that women treated unequally and sometimes violently. For example, Minou talks about the

strength of the Taina women. She expresses the Tainan women’s strength by telling the audience
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about their “group suicide[s] in order to avoid bearing children for the Spanish Conquistadors”

which Minou then comments how it was “the first expression of political participation known to

the history of the island” (Tavarez Mirabal 1). This shows how strong women can be when

forced to do something they do not want to do, in this case commit suicide. However, although

the women in this quote are depicted as courageous, Minou explains that they had to do this

because they were raped and forced to bear children of their rapist, the Spanish Conquistadors.

Another example, of women being treated unequally is expressed through the use of loaded

language. Minou does this by describing the treatment of women in heavily negative words and

phrases like saying that they are the “invisible half of history” because women are “virtually

buried by history” (Tavarez Mirabal 1). The connotation of the vocabulary implies that Minou

believes this very problematic for not just women, but other people who would want to learn

about the history of women. This shows how the history of mankind has always treated women

unequally to a man, by not even mentioning the contributions of some women, like political and

social justice. For these reasons, and many more, Minou creates a serious atmosphere in the

introduction by addressing the treatment of women through historical context and loaded

language. -Samuel Lopez

In the middle of the speech, Minou Mirabal informs that all voices are needed in a

democracy to end violence of women and gender inequality using shocking facts, personal

stories, and loaded language. Minou states, “a woman is raped every five and a half hours” to

inform of the worst things that happen all around us everyday.(Mirabal 2) This portrays that

violence of women needs to be put to end. Although this may just seem like violence, this may

also be the outcome of people underestimating women and becoming vulnerable. Minou then
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uses a personal experience of a past dictatorship, trujillo, in the Dominican Republic. The

dictator “never permitted to practice her profession” because she was a woman, the Mirabal

sisters, trying to succeed in their lives, were even “Beaten to death” (Mirabal 3). This shows that

women were being treated unfairly and some countries may still have women unequal to men.

This comes to show that many rules have changed, but some horrible rules are still around. Men

and women should always be equal to each other along with an end to the violence of women all

over the world. -Kaden Young

At the end of the speech, Mirabal uses a strong and hopeful tone to call readers to action,

and for them to remember the example that Minerva Mirabal set. For example, the speaker talks

about how “Minerva (still) lives,” as an example of a hero and an important role model

encouraging people to raise their voice against injustice.(Tavarez Mirabal 4)Minerva’s impact on

equality created awareness and encourages others to rise up. Another example of Minerva’s

powerful life after her death described in the speech was when the speaker quoted her when she

said “...If they kill me, I shall reach my arms out of my grave and become stronger,” which

represents a huge symbol of how she affects the world after her shortened life.(Tavarez Mirabal

4).The terrible dictator, Trujillo, assassinating the Mirabal sisters made the impact of the words

and actions of the sisters be exemplified throughout time.-Jack Meredith

In Minou Mirabal’s speech, she communicates that there is too much unnecessary

violence against women throughout history. The author first indicates this through the use of

research and historical context of the struggles of women in the Dominican Republic, she then

portrays how women have been abused through shocking facts and personal experiences, and to

conclude she then communicates that these struggles can change by using a strong, hopeful tone
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and by using colorful language. Minou uses these strategies in order to hopefully get the

audience or other readers to join multiple movements to end gender discrimination against

women.