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Leigh Ann Mata Dr. Diana Dominguez ENGL 2341.28R 26 November 2016 Butterflies Literary Analysis Essay For many years the world has been divided into two distinct classes – the rich and the poor. But does this actually affect the way one notices the world? In the short story “Butterflies”, Patricia Grace portrays the different perspectives opposite classes have towards the world. In order to get her messages across the reader, Patricia Grace uses setting as well as literary devices such as symbolism, irony and metaphors throughout the story. The short story begins with a couple of grandparents sending their granddaughter off to school. They proudly inform their neighbor of how well she is doing and how their granddaughter writes in her book …show more content…
The story does not physically state the grandparents are farmers, but one can assume they are from textual evidence given. “…her grandfather was hoeing around the cabbages. Her grandmother was picking beans. They stopped their work” (par. 8). As farmers, one would assume they are poor and have little or no education, hence the reason why they are so proud about having their granddaughter attend school. Despite the fact that the grandparents are not as educated or as one may call it “book smart”, they do happen to be “street smart”. They know from personal experience that butterflies ruin crops therefore they must kill them in order to preserve the …show more content…
At school, the granddaughter reads her story to her teacher. She tells her ‘I killed all the butterflies’ (par. 17), shows her a drawing she made and says ‘This is me and this is all the butterflies’ (par.17). The teacher responds ‘butterflies are beautiful creatures. They hatch out and fly in the sun. The butterflies visit all the pretty flowers, they lay their eggs and then they die. You don’t kill butterflies.’ As a teacher, one would think they should be knowledgeable in the life cycle of a simple butterfly. They should know that caterpillars feed off leaves that are close to the ground and could damage the plants. It is understandable to make such a comment if the teacher had no idea the granddaughter lived on a farm with her grandparents. But either way, isn’t school a place for new ideas? Why not ask the student why she does such a thing? Why does the teacher immediately say what she is doing is
The novel Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott is a book that was written in order to provide “Some instructions on writing and life.” Lamott published the book in 1994 in hopes to share the secrets of what it is truly like to be a writer, as both a warning and as encouragement. Bird by Bird shares with the reader the ironic truth of being a struggling writer through personal experience and humorous stories. Lamott uses memories from her past to help illustrate her points and to help the reader get to know who she is, not only as a writer, but as a person. The author focuses on the true struggles and benefits of being a writer while using metaphors and analogies to express her points, she also wraps her life stories around almost every writing tip.
Through the novel In the Time of the Butterflies, Julia Alvarez paints a picture of life in the Dominican Republic under the dictatorship of Rafael Leónidas Trujillo Molina, also known as El Jefe. His rise to power started with National Guard and eventually by 1928, led to the role of Commander in Chief in the new National Armed Forces. By thirty-seven, through the “Secret of Trujillo” – or intimidation tactics, manipulation of his military control, and fraud - he secured the position of president and control of the residents (Alvarez 17). Life under the dictator was very restrained as he had banned anyone or anything that could express dissent, took control of trade and property, and established a secret police to do his bidding. In the
In the passage from “Outliers”, published in November of 2008, acclaimed author Malcom Gladwell discusses class and argues that being a part of a higher class comes with its advantages in regards to being successful. He supports this claim by using rhetorical strategies such as ethos, example and comparison, along with an unvarnished tone, with the purpose of exhibiting the advantages of social class on success.
“We are in the midst of a violent backlash against feminism that uses images of female beauty as a political weapon against women’s advancement” (Naomi Wolf). In the novel, In the Time of the Butterflies, the setting takes place in the Dominican Republic in the late 20th century. At this time, the country is under the control of a dictator known as Rafael Trujillo. The author, Julia Alvarez, provides flashbacks on the lives of four siblings: Dede, Minerva, Patria and Maria Theresa, and they are known as the Mirabal sisters. Before the book begins, it is known that the sisters, excluding Dede will die because of the actions of Trujillo. Machismo, meaning a strong sense of masculine pride, is worshipped throughout Latin America. Men value their
In history, the heroes are the ones who see the faults before the problem has risen, the ones who raise a voice when everyone else is silent, and the ones who decide to change the world even if they stand alone. In The Time Of The Butterflies, Minerva Mirabal is the main character because she is the first person to open up the eyes of her family members to the true injustice being committed in her society. This novel takes place in the Dominican Republic where a dictator named Rafael Trujillo controls everything and everyone. Growing up during this time Minerva has always had a restless and rebellious urge to fight for what she wants. In The Time Of The Butterflies, Minerva is the main character because she believes that her actions and choices don't just affect her, but her entire country. It is not just her fight. It's everyone's.
The novel; In the Time of Butterflies, by Julia Alvarez depicts the story of four sisters under the rule of Rafael Trujillo in the Dominican Republic. The tyranny that resulted from his rule ended many lives of innocent people. This disregard for human life ruined the Mirabel sister’s lives and resulted in the death of three of them. This lasted until his assassination. Throughout the story the author switches between the view points of the sisters in order to tell her tail.
Fifty-seven years ago on an abandoned road in the Dominican Republic, three venerated sisters and their driver were murdered. Their death actuated the eradication of the vicious dictator, Rafael Trujillo. In the Time of the Butterflies by Julia Alvarez illustrates this compelling story: the story of the Mirabal sisters. The author gives life to these women as a tribute to them and as an attempt to share their heroism and bravery with North American readers who were not familiar with the sisters’ impact. Critical reviews of Alvarez’s novel differ. Many critics praise the novel, some identify weaknesses in the work, and one critic categorizes the work as belonging to a new genre.
In the Time of the Butterflies is a book written by Julia Alvarez about the four Mirabal sisters and their lives during the Dominican Republic revolution. The revolution was meant to overthrow dictator Rafael Trujillo. Patria Mirabal was the oldest of the four sisters and the most religious. She was convinced that she wanted to be a nun, but later starts to change her mind.
The diversity in the stories The Moth has to offer is incredible. The two stories that I listened to could not have been more different. One was about the capture of one of the most notorious criminals of all time, the other was about a simple pastry chef who ends up getting a job at the white house. Both stories were incredibly well told and interesting, despite being different in every way possible.
The Mirabal sisters are no wilting flowers. The female protagonists in The Time of the Butterflies fought for their rights against a corrupted government using their full blown feminist powers. The citizens know them as “the butterflies” and see them as leaders. The beautiful sisters did what few men had been willing to do. Patria, the eldest, kept herself engaged in her children and religious activities while Dede, the second eldest, focused on pleasing her mother and being a reliable partner and sister. The third sister is Minerva, who is the firecracker in the family. She doesn't fear speaking to a crowd and giving her opinion. Maria Teresa in the youngest. She looks up to her sisters and isn’t loves to charm boys with her looks and spirit.
Out from the kitchen and into the world, women are making a better name for themselves. Although humankind tends to be male dominated, men are not the only species that inhabit the world that they live on. In Julia Alvarez's novel In the Time of the Butterflies, the women of the Dominican Republic are expected to grow up to be housewives and lacking a formal education. Women may be cherished like national treasures, but they are not expected to fulfill their truest potentials as human beings.
For my Writing I class, I was required to choose between two books and write a review about it. Not much of reader, I was reluctant in reading any of the books; it felt like a burden. Having a prior knowledge of one of the texts, I had no desire to read the other novel. I could’ve chose to read and write about the novel I knew about, but I’m glad I chose to go beyond my comfort zone to read In the Time of the Butterflies. Believing the novel is more a biography, I had little expectation. As soon as I read the part that the father had three daughters and really wanted a son, I was captivated to continue reading especially considering how much I related to that story. This book went further and I couldn’t stop reading that, I finished the 321 page novel in three days breaking my own record.
Fear is 99% of the reason why social change never occurs. In In the time of the Butterflies by Julia Alvarez, the Dominican people are oppressed by the dictator at the time, Trujillo, and never do anything about it. Perhaps some are too naive to understand what is going on. Perhaps it is the police state or the regime as a fear factor. Perhaps they support the regime because their lives depend on it. Either way, people lacked the urge to fight the monolithic power of Trujillo. The Mirabal Sisters present an opportunity and a model for others due to their solidarity and fierce nationalistic feelings towards the dictatorship. Social change can only occur when the people are willing to be informed, take action, and a catalyst occurs.
The Grandmother often finds herself at odds with the rest of her family. Everyone feels her domineering attitude over her family, even the youngest child knows that she's "afraid she'd miss something she has to go everywhere we go"(Good Man 2). Yet this accusation doesn't seem to phase the grandmother, and when it is her fault alone that the family gets into the car accident and is found by the Misfit, she decides to try to talk her way out of this terrible predicament.
The marxist lens reflects the gap between the rich and the poor during the 1920’s through the glass ceiling effect and female economic status. The glass ceiling is an unseen and unbreakable barrier that keeps one from rising to the upper class regardless of their qualifications or achievements. The different settings in the novel represent this effect: East Egg, the Valley of Ashes, and