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Impact of trujillos dictatorship on the dominican republic
Essay about julia alvarez
In the time of the butterflies themes themes conclusion
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Rafael Trujillo’s rule over the Dominican Republic is considered one of the bloodiest era’s in history. Responsible for the deaths of over 30,000 people, Trujillo became infamous for his tyrannical reign. The four Mirabal sisters, Patria, Dedé, Minerva, and Maria Teresa, along with friends and family, were activists in the revolution to overthrow Trujillo. Affected by his harsh dictatorship, changes in Maria Teresa’s character are evident in Julia Alvarez’s In the Time of the Butterflies. Although Maria Teresa’s cautiousness and sensitivity remain constant during the revolution of the Trujillo Era, her consideration for others weakens. Living in a dangerous era, Maria Teresa’s cautiousness further develops as Trujillo’s reign strengthens. Growing up, Maria Teresa is very cautious about her actions and people. After watching her sisters and mother struggle with their relationships with men, she grows cautious and careful of men. She admits in her diary on January 10th, 1954, “ I know I’m taking a very good look around before I close my eyes and fall in true love” (Alvarez 123). Afraid of being hurt, Maria Teresa refuses to devote herself to a man before she is certain that she will be free from danger. Later in her life, she applies this philosophy to the revolution and Trujillo. While in prison, she only writes in her diary at certain times to ensure her safety from the prison guards and SIM. She shares in her diary on April 2nd, 1960, “As a consequence, there have been extra guards patrolling the hall outside out cell, so I didn’t dare write until tonight” (Alvarez 237). Maria Teresa is not only concerned about her own safety, but she is careful not to act out upon Trujillo’s enforcers. She is fully aware that any mistake she ma... ... middle of paper ... ... Evidently, Maria Teresa is being selfish and failing to recognize her sister’s bold act in hoping to achieve freedom. Focusing on her own freedom and safety, Maria Teresa loses sight of the kind consideration that she developed in her childhood. Maria Teresa’s cautiousness and sensitivity remain consistent during the revolution, while her consideration for others changes. Maria Teresa is exceedingly careful throughout her life starting with her relationships with men, and carrying her into her revolutionary skills. Her emotional fragileness is responsible for her many breakdowns, both major and minor, during her life. When Maria Teresa becomes imprisoned, she loses sight of her consideration and focuses on getting herself home. Although her life was cut short due to a tyrannical leader, Maria Teresa Mirabal made her mark on history as a strong, beautiful butterfly.
... did not take part in the revolution, her own strength was tested when her sisters were killed by Trujillo, leaving her as the only sister remaining alive. In the Time of the Butterflies allows readers to experience the courage of ordinary people fighting against extraordinary circumstances. The sisters advocated for a change in the Dominican Republic, and without being exceptionally special or extraordinary, they affected the entire county for the better. Today, readers can still learn from this story due to Julia Alvarez’s detailed portrayal of the Mirabal sisters and their story.
The rule of Rafael Trujillo directly affected Patricia Mirabal. Patricia grew up as the oldest of four girls, and she was naturally the nicest, simplest of the four girls. She married early and had kids before she turned 20. But as she grew older, her faith was restored. One day she went on a church retreat into the mountains, the same day the first invasion from Trujillo fell. The author described how it seemed as if the Earth was coming down upon the very roof of that retreat house. Explosion after explosion ripped the air. The house shook to its very foundation (Alvarez 161). During that attack, Patricia made eye contact with a young boy who couldn’t be older than her own son in the
At the hands of Trujillo’s secret police and cabinet members, the Dominican people faced oppression and fear in the midst of his tyranny. Opposition to Trujillo's
People who have a position in the government can start off doing good things for the people and country, but will become power hungry and want to be in control of every little thing. This hunger for power can be seen in the novel, In the Time of the Butterflies, by Julia Alvarez, which demonstrates how the daily lives of the citizens in the Dominican Republic are affected under the rule of their oppressive ruler, Trujillo. Alvarez focuses on 4 sisters, the Mirabal family, who strive for equality and democratic rights. The 4 sisters have all been been oppressed by Trujillo´s ridiculous laws. Enforcing unnecessary laws on society makes sure that Trujillo stays in complete control, which compels the people to strive for more freedom and rights,
Sophocles’s Antigone and Julia Alvarez’s In the Time of the Butterflies are based upon a common theme: rebellion. While reading both pieces in class, the notion of to what extent a rebellion is justified surfaced frequently; however, reading both texts was insufficient in finding a conclusion to this topic, so I read through various poems to aid my deduction. After my extensive research, I came to the conclusion that rebellion can be justified by a rebel’s genuine belief in their cause. The process of justification is based upon one’s personal qualification of what is considered just; therefore, a single belief in the righteousness of any revolt justifies a rebellion.
2. The political argument of In The Time Of The Butterflies is the overwhelming and total control of dictatorship. Trujillo was the supreme leader of the Dominican Republic. The book revealed that he rose to the top when everyone above him would disappear. He then declared himself president, and anyone who argued the fact was killed also.
Rafael Leónidas Trujillo Molina reigned over the Dominican Republic in a dictatorship, extending over thirty years. He is known as having been the “most ruthless dictator in Latin America.” However, there is another side to the story. Trujillo was the third son of a humble sheep herder and worked as a sugar plantation guard in his adolescent years. He enlisted in the United States Marines Corp during the U.S.’s occupation in the Dominican Republic. He built himself up to National Commander and claimed presidency in 1930. He was a man known to be surrounded by “a surfeit of booze, women, wealth, power, and enemies.” Until his final years, he was admired by the Dominican people and seen as a demi-god and savior. During his first prosperous years
Teresa Sanchez de Cepeda y Ahumada, better known as St. Teresa of Avila, was a Spanish Catholic Saint and Carmelite nun who was most prominently known for her journey towards contemplative life through mental prayer. In her reflective and analytical autobiography, The Life of St. Teresa of Jesus, of the Order of Our Lady of Carmel, Teresa reflects on her interactions with others as a child, as a woman and as a nun, and bases her opinion of her own freedom and free will on these reflections. In this paper, I will argue the dual nature of freedom in Teresa’s life; on the one hand, Teresa is free in that she breaks free from the traditional role of the woman and society’s honour codes- despite citing honour as providing some guidance in her life-,
Maria Theresa was always a generous, kind-hearted queen who always thought of her subjects needs before herself. She did not start out with much money, so she had to rely on her good judgment and self-discipline. She would often try to help the peasant class in any way possible. This also meant that the people in the wealthy class would be taxed more. She taxed the nobles more to ease the burden off of the struggling...
In The Time of The Butterflies, the story of the three Mirabal sisters’ (also known as “Las Mariposas” or “the butterflies”) journey, is of humans fighting for a better life without fear, because otherwise it was not worth it. In summary, they were living hell on earth under a great and terrible force until hopes of a better life sparked the rise of a revolution. Although the sisters perish in a Jeep “accident”, this concept of theirs resounds with Patrick Henry’s speech in 1775 declaring the value of freedom.
Rafael Leonidas Trujillo, or “El Chivo”, controlled the people of the Dominican Republic in a manner that set him apart from the other leaders of that time. By controlling every aspect of the country’s economy, he controlled the people, by controlling each individual’s income and their jobs, he controlled their lives. (Sagas, 173) It is true that from the outside it may appear that the economy was getting better in the Dominican Republic, but the problem was that all of the enterprises and businesses were directly or indirectly owned and controlled by Trujillo himself, not the government. Building bridges, making better roads, and establishing monuments were Trujillo’s ideas as to how to make the Dominican Republic a better place. (de Besault, N/A) True that these things made the Republic more appealing and made transportation better, but the inhumane methods Trujillo employed to maintain his complete and utter control of the people completely overshadowed any positive things that he may have done.
Diaz describes Trujillo by writing, “You might roll your eyes at the comparison, but, friends: it would be hard to exaggerate the shadow of fear he cast over the Dominican people and the shadow of fear he cast throughout the region” (224). Trujillo put so much fear into the people of the Dominican Republic that Beli did not know it would ever affect her. In a world where no one gives her such feelings, the Gangster makes Beli feel beautiful. But, the Gangster is a pimp and exploits women, which shows the degradation of women such as Beli.
“Intense love does not measure, it just gives. “ (Mother Teresa) This sentence perfectly describes the character Clarisa in the short story, “Clarisa” written by Isabel Allende because of her giving nature and devotion to helping other people. In this short story, Clarisa is the model of gentility and compassion by giving absolutely every thing she had, and even spends “…the last cent of her dowry and inheritance,” (434) and, “In her own poverty, she never turned her back on the poverty of others” (434). For these reasons, they people that know Clarisa hold her in high esteem, and continually portray her as saint like. Allende helps the reader understand the admiration others have for Clarisa through the use of imagery, similes, and diction.
When she begins her story she says “I am in fact the daughter of a Pope Urban the tenth and the Princess of Palestrina” and “The women who helped me dress and undress fell into ecstasies, whether they looked at me from in front or behind; and all the men wanted to be in their place” (Voltaire 438). She expresses this fact first, before she tells the rest of what had happened to her, as to boost her own ego, expressing how women only care about how they are presented in society and her social status, than what is happening around them. Further into her story, the Old Woman restates what had happened to her to make herself look sympathetic and vain with “Imagine, if you will, the situation of a pope’s daughter, fifteen years old, who in three months time had experienced poverty, slavery, had been raped every day…” (Voltaire 441). The Old Lady believes that with her beauty she should not have had to suffer as she did, that her beauty is what has allowed her to live. After the story the Old Woman persuades Cunégonde, who shows the shallowness of some women, to use her vanity to stay in Argentina, by marring the mayor to save Cunégonde and the Old Woman, instead of fleeing with Candide. “You cannot escape, she told Cunégonde, and you have nothing to fear. You are not the one who killed my lord, and, besides the governor, who is in love with you, wont’ let you be mistreated. Sit tight” (Voltaire 443). This is to show how society views how women treated as being gold diggers and are willing to use their vanity to gain a better
Life is not a singular momentous journey; it is a multitude of experiences and events that shape not only one’s life, but one’s character. In Vida, Patricia Engel manages to construct a multilayered novel that produces a synergistic effect—the whole is much greater than the sum of its parts. By constructing Vida in non-chronological order, Engel manages to convey a realistic account of finding one’s self by reminiscing upon distinct life-changing moments and the subsequent realization of the individual self. Although the chapters seemingly have nothing in common, in the sum of their parts they form a complete portrayal of Sabina. In fact, as Engel asserts, it is not the momentous occasions in life that are the most profound to one’s personal development—the most consequential moments are “uneventful, the way most life-changing moments are. You don’t see them happening” (44). Ultimately, by employing a non-chronological narrative—along with other literary elements—Engel skillfully conveys the personal history of Sabina, while fragmenting time and place. Thus, each chapter is a representation of the person who Sabina was at that time—her feelings, her language, her tone—and that is constantly changing as a girl is growing into a women, and attempting to figure out who she is as an individual.