In Gloria Anzaldua’s “La Prieta,” we are presented with the concept of being an accomplice to the oppressor’s ideology. Anzaldua describes how we are passing onto children the oppressor’s ideology regarding gender and social roles. Therefore, by being an accomplice the following issues arise: 1) it presupposes gender and social roles, 2) ignores personal aspirations, and 3) portrays women as weak thus limiting their autonomy. However, Anzaldua goes on to state that she will not be a part of the “same” process that has haunted her since her childhood. This reveals that changes in dominant ways of thinking must began since childhood in order to reconstruct the social and gender roles.…
“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.…
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…
During a difficult time period in the Dominican Republic’s history, Minerva Mirabal stepped up and showed all three types of courage when it was needed the most and risked everything to challenge Trujillo's regime. Even at a young age Minerva showed a lot of moral courage by taking action even though she knew of the potential consequences. When Minerva went to school at Inmaculada Concepcion she befriended a girl named Sinita. Sinita told Minerva stories about Trujillo and how he killed her uncles…
Lastly, the memoir of Catalina de Erauso titled Lieutenant Nun: Transvestite in the New World brings to light the concept of subjective identity in regards to gender. The book also largely focuses on a colonialist narrative due to Catalina’s travels from Spain to Latin America. Catalina played with different gender roles through the gendered performance of masculinity and honor, along with what is deemed as cross-dressing. However, one can learn a lot from Catalina’s life in regards to their travels to the ‘New World’ as a conquistador.…
The novel Chains, written by Laurie Halse Anderson, is about a young slave during the American Revolution named Isabel. Her master passed away and she was granted freedom, but was ignored that when she and her sister Ruth, were sent to be the slaves of the Locktons. Throughout the story, she struggles to find freedom from Madam Lockton, similarly to how the colonists’ seeked freedom from the reign of Britain. In the American Revolution, the colonists’ struggle for freedom from the British mirrors Isabel’s struggle for freedom from slavery in Chains because they both involved themes of courage, identity, and equality.…
“Faith is seeing light with your heart when all your eyes see is darkness.” This quote perfectly describes Patria who is one of the sisters in the book, In the Time of the Butterflies by Julia Alvarez. This novel takes place in the 1900’s in the Dominican Republic while it was under the rule of Trujillo. Trujillo ran a dictatorship in the Dominican Republic for over 30 years with strict rules and harsh punishments. The story follows the real lives of the Mirabal sisters and each chapter is through one of their perspectives.…
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.…
Born in a family of Mexican immigrants, Sandra Cisneros discovers her niche in the American literature by writing from her experience as an immigrant growing at the confluence of two cultures. Until her teenager years, Cisneros’ family moves back and forth from Chicago to Mexico, making her feel not integrated in either culture. As Robin Ganz declares, Cisneros “derived inspiration from her cultural specificity and found her voice in the dingy rooms of her house on Mango Street, on the cruel but comfortable streets of the barrio, and in the smooth and dangerous curves of borderland arroyos” (1). In her short story, “Woman Hollering Creek”, Cisneros describes the life of a Mexican woman, Cleofilas that marries a man from “el otro lado” in the…
Rebellion for that freedom is one of the major themes of the novel Before we were Free. Anita and her family were living in the Dominican Republic which at that time was ruled by a dictator, El Jefe or otherwise known as Rafael Trujillo. Due to Trujillo’s unjust way of ruling and using his power, Anita’s father, uncle and other members of the family were involved in a plot to rebel against him. The fight for freedom was going on everywhere. The Mirabal sisters were some very important figures in history and they lit the fire of the rebellion.…
Anita wants to keep Lucinda around, but she knows that leaving the Dominican Republic is going to keep her safe. We can clearly see that this culture values their family and their safety. If the family wasn’t concerned about Lucinda’s safety, she may have had a different fate. Although family is a huge part of this culture, it is not the only admired…
Many of the Latin American stories consist of depicting death, loss, oppression, and in some odd ways the obstacles in love. Everything unfolds in a surreal way while others convey magical realism into their plots; making each spun tale more alluring and breath taking. In the nineteenth century Latin America was transitioning from a world where society was its people spoke out and rebelled against those of higher authority with the goal of gaining freedom. However, for the most part there was a lot of terrorizing of the town folk, torture and death as far as the eye could see.…
People with selfless qualities are motivated to help the people around them to be liberated, which cause them to resist authority in hopes of a civil environment for their peers. The Mirabal sisters…
Even though she grew up in a society where the social norm of the ideal woman was strictly defined as being subordinate, she moved towards her goal of making a difference in her country. By opposing their family’s and society’s norm of the ideal woman, the Mirabal sisters drew attention to women in the Dominican society by creating a revolution and fighting against General Rafael Trujillo which resulted in a crucial contribution towards the history of women in the Dominican Republic. The Mirabal sisters are not only known in Latin America, but all around the world. They are an example to follow and an amazing inspiration to all women and people fighting for their individual rights. The Butterflies, which is how they are called nowadays, are a symbol of what women should be regarding…
Identity is a concept that literally shapes a person’s life experience. The way they act, think, and feel are all intertwined both with the way they see themselves and the way other people see them. Julia Alvarez tackles a difficult concept having to do with identity, which is immigration and how a person or a family finds a way to fit into a new country. She has two books about a family called the Garcías who immigrate from the Dominican Republic to the United States, and throughout these books is a multitude of examples and ways through which identities shape people and families, and what affects them. The Garcías consist of a mother named Laura, a father named Carlos, and three daughters named Carla, Sandra, Yolanda (or Yoyo), and Sofía.…