The Mirabal Sisters The Mirabal sisters from the Dominican Republic, known as the butterflies, fought against the regime of the cruel dictator Rafael Trujillo. They were murdered on November 25, 1960, for their activism and work in the anti-Trujillo movement known as the Fourteenth of June. Their sacrifice is still recognized today, 57 years later, and has had a lasting impact on human rights activism throughout the world. Their brutal assassination led to a regime change and eventual assassination
The Mirabal sisters were Dominican political dissidents who opposed to the dictatorship of Rafael Trujillo. These three sisters were assassinated on November, 25, 1960. Originally there are four sisters, but only three were really involved. The three involved were known as Minerva, Maria, and Patria. Belgica Adela Mirabal Reyes is the fourth sister. The Mirabals were farmers in the Dominican Republic. The mother's name is Mercedes Reyes Camilo and the father's name is Enrique Mirabal Fernandez. The
The four Mirabal sisters were civil rights activists in the Dominican Republic. Three of them were assassinated on orders from dictator Rafael Trujillo, and they quickly became heroes in the fight against his strict and oppressive regime. The Mirabal sisters, Minerva, Maria, Patria and Dedé, all lived in the Dominican Republic in the 1950s, during the Rafael Trujillo dictatorship. The oldest Mirabal sister was Patria Mercedes Mirabal Reyes. Patria loved painting and art and at the age of fourteen
brave Mirabal sisters rebelled against him with other revolutionaries. Their actions and sacrifices were definitely justified. The two major sacrifices the sisters experienced was the separation of family and their own deaths. They have faced having to be separated from family whether it was from their stillborn child or being separated behind prison walls. It was all justified since this showed the rest of the people how evil Trujillo’s heart was and the longing of family made the Mirabal sisters
Butterflies, by Julia Alvarez, consists of a frame narrative told by the only Mirabal sister to survive the reign of Trujillo, Dede Mirabal. This story takes place in the Dominican Republic all the way back in 1938, leading up to the “present” time in 1994. At this time in the Dominican Republic, the country is being ruled by a man named Trujillo, and he is making their homeland an unsafe and horrible place. The Mirabal sisters’ participation in the political movement against Trujillo led to their murder
This book by Julia Alvarez takes place in the Dominican Republic during the time of Trujillo, the dictator of the country. The readers are introduced to a family of four sisters and their parents and are able to read about their experiences throughout their lives and how their oppressive government affected them. The four sisters names are Patria, Dede, Minerva, and Maria Teresa. As the reader progresses into the book, these names start to form characters and personalities that, quite frankly, are
Butterflies three sisters chose to go up against the dictatorship when knowing full well that they were risking their lives. In The Year my Parents Went on Vacation, Shlomo was faced with the decision of keeping the young boy Mauro, and risked his life in an attempt to track down Mauro’s parents. With Cautiva, the judge is faced with
"We cannot allow our children to grow up in this corrupt and tyrannical regime, we have to fight against it, and I am willing to give up everything, including my life if necessary." (Patria Mercedes Mirabal) Discuss this quote in relation to the situation that the Mirabal sisters and their families found themselves in their fight for survival against the Dominican dictator Rafael Trujillo’s horrendous regime. You need to refer to the events and situations that lead the sister’s to create the counter
Minerva Mirabal was a bratty know-it-all that was hellbent on changing the world in some way or another. She was naive and impulsive, but she meant well. But was she the shining light in a dark time that so many people see her to be? According to In The Time of The Butterflies by Julia Alvarez, yes. She was a heroine in a small, yet meaningful, way. She had the bravery to go toe-to-toe with Trujillo, was quite willing to break the law, and wanted nothing more than to get involved with and involve
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
The assassination of the sister who tried to fight for the Island to become free of the dictator, was a horrific act by that dictator, worldwide people became cautious of violence against women. Trujillo was assassinated a year later in 1961 by a group of men including soldiers
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
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. An
the Time of the Butterflies is an account of the four Mirabal sisters’ lives in the Dominican Republic during Rafael Trujillo’s dictatorship. Three of the Mirabal sisters - Minerva, Patria and Maria Teresa sacrificed their lives in the name of freedom by participating in the underground movement which opposed Trujillo’s dictatorship. Their participation in the revolution was a threat to Trujillo’s power and this resulted in the three sisters being killed. The novel tells the story from the point
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
Rafael Leónidas Trujillo Molina is without a doubt one of the most known figures within the Dominican history. The “Era de Trujillo” (The Trujillo Era) occupied the Dominican Republic for the long period of thirty-one years. His dictatorship started in 1930 and ended with his assassination on May 30, 1961. Trujillo’s Career began with the occupation of the United States in 1916. During this time he was trained in a military school, and became part of the National Police, a military group made by
the historical fictionalized account, “In The Time Of The Butterflies” by Julia Alvarez reveal individual 's role in overcoming oppression. “In The Time of The Butterflies” the sisters were revolutionary activist who were against the Dominican dictator, Rafael Trujillo. The author, Julia Alvarez, uses the four Mirabal sisters to express four different routes of
Minerva Mirabal was the most heroic of the Mirabal sisters. Rafael Trujillo ruled the Dominican Republic for 30 years; he was oppressive, creepy, and a little insane. The Mirabal sisters were killed because they tried to rebel against him. Minerva is heroic because she was the first of her sisters to join the rebellion, she went to law school, and she slapped the dictator. Minerva was active in the rebellion against Trujillo. "It sounded like treasure hunt clues or something. The Indian from
one of the girls she met at school, and told her, “Tell me Sinita, maybe it’ll help” (Alvarez 16). Her friend Sinita told her the story about her brother’s death and Minerva felt sympathetic for her lost. Maria Teresa is the youngest of the Mirabal sisters and the ...
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.