En el tiempo de las mariposas (A2)

During the first half of the third trimester we read the first part of the book En el tiempo de las mariposas by Dominican novelist Julia Álvarez. The book tells the tale of the four Mirabal sisters who lived on the island during the dictatorship (1930-1961) of Rafael Leónidas Trujillo, also known as “El jefe“. We focused our class discussions on the four sisters, also known as Las Mariposas, their changing perception of Trujillo, and how they stand as interconnected, but individual, characters throughout the first part of the book. 

For their project each student explored the book’s main characters. Nadia wanted to explore pieces of artwork during and after Trujillo’s regime. She chose two images, one of the dictator himself and another of the Mirabal sisters, and wrote an art analysis in which she uses observation to draw conclusions about the art, its subject-matter, and its possible purpose. On the other hand, and due to the fact that the political actions of these women changed the history of the Dominican Republic and had a direct impact on women rights around the world, Maya was interested in portraying them as living their lives as “free“ women now, as opposed to in the 20th century. She wrote and narrated four stories, one for each sister, in which she maintains and develops their key personality features, while modernizing others.

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Maya

Nadia