In the Time of the Butterflies by Julia Alvarez

To answer to one of my questions or other comments, use the 'reply to' at the bottom of the note.
Question 1) Who is the strongest sister and why?

What exactly is the government doing to these people, I am confused.

The strongest sister of the four is Minerva. She has set goals for herself and has the motivation to see them through. She is very independent and will fight for her beliefs.

i would say that Minerva is the strongest character, she always stands up for her self and her friends such as her buddy Sinita

I think that Patria is the strongest sister because she goes against everything that she was raised to believe in to help protect her freedom. She struggled through a miscarrage and raising two of her own children along with one of her sisters kids. Patria seems to be the foundation of the Mirabal family. She holds everyone together and works and fights to protect her country's freedom.

it is like the government sees the people as their children and they are trying to disipline them

The government is a dictatorship. The government has total control of the people. They tell what each person can do, where they can go, what they can eat, what they can read, etc.. The government rules every aspect of its citizen's life.

What is the author trying to tell us through this particular book...

Okay, Minerva is the strongest blah blah blah, but if you think about it, her strength is always mental, she's always speaking about being high minded about things but has she really done any thing yet? Patria's raised two children and suffered the death of a third. Dede is stern, patient, and has to put up with publicity and long interviews.

Minerva is strong minded. I don't know if she's done anything significant yet.

Basically the government is controlling them, they can't do exactly what they want to do. They have certain rules they have to follow everyday or they die.

She may not have done anything yet, but what challenges was she faced with? I think, because of her being strong-minded, she will be well prepared when faced with a challenge.

I believe Patria is the strongest sister because she is the sister that holds the sisters together. Minerva is always taking out and getting into trouble, which makes them get into trouble. Patria knows how to get the job done while holding everything together.

do you think that any of the other sisters are influenced by minerva and her beliefs?

I liked this book a lot. It was different, and interesting. I liekd how it was about 4 strong sisters, and we got to see what each of them went through in their own perspective.

Politically, Minerva is the strongest sister and leads the others in their rebellion against the government. Patria is the strongest religiously, maintaining her faith despite the hardships the sisters endure. Also, she takes care of her family and keeps their welfare as her main concern.

The theme of the novel is most likely independence-for example, Minerva has independent thoughts and desires, Maria Teresa NEEDS to be independent from Minerva, the country needs to be independent from Trujillo.

Do you think there is a parallel between the father's attachment/control over the women to Trujillo's attachment and control over the country?

In my opinion, Patria is the strongest sister. In the beginning, she focused so much on her religion. Later on she fought back, by doing what she herself wanted.

it would help me out a lot since I am not the best essay writer in the world...

i think the top dogs in the government are bennifitting by controlling its people, i dont think its a matter of discipline

i would say the one that would win for you is Minerva, everyone always complements her on her beauty in the book

which sisters died, and how

Is this a good book to read? Yes. The protagonists are very likeable and the antagonist is very dislikeable. The fact that this book is written in the journal adds a little extra flavor to the book. While I think attempting a coup against the government is commendable, it is also extremely foolish. How could four people overthrow a very brutal and unforgiving government?

Why didn't Minerva tell the others about her suspicions that they may be ambushed on their way to visit their husbands? And why did they go home so late if they knew it was risky? Couldn't both of these actions have helped to prevent their deaths?

The sisters were ambushed on the pass on there way home. The men took the girls out of there car and clubbed them to death. Patria tried to ask for help but the truck drivers kept on driving for fear of getting hurt themselves.

The author used females to operate the story because if it were about males there would be no story.

it's a tie! well i know Minerva is the strongest mentally, but Patria got some guts too. She has been through a lot of crap and she seems to be doing pretty good for herself. Although Minerva stands up for what she thinks and she is strong in that aspect, Patria has been through more.

is patria going to pursue her carrer as a nun, and do any of the girls look up to minerva as she is the strongest sister

I think this book was a good book. I like that it was written in diary form you get more than one persons point of view when you are reading the book. But on the other hand I got a little confused because it was written in diary form. When I read parts of the book I could not figure out which character was saying or doing what was going on in the book.

okay well the father was in prison for a long time and he was sick too. Then he got out of jail and got even sicker, eventually he just died from being sick....what a depressing way to die.

the author used females because, the author is a female and she wants to show that women did have important roles in revolutionizing countries and that it wasnt just men doing everything

honestly i havent gotten too far into the book but the the way the book is set up makes it very easy to read. the diary form helps it make it more realistic and not just like a normal boring book. Hopefully this book will be as interesting as it seems.

While the first thing that would pop into my mind would be, "Female author=Female Protagonist. DUH!!". I can't agree with it. The author may be feminist. I highly doubt it. Using a male as a lead is so stereotypical. To make the story and message stronger, Julia Alvarez used females to make the story seem more realistic. The fact that the four sisters came from a perfect family (each sister has a husband and children)the fact that they would give up everything to fight for their freedom, makes the story interesting. For example, men going to war is an everyday common thing. But women going to war is big news. Women going to war is outside of waht we call the "norm", therefore, it grabs our attention.

What does pobrecita (pg. 23) mean?

What about the place, how are women cultured differently in the DOminican Republic vs. the U.S.? How might that impact the overthrow of the government?

Pobrecita means "poor child". It shows that she has pity for something. It's like saying "poor girl".

I think a woman was the author so we could get a different perspective rather then always have to hear a mans view. The book was based on women therefore a women writing the story would have more of an advantage because us women understand each other more then men.

Do you think that the mirabal sisters follewed Minervas rebelious ideas about overthrowing the government to follow her lead and be true sisters? Or do you think that they became involved for their own personal desires?

How does the sisters rebellions affect the country and the thoughts of a womens place?

I know when she got pregnant the guy sent her away, but whatever happened to her in the end?

Porbracita means a poor or innocent girl.

well yeah because, it was much more tougher for females at this time, and all they went through. Men didnt go through these problems so harshly. if it were males used to operate this story, it wouldnt be anywhere near as possible. Plus there most likely wouldnt be good diary entrys if there were any, if it were males. Females add much more strenght to the story, rather than what males would add.

i don't think that the sisters were just going along with minerva just to support her. i think that they started noticing some of the things minerva was saying made sense and they started to agree with her.

yeah i totally agree with that! there all about guys or written by guys because men dont know how to write about women. Guys don't understand what women go through and how their mind works. I don't think they even know how their own minds work. i think its cool that julia alverez showed that women could take a stand and do whatever

In my opinion, i feel that Minerva was the strongest sister out of the four. Minerva had a strong personality and did what she thought was right. She didnt care about her physical condition, all she cared about was her beliefs and how to accomplish her goals. Minerva was very out spoken and said what was on her mind. When Minerva was in jail she didnt want to get out with out the others. Not only did she look out for herself, but the future of the country that she lived in.
Dede was the weakest in my mind. I feel sorry for her because she couldnt stand up to her husband for what she believed in. she gave into him and jut followed the average women of those times in that country. reading the book i would get frusterated and just wanted her to stand up for herself and do what she wanted to do and what she thought was the right decision.