Journal

As you read “In the Time of Butterflies,” keep a journal of your thoughts. You should have an entry for each reading assignment. Turn in your completed journal by clicking on the “Unit 6: Journal” link above to submit your assignment once you have completed reading the book.

ENTRY 4–After you read chapters 5 and 6

(worth 10 points)

Read Handout 2: Traditional Roles of Women in the Dominican Republic. (You can find this handout in the readings for Unit 5).

• Minerva Mirabal learns of her father’s infidelity in Chapter 6. Re-read pages 92 – 93. What do we learn about Minerva Mirabal in this short scene? Why does she tell her father that her kindness toward his mistress and children are “thinks a woman does”?
• Does understanding the traditional roles of women in the Dominican Republic make it more shocking when Minerva slaps Trujillo? Why or why not?

ENTRY 5–After you read chapter 7
(worth 10 points)

• Figurative language can illuminate a complex idea or emotion, as when Dede describes her struggle to join her sister or obey her husband at the end of Chapter 6. Remember a situation when you experienced strong or mixed feelings that seemed difficult to put into words. Write a paragraph about that situation, using figurative language to describe your feelings.

ENTRY 6–After you read chapter 10
(worth 10 points)

• Whom would you consider to be a hero? Does that person possess any of the same qualities of the Mirabal sisters? Explain.

ENTRY 7–After you read chapter 11
(worth 10 points)

• There are several moments throughout the novel when the importance of writing is evident. One example takes place on page 227, as Maria Teresa receives a smuggled notebook to use as a diary while she is in jail. She writes, “It feels good to write things down. Like there will be a record.” Imagine you are one of the Mirabal sisters or their husbands and write a short journal entry or letter from that person’s point of view.