Tia Bentivegna

Ms. Gardner
English 10, Period 2
14 November 2014
In the Time of Annotating the Butterflies
Martinez, Yolanda P. "Alvarez, Julia." In Ramirez, Luz Elena, ed. Encyclopedia of
Hispanic-American Literature. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2008. Bloom's Literature.
Facts On File, Inc. Web. 1 Nov. 2014.
Martinezs article provides a sophisticated and all-encompassing backdrop of how Julia
Alvarez grew up, her family life, and the many novels she has written and awards she has
won. Coming from the Dominican Republic, escaping Trujillos rule, and somehow
finding her way to the United States where she has written many novels and has been the
recipient of multiple awards, Alvarez is no stranger when it comes to seeing the
consequences of women migrating or being exiled; hence, she has a personal connection
with many of her novels. In summarizing Alvarezs past and present, Martinez includes
information on how Alvarezs stories are almost always based on a couple of different
themes - negotiating the past and the present, exile and home, language and memory which help to understand the true meaning and messages embodied within all of her
works.

Martinez offers clear-cut, coherent knowledge on Alvarezs life, but her primary motive
in this article is giving the reader a look into the few themes that are woven throughout
all of her novels and that self-discovery helps one to return to their own roots. The diction
used is also scholarly and academic in describing these various aspects in her novels.

That said, the information is very useful to any literary scholar or student who wishes to
learn about Alvarez and the amazing novels and universal themes portrayed in her words.

Martinez, Yolanda P. "Dominican-American literature." In Ramirez, Luz Elena, ed.

Encyclopedia of Hispanic-American Literature. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2008.
Bloom's Literature. Facts On File, Inc. Web. 8 Nov. 2014.
Martinezs article provides insightful and thorough information on the lives of many
Dominicans during the ruling of Trujillo and other tyrants in the Dominican Republic.
Significantly, the article includes facts about various authors who have also come from
the Dominican Republic, much like Julia Alvarez, and wrote about their personal
experiences in escaping the countrys awful tyrants. In addition, this article describes how
these migrants novels included detailed information on the topics of exile and
discrimination that took place in their native land.

This article offers clear and informative material for those who are interested in learning
more about the tyrants in the Dominican Republic that caused many of the Dominicans to
flee to the United States. The authors neutral, yet precise, diction can help anyone who is
interested in better understanding In the Time of the Butterflies because it illuminates the
reality of what many Dominicans had to go through and brings the novel to life in that
one can truly comprehend the severity of the Mirabal sisters lives and deaths. The author
also outlines common experiences that most Dominicans went through while delving into
the true meanings in the novels that come out of these experiences. All encompassing, the
information in this article is incredibly useful to any reader who genuinely wants to find

out more about the issues that took place in the Dominican Republic and how they
closely relate to the issues that take place in Alvarezs novel.

Mills, Fiona. "In the Time of the Butterflies." In Werlock, Abby H. P., ed. The Facts On File
Companion to the American Novel. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2006. Bloom's
Literature. Facts On File, Inc. Web. 1 Nov. 2014.
Millss article provides intelligent and insightful information of the lives of the Mirabal
sisters and how they transformed from domestic wives and mothers into brave martyrs,
or, butterflies. Taking a sincere and thoughtful approach to the realities of what these
sisters had to go through and the severity of their deaths, Mills touches on the goals each
sister had while summarizing the novel and its apparent centrality of the growth each
sister took. During her summarizing, Mills includes detailed information on the sisters
and ultimately the points where each of them chose to sacrifice their lives for the good of
their country with significant quotes from the novel.

Mills offers a clear and concise understanding of the various characters in the novel and
how their triumphs and mishaps highlight their overall transformation from calm and
devoted wives and mothers to influentially brave women who stood for the importance of
their and their countrys freedom from the cruel dictatorship. The author organizes her
ideas in a chronological manner by illuminating the lives and goals each sister held,
accentuating the transformation and growth they all undertook, and closing with the
devastating endings they unfortunately had to go through. Using precise, academic
diction, the article opens its audience up to many people of different ages; however, it can
be especially relatable to most high school students due to the transformation they endure

in those vulnerable years of their lives. That said, the information in this article can be
useful to a variety of ages because the effects of the Mirabal sisters defiance of the
dictatorship were quite brutal, yet many people can look at that with the hope to be just as
determined to stand for something they believe in, no matter how big or small.

Snodgrass, Mary Ellen. "Alvarez, Julia." Encyclopedia of Feminist Literature. New York: Facts
On File, Inc., 2006. (Updated 2006.) Bloom's Literature. Facts On File, Inc. Web. 1 Nov.
2014.
Snodgrasss article comprehensively touches on the lifestyle that Julia Alvarez, the author
of In the Time of the Butterflies, had while growing up and how she came to be the author
she is today. She came from the Dominican Republic while it was under the dictatorship
of Generalissimo Rafael Trujillo, just like in the novel. Significantly, Alvarez understands
the controlling and dismal aura of the country that she writes about in her story. In the
process of referencing Alvarezs past, Snodgrass also includes some of the other novels
that Alvarez has written as well as her inspirations for many of those novels.

This article offers clear and concise information for those interested in understanding
more about the author of the compelling novel that touched the hearts of many people.
Not only mentioning the novels that Alvarez has written, but the inspirations for those
novels illuminates Alvarezs true personality and what drives her to write such
memorable stories. This article also uses proper, neutral diction in order to make it
readable and appropriate for most audiences. Concluding, Snodgrass displays useful
background information for those who have a desire to look into Alvarezs history and
understand how she grew up and became the author and poet she is today.

Snodgrass, Mary Ellen. "In the Time of the Butterflies." Encyclopedia of Feminist Literature.
New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2006. Bloom's Literature. Facts On File, Inc. Web. 28
Oct. 2014.
Snodgrasss article provides insightful and thorough background information on the plot,
era, and various characters in the novel, as well as the triumphs and mishaps that
each character has to endure throughout the novel. Taking a serious and well-thought
approach due to the sensitivity that one can have while reading read this novel, Snodgrass
touches on the qualities and desires that each of the Mirabal sisters upholds and how each
of their stories panned out. In the process, Snodgrass compliments the sisters in their
strength and determination in standing up for something so vast and almost seemingly
impossible to overcome in their time period and setting: freedom for all of the people in
the Dominican Republic.

Snodgrass offers detailed knowledge for those considering reading this wonderful novel,
but her main intention is providing the reader with an illumination of how each of the
sisters overcame their fears and possible doubts to save their country and stand for
something they all truly believe in. Rather than a mere overview of the plot, Snodgrass
provides critical details of the story while highlighting the important message of never
giving up on something one believes in, which the Mirabal sisters exemplify in Alvarezs
novel. With its accurate overview of the plot, with its gracious and considerate details on
each of the sisters personalities and characteristics, with its clear portrayal of the true
meaning of the novel, this text is a reliable source for understanding the complex lives of

the Mirabal sisters and can be helpful to anyone who enjoys a good read on the trials and
triumphs of hardworking sisters who always stick together.

Snodgrass, Mary Ellen. "Sisterhood and Feminist Literature." Encyclopedia of Feminist

Literature. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2006. Bloom's Literature. Facts On File, Inc.
Web. 8 Nov. 2014.
Snodgrasss article offers a great amount of information pertaining to the many novels
with similar subjects and themes that take place in In the Time of the Butterflies by Julia
Alvarez. This article names book after book that all have a central theme within them that
relates to sisterhood. In the process of summarizing key points in each of these feministic
novels, Snodgrass touches on the different types of sisterhood and how one doesnt have
to have a sister to understand what it is like to have someone always by ones side: The
warmth and caring of cellmates retrieve Magdalena from despair (Sisterhood and
Feminist Literature). This quote exemplifies that whether one is a cellmate in prison,
like in Alvarezs novel, or a blood-related sister, one can always find a true friend that
will stand by them.

This article displays detailed advice and information on the many novels that will serve to
portray similar themes like Alvarezs, in that sisterhood can withstand any obstacles. The
author formulates her ideas in an organized manner beginning with the simple bonding of
sisters that takes place in certain novels and working its way to the importance of having
a sister or someone to look to in hard, isolated times such as the Mirabal sisters when
they were in prison. The article uses precise, elevated diction in order to attract a more
mature audience due to the higher levels of maturity and sophistication many of the

novels mentioned have. That said, the information in this article is quite helpful in
understanding the value of sisters and the significance of having one in difficult times:
the Mirabal sisters thought they were seeing the end when they were finally put in prison
for their defiant actions, but being together and being surrounded by other brave, yet
vulnerable, women gave them the courage to pull through.