In the Time of the Butterflies (200-322)

Summary: Patria has been feeling terrible without her son or husband. As soon as news arrive that can help Patria know the whereabouts of the men, she sets up a package to smuggle into prison. Next, she reads in the news that eight prisoners have been pardoned. Patria feels hope, but Captain Peña has taken over her land. Patria has been praying on behalf of her family while the church is being attacked by the government for their revolutionary sermons. During, Patria and Captain Peña's conversation they plan on when Nelson should be out and how they should celebrate, Patria offers a sancocho. Then she goes and tells her mom that in her payers she has offered the lord herself in exchange for Nelson.
         Maria Teresa is also in prison, at La Victoria and she has been writting in a smuggled notebook. Teresa and the rest of the woman are locked up with sixteen non politicals who are there for serious crimes. When it comes for her turn to be released along with the rest who are politicals, she feels sad to be leaving the other inmates who became like her sisters. One of them was Magdalena whom was serving 20 years for attempted murder when he tried to get her daughter back when a wealthy family known as De La Torres took her away. Captain Peña suggests Patria and the other girls write Trujillo a thank you letter, but they are not convinced just yet until Leandro and the rest of the men are safe.
         Trujillo begins cracking down out of panic, and Captain Peña tells the girls not to visit the men in prison any longer. Manolo believes that he and the other prisoners will be killed, and that's when the girls decide to take action. They begin to organize a meeting at Minerva's house, and their Tio happens to stop by, and tell them he overheard Trujillo's conversation. Trujillo had said that his only problem was the church and the Mirabal sisters. Later on November 25, Minerva and Maria Teresa go to Puerto Plata to visit Manolo and Leandro, the men told the sisters to wait until the next day because rumors had been going around, and it was not safe. However, they still decided to head home. The girls were taken away from their jeep and killed. Through visitors that came to Dede, she is able to infer what happened to her sisters. The sisters were killed by strangulation and placed back in their jeep, then pushed over the edge of the cliff. The men responsable for their deaths were taken to prison, but soon released. Manolo, Leandro, and Pedrito were released following up to Trujillo's assasination. 

Quote: "Si dios quiere, she reminded him" (Alvarez 286).

Reaction: This quote is from when the girls were going to Puerto Plata to visit the men, and it means if god wants. In other words they would only make it on god's behalf, which I find ironic as to how Patria had offered herself for Nelson to be let out. Then that same night at Puerto Plata the sisters are killed. The sisters had once mentioned they did not pardon anything they had done so far, which is like Antigone she believes she has done nothing wrong. They also accept the consequences of going to prison for what they did and even death. They did not fear Trujillo who in other words was the law like Creon. The sisters do end up getting killed, but so does Trujillo. Also, reading through this I noticed they mentioned the last name Peña, which is one of my last names, and also the plate known as sancocho that is one of my favorites.

In the Time of the Butterflies (150-200)

Summary: Patria is back at the family's conuco for New Years and she is afraid for her sisters and her son. Patria's son Nelson, begins to talk about joining the liberators and Patria tries to seek help from Padre de Jesus Lopez. However, the Padre himself does not know how to help her. Nelson tells Patria that the revolutionaries are expecting an invasion by the liberators from Cuba. Trujillo has heard rumors of the invasion and has declared  a state of emergency. On June 14, the mountainside is bombed, 49 men and boys died. Patria decides to start a group called Accion Clero Cultural (ACC). Pedrito becomes upset that revolutionaries begin to meet in the backyard of their house, since Trujillo has passed a new law. The new law stated that any land could be confiscated for people housing enemies. Patria then tells him their son is involved in it too.
          Dede gets a visit from her sisters, in which she decides to escape with them for a meeting. Before she leaves, she wanted to talk to Padre de Jesus Lopez, but as she sees him pull in she notices some boxes that show he is part of the revolutionaries. She is scared to talk him then because he might convince her to join, and she does not want to go agains Jaimito's word her husband. Jaimito does not want Dede to go. Dede then finds Jaimito and her sons at her mother in law's house and she is suggested that they go on a honeymoon to release any tension going on in their marriage. However, the honeymoon just turns in to a boring vacation for them both. After Dede does not go, she hears that Nelson, Pedrito, Manolo, and Minerva had been arrested, once their home was ransacked. Patria comes back looking terrible, and it's up to Dede to save her sisters and reconstruct her marriage with Jaimito.

Quote: "Voz del pueblo, voz del cielo" (Alvarez 199).

Reaction: Besides the fact that the quote is in spanish, it is also a saying that is taken as an important fact of experience by many people. The quote means, voice of the people, voice of god. Dede says this to Minerva in a conversation they have about Trujillo, in which Dede tells Minerva that Trujillo is serious about killing her. Meaning that the popular opinion is always right, and that follows up into Minerva's death. Which also is inferred that certain rumors are true and people should take them into consideration.

In the Time of the Butterflies (100-150)

Summary: Enrique Mirabal has passed away, Carmen his once mistress and her four daughters attended the funeral. In her journal Maria Teresa states how shocked she was that they would show up. However, Minerva told her that they were Enrique's daughters too. After the death, Teresa began to have weird dreams in which she would see other people in coffins as well. First, she had a dream in which she found her wedding dress laying inside the coffin with Enrique. Next, in her dream was Manolo, Minerva's husband inside the coffin. Once again, while away to university, she had the dream and it was with one of Minerva's friend in the coffin. Teresa is also having love life problems, she does not know who to choose between her cousins Berto and Raul. However, she soon becomes tired of both once she kissed Berto and Raul confronts her about it. By July third, Maria Teresa graduates, and her aunt bakes her a cake. Her aunt then tells her she must choose between one of her sons Raul or Berto, and Teresa tells them she wants neither. She then goes on to be roommates with Minerva at her university. Minerva later moves in with Manolo and they have a child, Minou. Trujillo then punishes Minerva by not granting her a license to practice law. Teresa, stays with her sister and helps her with her home and her relationship. Later on Maria Teresa herself falls in love with Leandro, and they marry on Valentines Day.

Quote: "North to Tamboril and the mountain road to Puerto Plata, the rain drives on, in every bohio and small conuco, and on out to the Atlantic where it is lost in the waves that rock the bones of martyrs in the deepest sleep" (Alvarez 116).

Reaction: When I first came across the quote it reminded me of the Dominican Republic, and the places that were mentioned I have been too. My father's family owned a conuco in the Dominican Republic, and I used to go with him there which is like a farm with animals and crops. I would see people milk the cows, and cut down pounds of plantains. I have also been to Puerto Plata, it's just amazing how I could make a connection with the story. To analyze the quote, Minerva is driving back from the Capital and it is raining just like the same day when she slapped Trujillo, and the rain was coming down strong just like Trujillo's character.   

In the Time of the Butterflies (50-100)

Summary: Part II of the story begins, and its back in the present time of 1994. Dede is being interviewed by the lady and is asked to explain when all the problems began to occur. Dede begins to speak of Lio Morales, whom she had met one random day. Dede mentions her commitment with volleyball, which then Minerva invites Lio and their distributor Mario to the game. Weeks later, Lio is still joining the girls for volleyball and while they are assigning positions Lio and Minerva disappear. Dede kicks the ball into the hedges, they get sacred and come out of their hiding place. Lio and Minerva begin to spend more time together, and then her mom finds out that Lio is a communist, and becomes upset. However, Minerva continues to see him on double dates with Dede and Jaimito. Lio begins to appear in the newspaper more often and soon tells Minerva that he will be going in to exile. Few days later, Lio is taken in for questioning and he decided to give them girlie magazines so that they will leave him alone. Lio decides to hide from them, and he hides in the Mirabal papa's car. Jaimito and Dede discovered him there while Jaimito was proposing to Dede, and Lio gives Dede a letter to give to Minerva, but once Dede reads it and it says to join him in exile, Dede burns the letter. She does not want to expose her sister to such danger.
         Ever since Lio has left, Minerva has been staying home, and rumors have begun that she might be a lesbian. One day as she goes through her father armoire she finds letters that Lio had sent her. Minerva did not know anything about those letters, and in them were proposals of her leaving the country with him, and there was also an invitation to one of Trujillo's parties. Minerva confronts her father on the letters and the invitation which explicitly says she should attend. Her father tells her she owes him respect, and as of the party he lets her go but with the company of Jaimito and Dede. They arrive late, but so does Trujillo, and while at the party Minerva is told that she must sit with Trujillo. Trujillo begins to flirt with Minerva and tell her he would like to conquer her, when Minerva says she is not for conquest, and when he begins to get obnoxious Minerva slaps him. Minerva decides to play Trujillo a roll of dice, she tells him if she wins she can go to law school, and if he wins he gets to sleep with her. Of course, Minerva knows how to play with dice and she wins.

Quote: "Trujillo is the law, Papa whispered, as we all did nowadays when we pronounced the dreaded name" (Alvarez 90).

Reaction: From my prior knowledge I had heard of Trujillo and he is known to be one of the worst dictators, anything he wanted he was to have, or anything he said was a must. Therefore, the Mirabal sisters had to have caution when around Trujillo because one he obviously did not like communists like Lio, and Minerva had been messing with Lio. Therefore, by the quote that Trujillo is the law they know anything they do Trujillo will take notice of, and if they do anything he does not abide by they will suffer the consequences.

In the Time of the Butterflies (3-50)

Summary: The novel opens up with Dede one of the four Mirabal sisters who sets up a meeting with a gringa dominicana. In the town that Dede lives there are no street signs or addresses because of the campesinos who are not able to read, therefore it would be pointless to have street names when they cannot make a use of them. When the gringa dominicana asks Dede how to get to her home, Dede gives her details on what should be surrounding her and where she should go. During the interview, Dede gives the woman a tour around her home, and gives and explanation to certain things in the home, like the pictures of all the sister. In which Dede realizes she misses her younger self more than her sisters. Dede tells the woman a brief summary of her life, starting from 1943 when papa her dad predicted she was going to be the millionaire of the family. She also says that she had to ask her parents for permission for everything, even to go away to school. Patria one of the sisters was the most religious she wanted to become a nun, mom approved but papa did not he always said it was a waste of a pretty girl. As Patria got her way to go to a conventional school, things begin to get complicated. Minerva is friends with a girl named Sinita, Sinita explains to Minerva that Trujillo a horrible dictator has killed her family. However, she has fallen in love with him and is expecting a baby from him. Also, she was to live in his house with the rest of Trujillo's girlfriends.
         Maria's part is told through a diary, she reflects upon her school life and how the girls used to take her diary and make fun of her. Minerva also says that she has been hanging around with the revolutionary Hilda, and she must bury anything that involves Hilda because she has been caught hanging in the convent school. Next Patria discusses her struggles with sex temptations. During this time that she is trying to listen for God's call she meets Pedrito and knows she must be with him. She soon moves with Pedrito and they have children.

Quote: "A chill goes through her, for she feels it in her bones, the future is now beginning. By the time it is over, it will be the past, and she doesn't want to be the only one left to tell their story" (Alvarez 10)

Reaction: This quote comes up as Dede finishes telling the gringa dominicana part of her life. At first I did not quite get what she meant, I thought that she was just ending her interview with the woman, but she actually meant more by that. Dede was referring to the comment her father had made one night when the family was under the anacahuita tree, and her father has made a smart comment. They did not realize how much that comment would later mean, once her sisters started dying.

A Biography of Frida Kahlo (404-507)

Summary: Frida Kahlo is near her death, a few months after the opening of another exhbition. In the Spring of 1953 they had just performed a bone transplant, unfortunately the bone was diseased and they had to remove it again. Therefore, Lola Alvarez Bravo along with Diego decided to do Frida one last show to honor her paintings while she was still alive. The doctors though it was actually a good idea, it could not get Frida any worst than she already was. In fact it should boost up her health as she got happy in thinking and planning her show. During the opening of the exhibit Lola Alvarez Bravo called Frida a "great woman and artist", she had long deserved this honor.
         By the night time, Frida's conditon worsen, and the doctors forbade her to move. Frida was at her exhibition in a hospital stretcher. Everyone was so shocked they abandoned their cameras on the floor and were incapable of taking any pictures. Someone eventually did take a photograph of such an important moment of Frida's life. It is certainly true that Frida's presence made the show a display of emotion rather than an artistic celebration.
         By August of 1953, the doctors decided they had to amputate Frida's right leg. Diego knew this operation was going to kill her. The day of her surgery everyone had grieving faces but Frida. She dressed in a Tehuana dress as if it were for a party. However, after everyone left Frida's side, she lost all hope. Even when she was furious, she no longer protested, it was all silent. She was not even interested in Diego who was her life. The loss of her leg lowered her self-esteem, and she even tried to commit suicide. In 1954 she drove herself to the studio one last time, she painted life by light, but her last works remained personal because they could not serve as political drawing, but more like personal and self-identifying. Frida died July 13, 1954, she was dressed in a Tehuana skirt, braided hair, earrings, and every finger on her hand had a ring.

Quote: "Hunger takes what it can get; greed takes what it wants, here and there, for its own pleasure" (Herrera 423).
During Frida's sickness her feelings for Diego began to change from hour to hour, from minute to minute. Therefore, when it came to discussing her marriage, she always described it as a marriage where they joined hunger with the desire to eat. Meaning Diego eas greedy and she was hungry. Her emotions had a lot to do with her increased dependence on drugs.

Reaction: Throughout the entire story I come to know that Frida and Diego cheat on each other all along in their marriage. However, Diego's infidelity did not bother Frida she was a vibrant woman and she just had a way of protesting everything. Frida did not seem to care whether Diego cheated or not because she was doing the same thing. Then, when Frida became badly sick, Diego's ways began to affect her, when she needed him most he was out and about with other females. Which makes me question whether Diego ever loved Frida or if their marriage was more on a career friendly bonding. Also, Diego married another woman after Frida died, which also made me question if he wanted a rebound to forget about Frida or that was just him being the woman lover that he is. Over all, from the reading I realize that Frida not only physically changed with time but her mentally and way of life changed as well. Her drawings also changed as time passed, her drawings showed everything that happened in her life, and one can see how her drawings vary from politics to personal art. Frida died years back, but her legacy still lives on along with Diego Rivera for being two famous artists.  

A Biography of Frida Kahlo (303-403)

Summary: By the 1940's Frida's career arose, the recognition of her art brought patrons, commissions, a teaching job, conferences, fellowship, participation in cultural organizations, conferences, art projects, and an invitation to write for periodicals. A sign of her growing reputation was her 1942 selection of drawings. These paintings demonstrated the Seminario de Cultura Mexicana, which is an organization under an education. In 1944, she was invited by the Ministry Education to be part of a popular mural painting. Frida was chosen as one of six artists to receive a government fellowship in 1946. Then her greatest honor came in September of the next year, at the National Exhibition at the Palace of Fine Arts. Frida won five thousand pesos for each of four paintings.
         Even though in the 1940's Frida had the best time with her career, earning a living was not easy. In 1947, Frida sold art for four thousand pesos, showing she was in need of money. For some reason, it seemed like portraits of other people were almost less vibrant and original than her subject paintings and self-portraits. It was inferred that perhaps Frida did not feel free to project all her fantasies into the portraits of other people, and it didn't make her feel her own reality in the drawing. By the time Frida began to rise Diego had been an ancient myth, while Frida was knew to mythic stature. Years after Diego and Frida died, Friends remembered them as sacred monsters. They had divorced and re-married. After, they re-married, the bond between them deepened. However, they both still had love affairs, his where open, and hers were with men. Frida's portraits recorded the battles of her marriage.


Quote:"No one is more than a functioning or part of the total function..." (Herrera 328).
The above quote is from Frida's diary. Frida thinks that life always sprouts from the trunk of age. In her drawings she tries to express her views of the universe. She expresses it with harmony and color, meaning that everything moves according to one law which is life. Therefore, where she writes no one is more than a functioning or part of the total function; she means all is all and one. For example, anguish and pain, pleasure and death are all processes to exist. She says all humans are sometimes described by one adjective but in reality we are hate, love, mother, child, plant, earth, lightning, etc. from the minute we are born.

Reaction: When I first read the quote I was confused. I thought it meant that humans are not complete that only part of us fully functions, but then as I read more, I realized Frida meant everything about us makes us from the minute we are brought to life including the environment itself. Also, her beliefs of life and the universe are portrayed in her drawing. For example, her drawing of Doña Rosita has darkness in between leaves to show night time, to mean end of life. Other signals of old age and death are brown leaves, gray leafless sticks. She shows death as part of the cycle of life by making the sticks form props of a tangle of live  green flower plants. Then Doña Rosita herself is prickly looking to show her wisdom and long life.
Does it take artists a long time to decide how their drawing will symbolize something?