Skip to Main Content

Lesson 3

We will continue to watch sections of the documentary, “‘El Jefe’ Portrait of a Dictator.”

Lesson Goals

  • Can I develop a better understanding of the Dominican Republic circa 1950–1960?

  • Can I respond to questions and prompts based on a documentary?

Texts

Core

  • Digital Access
    • “‘El Jefe’ Portrait of a Dictator,” Bill Leonard, CBS News, 1961
  • Tradebook
    • In the Time of the Butterflies, Julia Alvarez, Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill, 2010

Materials

Question Sets

Editable Google Docs

Activity 1: View – Write

We will continue viewing two more excerpts of “‘EL Jefe’ Portrait Of A Dictator.”

Watch the last two excerpts of "‘El Jefe’ Portrait of a Dictator" and respond to the following questions from the Section 1 Question Set. Be prepared to share your responses with the whole group:

Questions for 29:47-34:34:

  1. What do we learn about June 14?

  2. What is the outcome of the June events?

  3. How does Trujillo’s regime react to these events?

Questions for 34:34-46:48:

  1. What stands out to you about Trujillo’s interview?

  2. How does Trujillo view the future of the Dominican Republic?

  3. How does Trujillo view the United States?

  4. What happens when Trujillo does not like the interviewer’s questions? How does this exemplify the world Trujillo has built around himself?

Reflection:

  1. Based on what you have seen, would you consider Trujillo to be a dictator? Why or why not?

Activity 2: Discuss

We will discuss what we learned about the setting of our novel.

Discuss the following questions as a whole group:

  1. Considering what you just watched, what conclusions can you make about life under the Trujillo reign?

  2. Considering what you read about the Mirabal sisters and the report you just watched, what are you still wondering about In the Time of the Butterflies?

Activity 3: Read – Write

For homework, we will read introductory information about In the Time of the Butterflies.

For homework, using your copy of In the Time of the Butterflies, read the following excerpts from the novel:

  • "A Postscript (pp. 323-324)"

  • "Still the Time for Butterflies: A Note from the Author (pp. 329-332)"

  • the biographies of the four sisters in the "Reading and Discussion Guide" (pp. 333-336) and on the last page.

Additionally, research two other biographical sources about Julia Alvarez. As you read, respond to the following questions in your Learning Log and be prepared to share your responses during the next lesson:

  1. Why does Alvarez’s family end up in New York City? Cite evidence from at least two additional sources in your answer.

  2. What do the words exiles and tyranny mean from this sentence in the postscript: "On August 6, 1960, my family arrived in New York City, exiles from the tyranny of Trujillo"?

  3. Why is it important for the reader to know that the story Alvarez writes about the Mirabal sisters is "the Mirabals of my creation, made up but, I hope, true to the spirit of the real Mirabals"?

  4. "As for the sisters of legend, wrapped in superlatives and ascended into myth, they were finally inaccessible to me. I realized, too, that such deification was dangerous, the same god-making impulse that had created our tyrant." Based on this evidence from the postscript, what does Alvarez think about her creation of the Mirabal sisters’ story?

  5. Based on what you read in these texts, how would you describe Alvarez’s feelings toward the Mirabal sisters? Cite evidence from the text in your answer.

  6. What can you infer about Alvarez’s social standing and family relationships? Cite evidence from the texts to support your response.