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Lesson 6

We will re-examine Chapter 10, “Patria, January to March 1960,” through a different literary criticism lens to see how our understanding and analyses shift.

Lesson Goals

  • Can I read with sufficient accuracy and fluency to support comprehension?

  • Can I use connections among details, elements, and effects to make logical deductions about an author’s perspective, purpose, and meaning in texts?

Texts

Core

  • Tradebook
    • In the Time of the Butterflies, Julia Alvarez, Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill, 2010

Materials

Tools

Question Sets

Editable Google Docs

Activity 1: Discuss

We will examine chapter 10 through the feminist lens.

In a small group, discuss the following questions for Chapter 10, which are part of the Section 4 Question Set:

  1. How has going to church changed for people in the community?

  2. How do the women select the items for their care packages?

  3. Who is Papa’s other family and what experiences do the Mirabals have with them?

  4. How is Patria’s work on Nelson’s behalf influenced by her gender?

Cite evidence from the text to support your answers.

Activity 2: Discuss – Write

We will analyze chapter 10 through the feminist lens.

Step 1

In a small group, review the characteristics of the feminist lens. Use one the following guiding questions on an Analyzing RelationshipsTool to analyze In the Time of the Butterflies through the feminist lens:

  1. How does the text affirm or challenge traditional views of women?

  2. What behavioral expectations are imposed on the characters and what effect do these expectations have?

Include the quote below in your analysis:

"We were visited by a contingent of prostitutes…. Ten or twelve of us women got up and formed a cordon around our priest."

Step 2

Discuss the following question:

  1. How did your analysis of the same quote change when examining it through a different literary criticism lens?

Activity 3: Read – Write

For homework, we will read chapter 11.

For homework, read the first 15 pages of Chapter 11: "María Teresa, March to August 1960." As you read, respond to the following questions from the Section 4 Question Set in your Learning Log:

  1. How do the diary entries impact your understanding of Mate’s character?

  2. What aspects of prison life does Mate find most difficult?

  3. How does Mate cope with her situation?

  4. What relationships does Mate develop with the people around her during this time?

  5. How is prison in the Dominican Republic similar to or different from prison in the United States?

Write new or interesting words you encounter in your Vocabulary Journal.