Introduction

After reading In the Time of the Butterflies, you are now familiar with the fictitious rendering of Julia Alvarez’s Dominican Republic. In this project, you will immerse yourself in this world in order to examine the following: What was it like to be a young woman growing up under a newly formed dictatorship, in a time of historic transition? Understanding and empathizing with the primary experience in the native country will perhaps answer questions about why people immigrated to America? What were they leaving and what did they imagine they would find when they came to America?

You will be working in teams to investigate the cultural influences that led to the emigration. You will be learning about what it felt like be a stranger in a new country.

Alvarez photo: http://voices.cla.umn.edu/authors/JuliaAlvarez.html