Write a two to five page essay on one of the following topics. You may focus on one of the sisters, contrast two, or discuss all four. In any case, arrive at a deep, thoughtful central claim, and use your analysis of quotations to examine the idea profoundly. In your conclusion, apply your thesis to the world you observe around you.
I. Loss
What do these characters lose? How do their losses affect them? What does this novel suggest about the effects of loss on the human psyche?
II. A Call to Action
What motivates these characters to care, to become involved, to take action? What does this novel suggest it takes for people to overcome apathy and become engaged in the struggle for a more fair and just world?
III. Discovery
What do the characters discover, or what do YOU see, discover, notice as you complete Alvarez’s book? What deep understanding about humanity does this novel suggest?
IV. Literature and Life
We have looked at some examples of women today who are fighting oppression. What does any one of them have in common with any one or more of the Butterflies? What does the example of these women show us about heroism, or our power for good in the world, or any other important idea?
V. Your Power
What project can you do that would help address the issue we find on this website? The United Nations' International Day for the Eradication of Violence Against Women takes place on November 25, a date chosen in tribute to the Butterflies. Make a detailed plan for a project that would aid that cause; for extra credit, carry it out.