¡Viva Las Mariposas! Voice and Agency in In the Time of the Butterflies

Lesson 21
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ELA

Unit 4

9th Grade

Lesson 21 of 28

Objective


Analyze how the narrative point of view, structure, and imagery of the Epilogue contributes to the reader's understanding of Dedé at the end of the novel and develops Alvarez's central message about storytelling.

Readings and Materials


  • Book: In the Time of Butterflies by Julia Alvarez  pp. 301 – 321 — Epilogue

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Target Task


Discussion & Writing Prompt

Compare the mood of the final scene of Epilogue with that of Dedé's first memory in Chapter 1. How does imagery and diction contribute to that mood, and what do these contrasting scenes reveal about storytelling?

Sample Response

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Key Thinking


Close Read Questions

How does Dedé's role's change over time with respect to her sisters' story? Provide specific evidence from the text and carefully explain your thinking.

Consider the narrative point of view structure of this final chapter. Why does Alvarez change to a first person point of view for Dedé and jump back and forth in time throughout? Provide specific evidence from the text and carefully explain your thinking.

How does the imagery in this final chapter contribute to the reader's understanding of Dedé and how she sees herself in the present? Provide specific evidence from the text and carefully explain your thinking.

Vocabulary


Literary Terms

epilogue

concluding section of a work

Text-based

oracle

n.

(p. 312)

in ancient times, an oracle was someone who offered advice or a prophecy thought to have come directly from a divine source. In modern usage, any good source of information can be called an oracle.

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Standards


  • RL.9-10.2 — Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze in detail its development over the course of the text, including how it emerges and is shaped and refined by specific details; provide an objective summary of the text.
  • RL.9-10.3 — Analyze how complex characters (e.g., those with multiple or conflicting motivations) develop over the course of a text, interact with other characters, and advance the plot or develop the theme.
  • RL.9-10.4 — Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in the text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the cumulative impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone (e.g., how the language evokes a sense of time and place; how it sets a formal or informal tone).
  • RL.9-10.5 — Analyze how an author's choices concerning how to structure a text, order events within it (e.g., parallel plots), and manipulate time (e.g., pacing, flashbacks) create such effects as mystery, tension, or surprise.

Supporting Standards

L.9-10.1
L.9-10.6
RL.9-10.1
SL.9-10.1
SL.9-10.6
W.9-10.9

Next

Analyze one of the central themes from In the Time of the Butterflies.

Lesson 22
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Lesson Map

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