In the Time of the Butterflies/Manners: Home

In the Time of the Butterflies is an historical novel—much of the story stemmed purely from Julia Alvarez’s imagination, but the novel is also steeped in fact. Your job is to choose something from the novel—an aspect of life in the Dominican Republic in the 1940s or 1950s, Trujillo’s regime, the DR’s relationship with America, or Haiti, or Cuba, or anything else historical, political, social, or cultural that has sparked your curiosity—and research it further.

This is NOT an expository essay. You are NOT simply researching facts and reporting them back. You are going to start with a research question (i.e. “What role did the OAS have in changing the Dominican Republic?” or “How did Fidel Castro’s coup affect politics in the Dominican Republic?”) and go from there. Your question should NOT have one simple, direct answer. (For example, you are not researching, “Where were the Mirabal sisters born?”) The idea of this assignment is that you will explore your topic and come to a conclusion based on what you have learned.

There is a list of possible questions in this guide to help you get started, but I want to strongly encourage you to choose your own research question—if there’s something that interests you that isn’t on the list, then go for it!

The thesis of your final draft will be your answer to your research question—the answer that feels the most plausible to you, now that you have studied it—and you will support that answer in your body paragraphs through your own analysis of the research you have done.

The final draft of your paper, which should be 3-4 pages long, will include:

• A title more interesting and engaging than “In the Time of the Butterflies Research Paper”
• An introduction that:
  • Explains the context of your topic in In the Time of the Butterflies
  • Lays out your thesis (remember: this is an argument, not a statement of fact!)
• 3-4 Body paragraphs that:
  • Have clear topic sentences that relate to your thesis
  • Include information/quotes/evidence from your research
  • Clearly explain how the outside research you have included relate to and support your thesis
• A conclusion that:
  • Sums up how you have proved your thesis
  • Explains why this matters—what do we understand better thanks to your argument?
• A Works Cited page in MLA format

Important dates for this project:

• Wednesday, March 9^th: We will meet in the library, and Ms. Gerlock will walk us through the process of “guided inquiry”
• Wednesday and Thursday, March 16^th and 17^th: Research days. Come to class able and willing to be productive!
• Friday, March 18^th: Annotated Bibliography due—you must have 3-5 good sources. (see annotated bibliography tab above for a refresher on how to create an annotated bibliography)
• Thursday, April 7^th: Rough draft of essay due—bring a hard copy to class to be peer edited.
• Friday, April 15^th: Final draft due—a hard copy in class and an electronic copy posted to Schoology.

Jessica Manners