The short film, “Blind Vaysha” uses the motif of the window in the beginning of the film when Vaysha is born. The window symbolizes a portal to transformation or escaping outside where there is freedom that one does not originally have. Similarly, the window represents Vaysha’s condition where she is confined to only her home, when she grows up since she is born different form other— she can view the past and future only. For a similar effect, I used this motif in my personal essay. I describe how I desire to “escape through a window” to relieve the pressure on me to conform to two societies. This inclination is what Vaysha wants when she grows up, since there is a scene towards the end of the film where she is grown up and reflects on her situation by the window. …show more content…
The butterfly is a Native American symbol for change, joy, and color. This recurring image appears in the very beginning of the film, just before Vaysha is born. If the butterfly possesses a positive connotation; therefore, there must be something reassuring with Vaysha’s dilemma. The screenwriter may suggest that being unique ultimately brings joy to the individual if they realize it their difference and is able to appreciate it. Moreover, when butterflies spread their wings they are able to fly in a carefree nature, hence, the motif of the butterfly encourages Vaysha to “fly in the sky” in carefree nature. However, in my essay I echo this same idea, where I know that balancing my uniqueness and conformity will not be possible but it will always be a
As the great Arnold Schwarzenegger once said, “Strength does not come from winning. Your struggles develop your strengths. When you go through hardships and decide not to surrender, that is strength.” The book In the Time of the Butterflies is about a family of four girls who are living in the Dominican Republic under a very dangerous dictator. They rebel against him and the government to join a revolution along with many other people from the Dominican. In In the Time of the Butterflies, Julia Alvarez uses the characterization of Patria to demonstrate the danger of passive religious belief.
“Your life does not get better by chance, it gets better by change.” Jim Rohns quote highlights the basis of Debra Oswald’s play Gary’s house, and also Miroshav Holubs poem The Door. This essay will explore the notion that change causes people to shift their thinking and actions after significant catalysts. Gary’s House illustrates many of the issues and predicaments confronted by the characters and how their alteration in behaviour can have a beneficial outcome for them or others around them. The concept of "The Door" is based on the idea of taking risks and embracing change. The poet uses persuasive techniques to encourage and provoke the audience to take action.
The symbolized inferior butterfly has been killed by a more superior human. Killing a butterfly doesn’t usually come to people as a huge occurrence but this really is a small event turned major because it alters the future timeline. The theme of this story is a metaphor on society because in the post-world war era this was an important message, one action from a high ranking official, or even a small person doing a dangerous deed could most definitely cause panic and have far greater impact on society, just as the two World Wars did.
In some cases butterflies represent beauty, freedom, and imagery. In the Time of the Butterflies, by Julia Alvarez, The Mirabal sisters represent honor and freedom by the way they react in the book. An example of Minerva Mirabal exemplifying freedom is when she says, “I stare at Manuel de Moya as if pinning him to the wall. ‘I’d sooner jump out that window than be forced to do something against my honor’” (111). This quote explains how Minerva will stick for her true roots, and will not ever do anything to dishonor her family. Minerva and the rest of the Mirabal sisters do what they think is right and will do whatever it takes to stay true to what they believe in. Another example of the Mirabal sisters representing a butterfly is when
In conclusion, In the Time of the Butterflies, is a very touching and breathtaking book that embedded the historical event into a chronological story that showed the symbolic and thematic topics that occurred in the time periods the book was set in which was from 1930’s-1990’s where Dede was telling the
She started to see beautiful things from her window that represented her new life. She wasn’t used to seen those things like this when her husband was around, because she was submissive to her husband and trapped. Another part of the story that i found ironic was when Kate Chopin started to describe the scene outside the window. She described the outside as “The delicious breathe of rain, the notes of a distant song, countless sparrows were twittering and patches of blue sky”. At this point is when i realized that she wasn’t sad for her husband and this was a sign of a new life.
Julia Alvarez’s book, In the Time of Butterflies, is the detailed retelling of how four sisters lived through an oppressive dictatorship. Throughout the book each sister goes through a great deal of hardships both mentally and physically. The Mirabal sisters’ throughout the book sacrifice so much, by doing this it shows their determination towards receiving their freedom, and their courageousness.
In the Time of the Butterflies by Julia Alvarez is a novel about breaking the chains – not just from Trujillo, but from the societal idea that men should rule in a patriarchal fashion. The idea of female subordinates rising up in a fiery fashion is an age-old notion, and I believe that the true voice in Alvarez’ novel comes in this form. The subplot screams through like a banshee, especially when The Butterflies are brutally murdered without ever laying a finger on Trujillo as one may expect. So then what was the purpose of experiencing the live of The Butterflies day in and out? The answer is clear: to support a case for women everywhere to have the courage to stand up to their oppressors and gain equal footing in society. To gain insight in to this philosophy it’s critical to examine crucial plot details such as the relationship of each woman and her husband, the evolution of The Butterflies’ mentality through the course of the story, and a brief look at the history of the Dominican Republic to learn their societal norms and how Alvarez chooses to integrate these facts in to her fictional work.
Hours upon hours in the sun's blazing heat beating on one’s back, with arduous, meticulous labor tending to a plant in needed in order to create an alluring flower is described in “I Have This Way of Being” by Jamaal May. Plants grow, just like humans grow physically and mentally, in the beginning they look similar, ordinary, and uninteresting, but over time they develop traits and features that make them different. Then, at the peak of the flowers life, they bloom into marvelous flowers that make them unique and exquisite from any other plant. Finding one’s self identity is an arduous and tedious task to accomplish, but in reward for their efforts one blossoms into being authentic person that understands their true self and projects their non manipulated true-self into society for everyone to see. In “I Have This Way of Being” Jamaal May uses the literary device of metaphors and conflict to emphasize that one has to struggle with finding theirself identity in order to become authentic.
Edward Bloor uses the metaphor of blindness in Tangerine to show that technically Paul is blind yet his parents are actually the ones who are blind to many thing, while Paul can see what his parents can’t. First of all, Edward bloor constantly referred to how technically Paul is blind but his parents are the ones who are really blind. Like Bloor writes “You know you can’t see very well. And that was that. But I can see.
He emphasizes the “affinities we perceive between the fates of the woman and the butterflies” (302). We can appreciate the corresponding story-lines that conflate Dellarobia’s emotional and spiritual turmoil with the ecological plight of the suffering butterflies. As Dellarobia grows as a character, we can juxtapose her own movement with the butterflies. Garrard notices how the actual topic of climate change does not manifest itself until rather late in the novel (303). This, he argues, makes the audience much more understanding of Dellarobia and therefore more likely to follow along listen to what the protagonist has to say. Consequently, the reader can observe the Dellarobia’s changing perspectives on climate change; Kingsolver uses her as a mouthpiece to which each individual can come to understand the butterflies’ dire situation. Garrard lauds Kingsolver’s ability to get the readers to care about the butterflies via Dellarobia. This notion implies, however, that the audience cares more about Dellarobia’s affection with the butterflies than the butterflies themselves. In other words, we do not care about the dying butterflies because of what they mean in terms of the overarching effects of climate change, but rather because of their epiphanic and sobering effect on Dellarobia’s character. Nevertheless, Garrard asserts that this method embodies the “metanarrative of risk” (302) and is much more productive than traditional scientific
The author tries to convey this message mainly through writing this piece in first person while using the literary style of stream of consciousness. Periodically throughout the piece, the author shows his
Another small but important window scene takes place after Clarissa returns home to discover that her husband has been invited to Millicent Bruton’s lunch party but she has not. After reading the message about the party on a notepad, she begins to retreat upstairs to her private room, “a single figure against the appalling night.” As she lingers before the “open staircase window,” she feels her own aging, “suddenly shriveled, aged, breastless… out of doors, out of the window, out of her body and brain which now failed…” Again, there is a hint of danger as death is portrayed as a somewhat alluring transcendental experience,
Within the stories “ A Rose for Emily” by William Faulkner, and “Alice” by Paulette White, both authors intentionally exploit the use of symbolism and imagery in the form of doors to help the reader comprehend the main character’s, initial characterization. Even though A Rose for Emily and Alice are two different stories from different literary movements, through the symbolism of doors the reader is able to comfortably understand the initial characterization of the main characters. The short stories Alice and A Rose for Emily were composed in two very different literary eras. Alice was written around 1980: modernist literary era and was created by Paulette White.
The experiences we have in childhood do much to shape our adult identity. In her novel Cat's Eye, Margaret Atwood chronicles the life of artist Elaine Risley, and through a series of flashbacks shows the reader how she became her adult self. The retrospective showing of Elaine's artwork provides a framework for the retrospective of her journey from child to adult. Because Atwood was creating a fictional character, she was free to incorporate some very dramatic events that impacted Elaine's thoughts and feelings. Most of us do not have as much drama in our lives I certainly did not and yet the people, circumstances and occurrences in our lives affect us profoundly. We create our identity by the friends we choose, the decisions we make, and the way we respond to things that happen around us. Some things happen to us, and we also make conscious choices.