Life & Death
What year was Minerva born?
1926
Minerva was most passionate about?
Freedom
Was Minerva's inability to become a lawyer after or before her rejection of Trujillo's advances?
After
Name 1 message Julia Alvarez put through Minerva
Courage
Fight against injustice
Freedom
Defiance against stereotypes
Women empowerment
What year did Minerva die?
1960
Defining traits (name at least 2 for full points)
Just, courageous, leadership, catholic,
True/False
Minerva went to a catholic school
True
What kind of society did Minerva grow up in?
Patriarchal
A patriarchal society is a social system where men hold the primary power and authority, dominating leadership roles in political, social, and economic spheres
Day of death (SPECIFIC)
November 25th, 1960
Qualities of Minerva
Outspoken & Rebellious
Who was Minerva assassinated by and after what?
Assassinated by Trujillo's secret police after visiting their husbands in prison
After going through the pockets of her father’s clothing and finding letters to her from Lio, she says “I'm going to find my good-for-nothing father and drag him back”
What did Minerva find written in the letters for her to say this?
Lio invited Minerva to seek asylum in the United States
Explicity stating his love for Minerva
There is a final letter stating that he has accepted her rejection and will be leaving alone
“The aching in my belly was like wash being wrung so tightly, there wasn’t a drop of water left in the clothes. ‘I’ll pray for your brother,’ I promised her. ‘But Sinita, one thing. How is this Trujillo’s secret?’ ‘You still don’t get it? Minerva, don’t you see? Trujillo is having everyone killed!’ I lay awake most of that night, thinking about Sinita’s brother and her uncles and her father and this secret of Trujillo that nobody but Sinita seemed to know about.” (Alvarez, 19).
How does Alvarez use imagery, such as the “aching in my belly” to convey Minerva’s emotional response to learning the truth about Trujillo?
Alvarez uses the "aching in my belly" as visual imagery to convey the intense, physical manifestation of Minerva's grief and rage upon learning the truth about Trujillo's atrocities against Sinita. This visceral (deep/inner) feeling represents how the horror of his crimes isn't just an abstract concept but a painful, agonizing, and trapped reality that she internalizes, leading to a deep emotional and physical trauma, eventually leading to her joining the underground resistance.