Current+and+Personal+Connections


 * How does the murder of Patria, Minerva and Mate compare to the death of Princess Diana? **

Both of these events are examples of authority figures/groups organizing the murders of others and not being held responsible for their actions. Reasons for the death of Princess Diana are under dispute as to whether her death was a planned event or merely an accident. Accidents. The telegram sent to Dede and her mother in //In the Time of the Butterflies// noted only that “There has been a car accident” (306). Both deaths were simply “chance”, according to each respective government associated with each respective murder. Each are examples of retaliation against women who refuse to conform to set roles in society. Princess Diana defied the “code of royalty," the code of conduct that she was supposed to maintain while in the eyes of the tabloids and the public. Parallel to this is the behavior of the Mirabal sisters, who refused to conform to the unspoken code of conduct in the Trujilo regime.

There is a connection between Alvarez’s story and life in the Dominican Republic and the turmoil in Libya today. Moammar Gadhafi, the current president of Libya whose regime has lasted forty plus years, is much like Rafael Trujillo in a former dictator in the Dominican Republic. Both men took over their countries trying to depose leaders from power. In 1969, Gadhafi staged a coup d'état against King Idris and was the member of a group that founded the new “free and sovereign” state called the Libyan Arab Republic. This group formed a cabinet to rule the country. It was said by many that Gadhafi was the “de-facto leader of the group”. Later, with the restructuring of power, Gadhafi was called “leader”. In 1930, Trujillo was told by President Vasquez to suppress a rebellion and after succeeding to this, he held an election as a candidate of the Dominican Party where he fraudulently became president. Both of these men were/are dictators. From the day Trujillo took office, he served as a dictator. One year after he assumed office, he made the Dominican Party the sole political party in the DR. It was suggested that all join the party, and if they did not, they would not join at their own risk. In Libya, the ruling group was the only group allowed to rule the country, and when Gadhafi was proclaimed leader, he ruled as a dictator.
 * What is the connection between Moammar Gadhafi's rule in Libya and Rafael Trujillo's rule in the Dominican Republic? **

Both of these men were/are corrupt who had no intention of helping their people and forming a free state. In the Dominican Republic, Trujillo had the opponents of his regime killed. He also tried to disestablish the universities in the country and prevent people from obtaining an education. In Libya, Gadhafi formed groups of people to monitor people’s ideas and make sure they are “revolutionary”. He also stated that private retail trade, rent, and wages should be abolished. In 1981, access was restricted to someone’s personal bank account to use the money for “government projects”. Some say this has what made Gadhafi so wealthy, resulting in the freezing of his bank accounts today. The most significant connection between these two men is their selfishness. Both had only their own interests in mind; deceive their people for self benefit.


 * Does the rebellion in I.T.O.B. have similarities to the current rebellion against the dictator Moammar Gadhafi in Libya? **