Patria 6th

"I saw the wonder on his young face as the life drained out of him, and I thought, Oh my God, he's one of mine!" (Page 162)

This quote describes the moment when she sees a young freedom fighter get shot down while on a religious retreat with the Christian Cultural Group. This is the moment that ignited her passion to contribute to the revolution. By comparing the young man to her son Nelson, she had the epiphany that all the people who were fighting for the freedom of the Dominican Republic were her "Children." Here, the motherly instinct Patria was described as having as a young girl comes back stronger than ever. Having this epiphany while witnessing the death is what shaped her into the more empathetic and fierce woman she became in her later years.

"On the third day, He rose again" (Page 200)

Her experience pursuing becoming a nun even though not fully finished it was a big part of her upbringing. One of the biggest parts that led to who she becomes is the influence of her husband and protecting her children.

"That moment, I understood her hatred. My family had not been personally hurt by Trujillo, just as before losing my baby, Jesus had not taken anything away from me. But others had been suffering great losses…" - Patria (Alvarez, 53)

Yes, she always put her family first. She gave up on becoming a nun to start a family and was deeply affected by the death of one of her children. Even after joining the revolution, her sisters and the family she started were still her number one concern, sending things for Mate and Minerva in prison, going to visit her husband regularly, and going out of her way to get her son Nelson released.

"Take me instead, I'll be your sacrificial lamb." - Patria (Alvarez, 203)

Some of the religious people she was close to while she was young like her mother influenced her to go down a religious path. In turn, it was also her religious beliefs that influenced a lot of her decisions later on in the story. Sometimes she viewed her faith as a guide (saying she had 'divine inspiration' to name some of her children as she did) while other times she had to do things she felt were going against her faith (like choosing to start a family over becoming a nun or joining the revolution despite her own beliefs that the deaths she witnesses are intended by God).

I would say Patria was a good mother to all of the children she took in. Just by taking in her sister's children and caring for them just as her own when she needed to makes her a more involved mother than they were. Towards the end of the book when she has lost everything, she is still fulfilling her motherly role, complaining about the "hair in [Noris'] eyes"(200) and bringing her crying child "to [her] bed"(201) to comfort him. A sign of a good parent is someone who can support and comfort their children even in the face of uncertainty.

Patria's life greatly affected by meeting Pedrito on page 48, deciding ultimately that "[she has] heard"(49) that it was right to marry him moving away from her dream of becoming a nun. The next biggest event in Patria's life is seeing the young boy get shot on page162. Seeing a boy her sons age get killed makes her decide that she can't "sit back and watch [her] babies die"(162).

Patria was born "hands first, as if reaching up for something" (pg. 44) and then always put others first, thinking that she would become a nun. It was joked about that she was born knowing what she would become, even scaring her mother, so she went to the convent. She did everything that was required of her, and then some, to even be considered by some of the other nuns there o become a nun herself. However, that idea changed when she was helping wash feet on Holy Thursday and she fell in love at first sight with a man. She then got married before 17. Then, she later gave birth to a still born baby and then saw a man die on a religious retreat. It was these events that truly shaped her to be who she was, as without them she would have become a nun and only prayed during the revolution.

"I got braver like a crab going sideways. I inched towards courage the best way I could, helping out with the little things." pg 155

"I put my hands up against the glass to remind her that she, too must reach up for the things she didn't understand."

pg 45.

I would say that Patria is a good mother as she puts her children above herself. They are the reason that she decided to join the revolution, as after she watches the man die after the bombing (pg. 162) and sees him as one of hers, that it hits her that her children are in trouble. With this knowledge, she joins the revolution, which in turn leads to her death. She literally sacrifices her life for her children, so I do believe that she is a good mother due to this.

"I'm not going to sit back and watch my babies die, Lord, even if that's what You in Your great wisdom decide."

pg. 162

Was Patria a good mother? Support yourself.

What did Patria specifically add to the revolution?

Give a representative quote about or by Patria.

What events in Patria's life influenced the woman she became?

She sacrificed the saftey and normalcy of her family life she had grown accustomed to over the past decade. Claiming that it was in Noris' room, among the "little perfume bottles and snapshots of her quinceanera party" that they stored their "arsenal of assorted pistols and revolvers" (167) to be used in the revolution. This imagery exemplifies the sacrifice of her normal family life for the greater cause of the revolution.

"..I was carrying not just my child but that dead boy as well" (Page 162). As exemplified in the quote above, Patria not only grieved the loss of her own child, but also the loss of the brave boy fighting for freedom whom she didn't even know. Patria's huge capacity for love was what motivated her. Of course, she was motivated by her love of her family, but she was also motivated by her love of all the innocent people suffering under the regime just the same, comparing them to children of her own.

Patria added to the revolution by breaking the stereotype of what a "rebel" should look like. By standing firm on her identity as a more traditionally "feminine" and religious mother, while still making huge strides in the revolution, Patria showed that not all change-makers have to fit the rambunctious, loud-natured stereotype typically portrayed in feminist literature.

"So, I thought, why not? Treat him like a spirit worthy of my attention, and maybe he would start behaving himself" (Page 202). In this quote, Patria is referring to her "little devil," Nelson. She describes how when he was misbehaving at home she would treat him more like a person than a problem that needed to be solved, as a lot of parents tend to do. Instead of spanking or yelling at Nelson when he was causing trouble, Patria would dress him in his nicest clothes and take him to "Salcedo for an afternoon novena and coconut ice afterwards" (Page 202). This was an excellent example of Patria's excellence in her motherhood exemplified throughout the book and how she incorporated her kind, empathetic nature into raising her children.

Patria is motivated by seeing the boy get shot through the back and die in front of her. She begins to see this boy as one of her own children, and this becomes extrapolated into her own children being in danger. With this realization, she sees that the only way to protect her children, as is her motherly duty, is to join the revolution to be able to take down Trujillo. This is why when her son is arrested by the SIM she breaks down and becomes almost comatose for a while before she eventually comes back into herself. Everything she does is for her children.

She brought her selflessness to the revolution. doing her best to ensure the well-being of the people she cares about.

Besides the obvious that Patria sacrficed - herself - she also sacrificed having a normal family. She could have had a nice family with a loving husband and her three children, but she gave that up to be able to join the revolution. If she didn't join the revolution, her son wouldn't have been as likely to join the revolution, and he would not have been put in jail by the SIM. Her house, with all of the memorabilia from her and her husband's lives, would not have been raised. She would not have died and would have been there to see her children finish grow up and be married, along with eventually meeting her grandchildren. However, by joining the revolution she lost this picture perfect family life that could have been.

The biggest thing Patria sacrificed was herself. She always did her best to keep everyone she loved out of harm. This is most apparent from her wishes to have been taken to prison instead of her sisters, the risks she took talking to Pena to get Nelson released, and her death at the end of the book along with her revolutionary sisters for the greater good of her country.

She dedicated the later part of her life to the cause, spending all her energy rebelling against the government with her sisters.

Patria is motivated by the safety of her children and family. She finally joins the revolutionaries when she realizes her children could be killed like many others were. She fights very hard to be able to visit and help her family despite her own struggles because a basis of her motivation is keeping family safe and happy.

I as well believe she did her best to stand up for her children's future unfortunately costing her life. "On my third day at Mamas. instead of a resurrection, I got another crucifixion. The SIM came for Mate... Three months before I got to hold my Nelson."pg 201 Even though she was going through this torture all she was worried about was her family and children.

She added a caring, nurturing side to the revolution. Patria always put everyone else ahead of herself and that side of her is best shown while Minerva and Mate are away in prison. She supported her sisters while they were in prison by sending them things and visiting them. She also took care of their children when they couldn't, and did everything in her power to try to get her sisters, all of their husbands, and her son released.

Patria was mainly motivated by her own faith and the ways she questions her faith as the most religious of the sisters. After watching a massacre done by Trujillo's army, she decided to take matters into her own hands and stand up against Trujillo with her sisters even if she feels she may be going against what God wants.

"I am not going to sit by and watch my babies die, Lord, even if that's what You in Your great wisdom decide." - Patria (Alvarez, 162)

Patria risks her own well being and her younger families well being. As supporting her family is one of her biggest drive, the risks she took to get them out of jail. She still has young children she wants to raise and care for, but she still risks it.

She helped those in jail stay positive with the care packages of "sweet potato biscuits with molasses"(210) and need toiletries. These supplies would only help them continue their resistance. She also worked to get them the visitor passes to see those in jail.

Patria helps her sisters while they're in prison by sending items to raise their spirits and make their time there a little more bearable. By having said items brought in, her sisters were able to share them to get better treatment from the others that were in their cell, which helped to bolster the revolution's efforts with more women. In these packages she also included little bits that helped them to be able to have protests while in jail, such as wearing crosses when the church was put down and when there was a hunger strike and Mate thought that she was not going to be able to make it.

She was motivated by her loss of faith and her hurt from losing her child and the pain el jefe brought on her

What did Patria sacrifice to the revolution?

What is Patria motivated by? Please support yourself.