Natural Rights In The Time Of The Butterflies

A government that takes away the basic rights of its citizens is a government that needs to, and is going to change. John Locke, a philosopher of The Enlightenment, brought to light the idea of natural rights, or life, liberty, and property. He explained that everyone is born with these certain rights, and nobody can take that away from anyone. The concept of natural rights being violated can be seen in the historical fiction novel In the Time of the Butterflies by Julia Alvarez. In the book, four Dominican sisters living under the dictatorship of Rafael Leonidas Trujillo decide to participate in the revolution because of the government taking away the basic human rights of its citizens. This is just one out of many examples of people …show more content…
For example, in the winter before the French Revolution, the peasants were starving because there was a bad harvest that fall, so they had little bread. Meanwhile, the nobles, the clergy, and the king and queen were extremely rich and living extravagantly. Because of the lack of bread, the French economy was failing, and to fix this, the king just taxed the peasants more, which made the starvation and death even worse. The French citizens were unable to live and the government did nothing to help, and because of this, the lower class people in society sought to revolt against the unfair monarchy to create a democracy. Another example of government being indifferent to protecting the lives of its citizens can be seen in In The Time of the Butterflies when Patria witnesses a boy dying as he is running from government soldiers. She, “saw the wonder on his young face as the life drained out of him, and [she] thought, Oh my God, he’s one of mine!”(Alvarez 162). Later, she decides, “I’m not going to sit back and watch my babies die, Lord”(162). Patria sees the government actively taking away someone’s life, and she realizes that she needs to take a stand to make social change instead of “sit[ing] back” and being indifferent. Seeing “the life [drain] out” of someone makes her empathize with the cause of the revolution because she believes that everyone should have the …show more content…
This is seen during the French Revolution under the Old Regime when society was divided into three Estates. The First and Second Estates were the clergy and nobles, and together they controlled thirty percent of the land in France even though they made up less than three percent of the population. The Third Estate, which made up about ninety-seven percent of the population worked to support the country’s economy through farming and other businesses, yet were still denied as much riches and property as the other Estates. This was one major cause of their uprising against the government. Another way government controlling property catalyzed someone’s desire for social change is in In the Time of the Butterflies. Minerva and María Teresa were arrested, and they had their houses destroyed and their cars taken away because of their participation in the revolution. That night Dedé, “was feeling it slowly coming on. The dark of a childhood closet, the odor of gasoline she never liked, the feel of something dangerous pawing at her softly to see what she would do. She felt a tickling temptation to just let go. To let the craziness overtake her before the SIM could destroy all she loved”(198). Dedé witnessed her sisters losing their property and natural rights, and felt suddenly motivated to join the revolution. Phrases such as, “the dark of