In Time of the Butterflies soundtrack

Today we handed in the first project of four (maybe). I did the project to make your own unit plan. As a part of the unit plan, I was making creative group projects. One of the projects I came up with I think would actually be a good assignment. It was create a CD of 10-15 songs that relate to any element in In The Time of the Butterflies. So I came up with a list of songs where some of the lyrics of the song relate to the themes, characters, or events in the book. The list is in no particular order. If you read the book, let me know if you agree/disagree or have any suggestions of your own. My comments/explanation are in blue.

1) Me and the Moon- Something Corporate
"i am a butterfly, you wouldn't let me die"
-The Mirabal sisters’ nickname was “Las Mariposas” which means the butterflies in English. The people of Dominican Republic did not let the spirit of “Las Mariposas” die. Plus, this is one of my favorite songs.

2) Fully Alive- Flyleaf
"All my complaints shrink to nothing. I'm ashamed of all my somethings. She's glad for one day of comfort, only because she has suffered"
-This is how I felt a little while reading this book. When I saw how much the people of the Dominican Republic suffered during the Trujillo Era, it made my problems seem much smaller.

3) Are We the Waiting- Green Day
"Forget me nots and second thoughts live in isolation. Heads or tails and fairytales in my mind. Are we we are, are we we are the waiting unknown. The rage and love, the story of my life"
-This song describes the uncertainty that many of the revolutionaries felt. They were constantly living in fear of what Trujillo would do to them next if they were caught. I can't imagine living such an unpredictable life.

4) We Intertwined- The Hush Sound
"Innocence was the key I was locked up never free until you turned me"
-This line from the song describes how each of the girls found their calling to help end the terrible dictators reign. Each girl had a pivotal moment, "the key", where they realized they wanted to help end Trujillo's regime.

5) Mistakes We Knew We Were Making- Mae
"no insurance for the unthinkable, blindly get us through. we've been searching for a lifetime, short as it may seem. Riding on the fumes that spark us, while igniting dreams. Mistakes we knew we were making. "
-This is another song describing the uncertainty of the revolutionaries' future. The Mirabal sisters are all so young, but that did not stop them from fighting. They were aware of the potential risks they were taking against the dictator. I don't think I could ever do something like that.

6) You Know What They Do To Guys Like Us in Prison- My Chemical Romance
"They say, "Come with your arms raised high!" Well, they're never gonna get me, Like a bullet through a flock of doves...To wage this war against your faith in me"
-Three of the sisters and their husbands spent some time in jail. They, for the most part, kept their faith and continued the revolution as best they could in jail. Trujillo tried everything in his power to stop them, but he couldn’t. Even killing them, their spirit still lived on.

7) Sonny- New Found Glory
"When you lose a part of your self To somebody you know It takes a lot to let go Every breath that you remember Pictures fade away but memory is forever "
-this song represents all the people that died while fighting for their freedom. The memory of them kept the people going so their death wouldn’t be in vain.

8) Where Is the Love?- Black Eyed Peas
"But if you only have love for your own race then you only leave space to discriminate And to discriminate only generates hate And when you hate then you're bound to get irate, yeah Madness is what you demonstrate And that's exactly how anger works and operates Man, you gotta have love just to set it straight Take control of your mind and meditate "
-The connection is obvious with this song. Trujillo besides being a tyrant in his own country, slaughtered thousands of Haitians. He was selfish; he killed so many innocent people for his own benefit.

9) Hold On (The Piano Song) – The Starting Line
"Her mind steadfast through time, Her family stood by trying hard not to cry, With patience and virtue, kept strong through the night, oh. She never fell to her knees, her searching was over, over. "
-The Mirabal sisters and their husbands were all supportive of the revolution. They kept strong to support Minerva and the other two girls instead of running away. Minerva never fell to her knees, giving up and surrendering.

10) Believe- Yellowcard
" Think about the love inside the strength of heart. Think about the heroes saving life in the dark. Climbing higher through the fire, time was running out.Never knowing you weren't going to be coming down alive.But you still came back for me. You were strong and you believed. Everything is gonna be alright. Be strong. Believe. Think about the chance I never had to say. Thank you for giving up your life that day. Never fearing, only hearing voices calling out. Let it all go, the life that you know, just to bring it down alive. And you still came back for me. You were strong and you believed"
-This song captures the bravery of the people fighting against Trujillo. They fought against all odds for their freedom. They risked their lives so that their children and their country would not have to live in constant fear and panic.

11) Watch the Sky- Something Corporate
" And I will crawl, there's things that aren't worth giving up I know. But I won't let this get me I will fight. You live the life you're given with the storms outside. Some days all I do is watch the sky. "
-This is a very inspiring song. When lead singer of Something Corporate Andrew McMahon was diagnosed with Leukemia, the words "I will fight" were printed on bracelets sold to raise money for a Leukemia foundation. The Mirabal sisters also fought, even when it seemed like they were never going to win, they did not give up.

12) Do You Feel? – The Rocket Summer

These are the lyrics to Do You Feel? by the Rocket Summer. I feel that this song sums up the inspiring message behind In the Time in the Butterflies. These three girls saw an injustice and instead of letting it happen, they stood up and took matters into their own hands.

I'm thinking 'bout other things I heard about today
All this week and tomorrow
And how these hands can create some better things for bettering
but you see for now I got my own things
I can't help it
I got too many issues I own
So I cannot help I'm afraid, yeah
But keep on preaching, preaching and heal the world
Lip service makes us look great

Do you feel
The weight of the world singing sorrow
Or to you is it just not real
Cause you got your own things
Yeah we all have our things I guess

I guess my mind wanders off
from time to time
Sometimes I convince myself
that all is fine in the world
It's not mine
Why should I
have to try
to fix things I didn't create or contrive

Do you feel
The weight of the world singing sorrow
Or to you is it just not real
Cause you got your own things
Yeah we all have so many things

Have the habits
Had you
Has it been for long
Can you feel the souls behind what's going on

Do you feel
The weight of the world singing sorrow
Or to you is it just not real
Cause you got your own things
Yeah we all have our things

Do you feel
The weight of the world singing sorrow
Or to you is it just not real
Cause you got your own things
Cause we all have so many things
And I can get past these things