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Ms. Woelke
Pre-AP English 9
8 February 2019
“Violence Against Women and the Example of the Mirabal Sisters” Essay
In Minou Mirabal’s moving speech “Violence against Women and the Example of the
Mirabal Sisters” (6 November, 2006), she expresses that violence against women is a huge
problem that should be addressed. The author first shows this by giving examples of how badly
women were treated throughout history, especially in the Dominican Republic; she then shows
how women are constantly mistreated by giving shocking, and somewhat depressing, statistics of
domestic abuse according to her source, the “office of the National Prosecutor,” and to conclude,
she proves the treatment of women to be negative through use of personal anecdotes about how
the Dominican Republic treated her mother. Her purpose is to inform people about how people
throughout history have treated women, and persuade the audience in order to stop the way
people have treated women, and hopefully make men and women equals. She seems to have an
audience that has a passion to end sexual discrimination in mind because she presents to the
audience ways to end the mistreatment of women tells the audience how she will need
In the very beginning of the speech, Minou uses facts and emotional vocabulary to show
that women treated unequally and sometimes violently. For example, Minou talks about the
strength of the Taina women. She expresses the Tainan women’s strength by telling the audience
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about their “group suicide[s] in order to avoid bearing children for the Spanish Conquistadors”
which Minou then comments how it was “the first expression of political participation known to
the history of the island” (Tavarez Mirabal 1). This shows how strong women can be when
forced to do something they do not want to do, in this case commit suicide. However, although
the women in this quote are depicted as courageous, Minou explains that they had to do this
because they were raped and forced to bear children of their rapist, the Spanish Conquistadors.
Another example, of women being treated unequally is expressed through the use of loaded
language. Minou does this by describing the treatment of women in heavily negative words and
phrases like saying that they are the “invisible half of history” because women are “virtually
buried by history” (Tavarez Mirabal 1). The connotation of the vocabulary implies that Minou
believes this very problematic for not just women, but other people who would want to learn
about the history of women. This shows how the history of mankind has always treated women
unequally to a man, by not even mentioning the contributions of some women, like political and
social justice. For these reasons, and many more, Minou creates a serious atmosphere in the
introduction by addressing the treatment of women through historical context and loaded
In the middle of the speech, Minou Mirabal informs that all voices are needed in a
democracy to end violence of women and gender inequality using shocking facts, personal
stories, and loaded language. Minou states, “a woman is raped every five and a half hours” to
inform of the worst things that happen all around us everyday.(Mirabal 2) This portrays that
violence of women needs to be put to end. Although this may just seem like violence, this may
also be the outcome of people underestimating women and becoming vulnerable. Minou then
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uses a personal experience of a past dictatorship, trujillo, in the Dominican Republic. The
dictator “never permitted to practice her profession” because she was a woman, the Mirabal
sisters, trying to succeed in their lives, were even “Beaten to death” (Mirabal 3). This shows that
women were being treated unfairly and some countries may still have women unequal to men.
This comes to show that many rules have changed, but some horrible rules are still around. Men
and women should always be equal to each other along with an end to the violence of women all
At the end of the speech, Mirabal uses a strong and hopeful tone to call readers to action,
and for them to remember the example that Minerva Mirabal set. For example, the speaker talks
about how “Minerva (still) lives,” as an example of a hero and an important role model
encouraging people to raise their voice against injustice.(Tavarez Mirabal 4)Minerva’s impact on
equality created awareness and encourages others to rise up. Another example of Minerva’s
powerful life after her death described in the speech was when the speaker quoted her when she
said “...If they kill me, I shall reach my arms out of my grave and become stronger,” which
represents a huge symbol of how she affects the world after her shortened life.(Tavarez Mirabal
4).The terrible dictator, Trujillo, assassinating the Mirabal sisters made the impact of the words
In Minou Mirabal’s speech, she communicates that there is too much unnecessary
violence against women throughout history. The author first indicates this through the use of
research and historical context of the struggles of women in the Dominican Republic, she then
portrays how women have been abused through shocking facts and personal experiences, and to
conclude she then communicates that these struggles can change by using a strong, hopeful tone
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and by using colorful language. Minou uses these strategies in order to hopefully get the
audience or other readers to join multiple movements to end gender discrimination against
women.