Summer of the Mariposas

Use these questions or activities to help gauge students’ familiarity with and spark their interest in the context of the work, giving them an entry point into the text itself.

Short Answer

1. When a book or movie is called ‘epic,’ what does that usually mean? What films or novels would you consider to be epic? Next, what is usually meant when we say a character ‘comes of age’? Can you think of any stories in which a character matured as a result of their experiences?

Teaching Suggestion: Summer of the Mariposas draws on both Mexican culture and Western European forms of storytelling. You can use the questions about epic films/novels as a springboard to discussing epic tales. Similarly, the questions about coming of age can segue into a discussion about the Bildungsroman. After students have a basic understanding of both, you can ask them to compare the attributes of an epic tale to those of a Bildungsroman. Students should have a basic understanding of these attributes to understand the workings of the novel and to analyze the literary elements. 

• “What Is a Bildungsroman? Definition and Examples”- An article from MasterClass explains the genre, its origins, and examples of such tales.
• “What is a Bildungsroman” - A student-produced YouTube video explaining the genre and its main characteristics

2. What comes to mind when you think about the Aztecs? What images and facts are associated with them? What do you know about Mexican heritage and culture?

Teaching Suggestion: You can use these questions as a starting point to discuss the significance of Tonantzin and Tenochtitlan to Mexican heritage and culture. Tonantzin is the Aztec’s figure of the Holy Mother, or the Great Mother. She serves as a protector and (through other characters) a guide for the Garza sisters. Students must understand her importance to both Aztec culture and her connection to modern Mexican culture in order to properly analyze the role of motherhood in the novel.  

• “Guadalupe-Tonantzin: A Symbol of Hope and Justice” - An article from Somos Buena, an online publication, explains the canceling of Our Lady of Guadalupe’s feast day festivities due to the pandemic. Later paragraphs include information about the syncretic connections between the two holy figures, and their significance to Mexico.
• “Tenochtitlan" via World History Encyclopedia - An encyclopedia article about the ancient Aztec city

Short Activity: Character Maps

Although the Garza sisters function as a group protagonist in Summer of the Mariposas, they each have a distinct personality and their own points of character development. For each Garza sister, create a character map to complete as you read the novel.

• Use one sheet of paper (or one digital page) for each Garza sister. Draw a plus sign in the center of the page, dividing the paper into four sections. Write the character’s name at the top of the page. Label each section: strengths, weaknesses, hopes, fears. See below for a digital example.
• Use the chart to keep track of your observations about each character.

Odilia

Strengths - Hopes

Weaknesses - Fears

Teaching Suggestion: You might instruct students to use the graphic organizer to help write responses to essay questions. You might also make the activity more kinesthetic or artistic by challenging students to turn their graphic organizer into a social media profile, a Pokémon card, a yearbook spread, or a magazine profile for each sister. Another extension might be to have the students do the same activity for the novel’s monsters, as a pre-writing exercise for the activity below.