Evaluate whether crafting a fictional narrative about real individuals is an appropriate or just way to represent them to an audience. Consider Alvarez's remarks in her postscript to In the Time of the Butterflies.

Investigate the life of a woman who, like the Mirabal sisters, risked her life fighting for human rights or political change. Potential subjects include Harriet Tubman of the Underground Railroad, Qui Jin of China, Ruth First of South Africa, Fannie Lou Hamer of the American Civil Rights Movement, Rigoberta Manchú of Guatemala, or Aung San Suu Kyi of Burma. You might also compare how people responded to these women with how the Dominican population reacted to the Mirabal sisters.

Contrast the lives of Dominican women today with those before 1960. Examine aspects such as their social status, gender expectations, educational opportunities, family roles, or political influence.

Analyze the current political climate in the Dominican Republic and compare it to the conditions during the Trujillo era.

Examine the relationship between the Trujillo regime and the U.S. government. Focus on a specific period or event that sheds light on this relationship, and explore one aspect, such as economic ties, political connections or conflicts, or the U.S.'s role in either supporting or opposing Trujillo's dictatorship.

Compare Trujillo's techniques for acquiring and holding onto power with those of another ruler, such as Francisco Franco of Spain, Joseph Stalin of Russia, Mao Tse-Tung of China, Fidel Castro of Cuba, François "Papa Doc" Duvalier of Haiti, or Saddam Hussein of Iraq.

Create a psychological profile of a dictator. Discuss his motivations, desires, needs, and potential fears. Address some underlying causes for the dictator's behavior.

Research the 1937 massacre of Haitians in the Dominican Republic. Investigate its causes and consequences. Use literary works, such as Edwidge Danticat's novel The Farming of Bones or Rita Dove's poem "Parsley," to explore people's reactions to this tragic event.