Before We Were Free

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. What is a dictator? How can a dictatorial regime change the lives of its citizens? Have you heard of any dictators historically? If so, briefly describe one of the dictators you may have learned about in your history classes, and the effects of this person’s regime on the country.

Teaching Suggestion: This question focuses on the political component of the novel, namely the effects of the Rafael Trujillo government on the Dominican Republic. While many students may not be familiar with Trujillo’s policies, they can make connections with other more well-known dictators such as Adolf Hitler, Benito Mussolini, Joseph Stalin, and Saddam Hussein. If any contention arises in student discussion over political opinions or the definition of a dictator, it may be beneficial to redirect students to focus on Rafael Trujillo specifically and his effects on the Dominican Republic. This prompt directly links with Short Answer prompt #2 (below).

• “Dictators” on Britannica
• “Rafael Trujillo” on Britannica

2. As a result of harsh governmental restrictions, many of which are imposed by dictatorial regimes, people often flee their country of origin in order to find a better life elsewhere. What factors might make a family emigrate from their country of origin to a new place? What barriers may they experience in a new country?

Teaching Suggestion: This question relates to the last chapters of the book, in which Anita and her family have immigrated to the United States. Students might be encouraged to think about both individuals who migrate for better working conditions, as well as asylum seekers who are applying for refugee protection in another country. Additionally, students may have experienced these or similar situations within their family and may choose to speak of these experiences. The links below provide more information about refugees and asylum seekers generally, as well as the specific statistics of people emigrating from the Dominican Republic to the United States in the mid-20th century.

• “Refugees, Asylum Seekers, Migrants” is a helpful introductory resource provided by Amnesty International.
• “Immigrants from the Dominican Republic in the United States” is an overview document housed on the website of the Migration Policy Institute. It incorporates several illustrative graphics as well as links to additional information.

Personal Connection Prompt

This prompt can be used for in-class discussion, exploratory free-writing, or reflection homework before reading the novel.

Reflect on a belief that you are passionate about. Now imagine that you are no longer allowed to have this belief without putting yourself and your family in danger. Would you continue to fight for this belief?

Teaching Suggestion: This question relates to the concept of freedom in the novel, as Anita’s Mami and Papi risk their own lives in order to fight for their country’s freedom. Students might benefit from brief discussion on possible topics (freedom, equality, kindness to others, education) before writing.

Differentiation Suggestion: For a more advanced class, this question can be changed to focus on the concept of types of freedom, where students reflect on whether they would fight to defend specific freedoms. As the topic of freedom may be more personal, as well as a gateway to discussing individual freedoms such as religion, decision-making, rights of an individual, children’s rights, rights of the elderly, etc., this question might work best as a writing prompt, with the option for interested students to share their responses with the class.