Butterfly: Two Periods of Education in Spain Olivia Svoboda SPAN-344 Culture and Civilization of Spain Purpose Implications of the Transition for Students Key Scene One Butterfly, a 1999 film directed by José Luis Cuerda, provides a powerful representation of the transition Students Under the Second Republic that the Spanish education system underwent at the In the film, actor Manuel Lozano plays the role of Moncho in an authentic With the start of the Spanish Civil War. It shows the manner. His actions and emotions make him appear as if he was a child educational relationship between a republican teacher, Don that was really living during this grave transition in Spain’s history. freedoms Don Gregorio, and his student, Moncho, while the Second Throughout the film, Moncho is influenced by what he sees, hears, and Gregorio had Republic was governing in Spain (1931-1936). observes. While there is more freedom in the schools, Moncho appears very under the Second However, in 1936, a civil war broke out in the curious and interested in his learning. This is because the Second Republic Republic, he took country, forever changing their relationship and the allowed students to truly play an active role in their own learning. Moncho out to Spanish education system. An analysis of this film Flag of the Spanish Second Republic learn about was conducted in order to better understand how the Students Under the Nationalist Party butterflies in a Spanish Civil War and transition to fascist rule The fear instilled by Franco and his regime as they rise to power drastically changes learning for the hands-on way. completely changed the education system in Spain. students. Students, like Moncho, are no longer able to think for themselves. Since the adults in their lives are afraid of being punished, they teach the students exactly what they need to learn about Franco’s beliefs. The Impact of Fear Students are expected to once again sit in desks and just listen to the teachers talk through learning that aligns with nationalist beliefs. The teacher is now the center of education because the military believes that • Francisco Franco was the dictator of Spain Key Scene Two following the Spanish Civil War. if students become smart enough, they may start to defy authority or rebel. In the final scene, the Nationalist Party has won, • To maintain control of Spain, Franco instilled fear and Don Gregorio is forced to walk through crowds in the Spanish people. “Si conseguimos que una generación, una sola generación, crezca libre en España, ya nadie les podrá arrancar nunca la libertad.” of townspeople alongside other republicans. • Fear of punishment–and in some cases death–took Moncho and his family must betray the beloved away many people’s freedom of expression. [If we can get a generation, a single generation, to grow up free in Spain, no one can ever teacher in order to avoid punishment themselves. • The left-winged republican party take away their freedom.] experienced an even larger threat. Their progressive ideals did not align -Don Gregorio with the right-winged nationalist party. • Moncho’s father (atheist and republican) makes a Implications of the Transition for Teachers suit for Don Gregorio to express his gratitude. • When the military and nationalists rise Teachers Under the Second Republic to power, Moncho’s mother sternly While the Second Republic was in office, teachers had numerous freedoms in their classrooms. Typically this tells Moncho that he cannot tell meant that the classrooms were student-centered, or that teachers structured their classroom in a way that anyone about this. allowed students to play an active role in their own learning. On his first day of school, Moncho is unsure • In the final scene, Don Gregorio walks with other about attending school, but Don Gregorio is quick to take Moncho under his wing and form a personal and republicans through a crowd of townspeople. caring relationship with him. Further, Don Gregorio takes his students on an excursion outside of the school to They are headed towards a truck that is do hands on learning about butterflies. Since teachers like Don Gregorio had freedom in their classroom, they inevitably taking them away to be punished. recognized the importance of leaving rote memorization behind for learning experiences. Sources • Moncho and other children run after Teachers Under the Nationalist Party Cuerda, José Luis, dir. La lengua de las mariposas. Perf. the truck and throw rocks at the As the military rose to power in the film, the loss of freedom in the education Fernando Fernán Gomez, Manuel Lozano, and Uxia Blanco, republicans in order to prove their system became apparent. Republican teachers, such as Don Gregorio, were Miramax, 2000. alignment with the nationalist party. being taken out of the schools and replaced by teachers with nationalist beliefs. “Flag of the Second Spanish Republic.” Wikipedia, 2005, Additionally, as the Franco regime continued to rise to power, teachers were https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Flag_of_the_ expected to become much more authoritative and teach religion in schools. The Second_Spanish_Republic.png. tension among students towards the end of the film shows the suffering they SanchoPanzaXXI. “Flag of Spain (1945-1977).” Wikipedia, underwent as they lost the teachers that cared about them and allowed them 2020, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/ Flag of Franco’s Spain to actively participate in their own learning. File:Flag_of_Spain_(1945%E2%80%931977).svg..