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The award-winning Spanish film La lengua de las mariposas (or The Language of the Butterfly ), and Manuel Rivas short stories that inspired the film are the framework for this enriching reader, introducing students to Spanish Literature blended with Spanish cinema. Appropriate for advanced and AP classes, La lengua de las mariposas provides instructors with multiple creative approaches. The film Butterfly is the story of a young Galician boy coming of age during tense political times at the outset of the Spanish Civil War in 1936. Eight-year-old Moncho is initially terrified of his teacher, Don Gregorio. Despite his imposing appearance, the schoolmaster is a kind, free-thinking Republican who introduces his student to the virtue of goodness. While spending time in the Galician countryside and admiring the wonders of nature among them, the tongue of a butterfly Moncho develops a close relationship with his teacher. Unfortunately, when the Fascists come to town, Moncho s world is shattered. La lengua de las mariposas features annotated editions of Manuel Rivas three masterful stories, providing an opportunity for instructors to use complementary cinematic and literature sources to teach students about Spanish language and culture, while including literary elements such as symbolism and metaphor. Filled with annotations, vocabulary lists, essays and conversational questions, as well as a grammar supplement, La lengua de las mariposas includes historical and cultural themes and links to enhance the student's experience