Comparing How We Survived Communism And Even Laughed

Although How We Survived Communism and Even Laughed by Slavenka Drakulic and Memoirs of an Italian Terrorist by Giorgio are so structurally different, they both express a sense of anger and frustration through vivid imagery. The two novels reveal the pain of their narrators, who wish to live in a better world, democratic and free, nevertheless, a society where men and women enjoy the basics of freedom, equality, and free of a heavy political apparatus exploiting all to serve few. Even though Drakulic and Giorgio came from a different perspective and ideology about whether living under a communist - Marxist- Leninist political system, they share the key distinction of recognizing that 1970s Europe was about to see real changes. However, the word “communism” in the two texts is used to represent two very different ideas; dissatisfaction for Drakulic and idealism for Giorgio. In HWSCEL, author Slavanka Drakulic uses the word “communism” in its most general sense, describing the emotions of oppression, scarcity, neglect and subjugation (Drakulic, p.24 and p.51)…. In the MOAIT, the

In “How We Survived Communism and Even Laughed,” Slavenka Drakulic accounts the story of women of Eastern Europe, she relates complaints she has heard in most East European countries: "Look at us - we don 't even look like women. There are no deodorants, perfumes, sometimes even no soap or toothpaste. There is no fine underwear, no pantyhose, and no nice lingerie. Worst of all, there are no sanitary napkins" (Drakulic, p. 31).Then she asks: "What is the minimum you must have so you don 't feel humiliated as a woman?" (Drakulic, p. 31). One sees a life of oppression and scarcity, of abandonment, seeking for some comfort and a fragrance of dignity, while the other sees a life lived in the midst of abundance and comfort but deprived of any creativity or rational