Eugenia Semyonova Ginzburg Analysis

    After reading about Genia’s imprisonment I found it to be different than the other women we had read about. Genia was able to interact with several women of all ages who were in there with her. The cells she entered into as she said “[…] had a large window, with a grating of course, but the screen behind it was not of wood but a frosted glass. There were collapsible beds instead of a single plank bed; the enormous slop bucket in the corner had a tightly fitting lid” (p. 303). Genia even found a friend, Nushik, from her college days eight years prior. They were able to talk and even when they were separated Genia was placed in a cell with numerous other women they were able to interact with each other. She heard their stories and did not answer any of the questions they asked about the world outside this prison. For one she had been imprisoned for more months than them, so she had no idea what they were referring to when they asked about the trial. Second, she was warned by a few people not to trust people because they might be the enemy. A woman named Julia Annenkova was particularly concerned and told her, “You were quite right not to answer their questions. Who knows which of them are the real enemy, and which are the victims of a mistake like me and you? I advise you to go on being careful, to make sure that you don’t commit a crime against the Party after all. The best way is to say nothing” (p. 308). This imprisonment was different from the other women’s experiences like Nien Cheng. She was alone for months, handcuffed, tortured, barely could eat, and was in a small dusty box with no windows. These women both had to be strong mentally and physically to stay true to their values through these months of imprisonment.

Word Count: 323

Comments

  1. Michelle RamseyMarch 5, 2021 at 6:46 AM

    Your analysis was very good. I agree at how strong mentally and physically she had to stay throughout her time in order to make it such a long time in such rough conditions. She had to stay on her game while interacting with others while also trying to make connections because I am sure that it made the time go faster. To me, her being able to talk to the other women was her connection to the outside world.

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  2. Katie TaylorMarch 5, 2021 at 5:07 PM

    I think you did a good job of analyzing the differences between the several authors that we have read thus far. I also noticed the difference between imprisonment with others versus solitary confinement. Being able to share stories and just interact with others gave the women more comfort than when in a cell alone. However, the threat of sharing too much to the wrong person was also a risk which adds to the propaganda that the Communist party was filling their lives with.

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