Berlin Diaries Vs.Survival In Auschwitz

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Berlin Diaries vs. Survival in Auschwitz
The two books Berlin Diaries by Marie Vassiltchikov and Survival in Auschwitz by Primo Levi both chronicle World War II from two different perspectives. They are both personal accounts from each author’s actual experiences. The two books have different formats, points, facts, and actualities. For example, Berlin Diaries is in actual diary format, and Survival in Auschwitz is in story format. I found that Berlin Diaries was harder to read because of the format, where Survival in Auschwitz was easier to follow. Also both stories were taken from two very different points of view. Marie Vassiltchikov was a Russian aristocrat that fled Russia and was seeking refuge in Germany. Primo Levi was an Italian Jew who was captured by the Nazis and taken to a concentration camp. Vassiltchikov was free, she lived a restricted life, but she still had her freedom. Levi was a prisoner; he lived a captive slave life and had no liberties or freedoms. This difference seems to be the most consequential. They led such different lives. Levi was the absolute bane of the Nazi existence, as they were to him. In contrast, Vassiltchikov actually worked for the Nazis; granted to have the freedom that she did, that’s where she had to work. But still, Vassiltchikov had freedom, how much more different could one get from being a Jewish prisoner in a Nazi concentration camp, as Levi was. There are so many points to this major contrast that it almost encompasses the entire concept of comparing and contrasting he two.
While there could not be anything more opposite than having freedom and being a prisoner, there were still other differences that had no regard to Vassiltchikov and Levi’s actual living conditions. Missy (Vassiltchikov) originally was fleeing the Russian army. They would have killed her for being an aristocrat. Primo’s danger was always from the Nazis. His Jewish “race” was his mark of death. As mentioned above, Missy was a Russian aristocrat; Primo was from the working class of Italy. Generally their demographic backgrounds could not get much different either. Religion was also a major and blinding difference. Also as mentioned above Primo was a Jew and Missy was Christian. This difference is what separated them further in Missy’s freedom and Primo’s captivity.
Another difference that played a huge role in each book was the actual placing of each story.

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