Analysis Of Luisa Valenzuela's 'The Censors'

The authors of “The Censors”, a short story by Luisa Valenzuela, and “Cairo: My City, Our Revolution”, a journal entry by Ahdaf Soueif, both reveal the tragedy and suffering they faced with the living conditions in their countries of origin. Valenzuela uses a story to display this. Soueif, however, specifies her perspective in her writing. As Soueif pinpoints her outlook of the Arab Springs protests that took place in Egypt, she discloses the fear as well as patriotism that she experienced in her home country. Soueif states that “everywhere there was a continuous thud of guns and from time to time a loud, intermittent rattling sound” (Soueif 66). This quote, utilizing imagery, hints at the violence that occurred during the protests, with
As Valenzuela tells the story, the main character’s coworker “[tries] to organize a strike to demand higher wages for unhealthy work” (Valenzuela 55). As this does contribute to the plot of the story, it also relates to Valenzuela’s life and the poor working conditions in Argentina. Following the attempt to rebel, the main character “[reports] him to his superiors and thus [gets] promoted” (57). This quote gives insight on how the government at the time worked; if you were against it, you were punished, but if you supported it, you were praised. Valenzuela finally states that “soon his work became so absorbing to him that his noble mission blurred in his mind” (67). Juan, the main character, became so caught up in his work to prevent the government from restraining him that he became oblivious to the fact that he had become a part of the political issue. Valenzuela clearly emphasizes her points about the government in order to reveal her perspective on Argentina’s troubled
For instance, Valenzuela begins the short story by saying “letters pass from hand to hand and go through all sorts of tests in the huge censorship offices” (Valenzuela 16). Pertaining to the government checking all letters before they are sent to their addressed recipient, this quote shows a bit of what life was like at the time in Argentina; people could not do much without a fear of their words being censored. Not only did this theme appear in “The Censors”, but also in “Cairo: My City, Our Revolution”: “a ball of fire lands in the river; a bright new pool of flame in the water” (Soueif 14). The imagery Soueif used in this quote largely helps to visualize the kind of terror citizens experienced daily. As for the actions during the Arab Springs protests, “[the citizens] were doing what [the] Egyptians do best, and what the regime ruling [them] had tried so hard to destroy”, referring to their cooperation and unity as a country against the government. Conditions in Egypt had been rough during this civil war, but groups of people were able to come together and fight back and reclaim their country. Both “Cairo: My City, Our Revolution” and “The Censors” tell about the issues with countries in different ways, but both describe the horror that came from the events in those countries.
The authors of “The Censors” and “Cairo: My City, Our Revelation”, Luisa Valenzuela