From the Diary of Anne Frank

1.0About the Author

Annelies Marie Frank was born in Frankfurt, Germany on 12 June 1929 and died in February 1945 in Bergen - Belsen concentration camp, Germany. A Jewish girl whose diary of her family's two years in hiding during the German occupation of the Netherlands became a classic of war literature. Anne's sister Margot was three years her senior. Unemployment was high and poverty was severe in Germany, and it was the period in which Adolf Hitler and his party were gaining more and more supporters. Hitler hated the Jews and blamed them for the problems in the country. He took advantage of the rampant antisemitic sentiments in Germany. The hatred of Jews and the poor economic situation made Anne's parents, Otto and Edith Frank, decide to move to Amsterdam. The Nazis took things further, one step at the time. Jews had to start wearing a Star of David on their clothes and there were rumours that all Jews would have to leave the Netherlands. When Margot received a call-up to report for a so-called 'labour camp' in Nazi Germany on 5 July 1942, her parents were suspicious. They did not believe the call-up was about work and decided to go into hiding the next day in order to escape persecution. In the spring of 1942, Anne's father had started furnishing a hiding place in the annex of his business premises at Prinsengracht 263. He received help from his former colleagues. Before long, they were joined by four more people. The hiding place was cramped. Anne had to keep very quiet and was often afraid. On her thirteenth birthday, just before they went into hiding, Anne was presented with a diary. During the two years in hiding, Anne wrote about events in the Secret Annex, but also about her feelings and thoughts. In addition, she wrote short stories, started on a novel and copied passages from the books she read in her Book of Beautiful Sentences. Writing helped her pass the time. Anne started rewriting her diary, but before she was done, she and the other people in hiding were discovered and arrested by police officers on 4 August 1944. The police also arrested two of the helpers. To this day, we do not know the reason for the police raid.

Despite the raid, part of Anne's writing was preserved: two other helpers took the documents before the Secret Annex was emptied by order of the Nazis. The people from the Secret Annex were put on transport to the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration and extermination camp. The train journey took three days, during which Anne and over a thousand others were packed closely together in cattle wagons. There was little food and water and only a barrel for a toilet. Upon arrival at Auschwitz, Nazi doctors checked to see who would and who would not be able to do heavy forced labour. Around 350 people from Anne's transport were immediately taken to the gas chambers and murdered.

Anne's father Otto was the only one of the people from the Secret Annex to survive the war. He was liberated from Auschwitz by the Russians and during his long journey back to the Netherlands he learned that his wife Edith had died. Once in the Netherlands, he heard that Anne and Margot were no longer alive either.

Anne's writing made a deep impression on Otto. He read that Anne had wanted to become a writer or a journalist and that she had intended to publish her stories about life in the Secret Annex. Friends convinced Otto to publish the diary and in June 1947, 3,000 copies of Het Achterhuis (The Secret Annex) were printed.

And that was not all: the book was later translated into around 70 languages and adapted for stage and screen. People all over the world were introduced to Anne's story and in 1960 the hiding place became a museum: the Anne Frank House. Until his death in 1980, Otto remained closely involved with the Anne Frank House and the museum: he hoped that readers of the diary would become aware of the dangers of discrimination, racism, and hatred of Jews.

2.0A Strange Experience

Anne Frank's perpetual feeling of being lonely and misunderstood provides the impetus for her dedicated diary writing and colours many of the experiences she recounts. Even in her early diary entries, in which she writes about her many friends and her lively social life, Anne expresses gratitude that the diary can act as a confidant with whom she can share her innermost thoughts.

This might seem an odd sentiment from such a playful, amusing, and social young girl, but Anne explains that she is never comfortable discussing her inner emotions, even around close friends. Anne frequently expresses her conviction that there are 'two Annes': the lively, jovial, public Anne whom people find amusing or exasperating; and the sentimental, private Anne whom only she truly knows. As she comes to understand her actions and motivations better over the course of her writing, Anne continually refers to this aggravating split between her inward and outward character.

Anne's grandmother appears to Anne in her dreams. To Anne, she symbolizes unconditional love and support. Anne wishes she could tell her grandmother how much they all love her.

3.0An Old Fogey

In her diary entry of 20th June, 1942 she describes her school life where on that day there was a lot of hustle bustle in class as there was a meeting of teachers that was being held where it was to be decided which student was to be promoted or demoted. Anne Frank was only scared for her one subject Maths and that too because she did not like Mr. Keesing as he gave her extra homework because she talks a lot. She was assigned the topic - A Chatterbox on which she was to write her first essay. She decided to justify her habit of talking excessively by writing that it is the trait of students to talk and that she would try to control but it seems impossible for her to do so as even her mother is very talkative and nobody can do much about inherited traits. Mr. Keesing enjoyed her essay as it was hilarious.

Few days later Mr. Keesing gave her another topic to write essay upon and this time it was 'An Incorrigible Chatterbox'. Anne Frank completed her essay this time as well and for few days Mr. Keesing did not say anything to her but after two three lectures he asked her to write an essay on the topic -"Quack, Quack, Quack, said Miss. Chatterbox". This time Anne Frank decided to write the essay differently as she wanted the joke to be on Mr. Keesing and not herself this time. Her friend Sanne who was good at poetry agreed to help her by writing it in verse. So Anne Frank told the story about a mother duck, father swan and three baby ducklings who were bitten to death by their father as they quacked too much.

When Mr. Keesing read this he took the joke in the right manner and from that day Anne Frank was never asked to do extra homework and keep quiet in class.

4.0Let's Recall

• A thirteen year old school girl, Anne Frank was under some depression and despair.
• She thought of the saying, "Paper has more patience than people."
• Then she started writing a diary but she was in need of a real friend and who could be more than a diary.
• She called that friend 'Kitty'.
  
• When she was in sixth class, Mrs. Kuperus was her headmistress.
• At the end of the year, there was a farewell function. The separation from head mistress was full of tears.
• Anne loved her grandmother very much. Her death was more troublesome. At Anne's birthday celebration, a separate candle was lit for the grandmother.
• In her diary, Anne made a mention of her school-experience. The complete class was nervous about their going to the next form.
• There were nine teachers. Mr. Keesing taught Maths. He remained annoyed with Anne because of her talkative nature. So, he had given her some extra work to write an essay on 'A Chatter Box'.
• She wrote 'Talking is a student's trait and I would do my best to control it. But I won't be able to cure this habit since my mother is also talkative'.
• Then the teacher gave her another essay. 'An Incorrigible Chatter Box'. It was a sort of punishment for Anne for talking in class.
• Though Anne tried for this essay but her friend Sanne became ready to help her.
• It stated, 'There was a mother duck and a father Swan with three ducklings. The ducklings were beaten to death by the father since they quacked too much'.
• It was Anne's good luck that the teacher took it in the right way. He read the poem.
• After that Anne was allowed to talk and no extra work was given. Since then, Mr. Keesing too started making jokes.