Anne Frank: Diary

-

 Word Count: 518

From The Diary of Anne Frank

“Yet we shall have our jokes and tease each other, when these horrors have faded a bit in our minds. It won't do us any good, or help those outside, to go on being as gloomy as we are at the moment … And if I want to laugh about something, should I stop myself quickly and feel ashamed that I am cheerful? Ought I then to cry the whole day long? No, that I can't do” (291).

“Oh, if I could nestle my head against his shoulder and not feel so hopelessly alone and deserted” (297).

“Then I fall asleep with a stupid feeling of wishing to be different from what I am or from what I want to be; perhaps to behave differently from the way I want to behave, or do behave” (292).

This excerpt of the Diary of Anne Frank felt both sobering and normal. Anne writes about something that no one would ever have to go through in such a nonchalant way. It felt very human because of the range of emotions she felt during this. She felt anger, loneliness, fear but also happiness. Anne Frank also seems to be a very good writer and very mature for her age while still feeling like we are reading the work of a child. 

The most interesting aspect of these diary entries for me was the emotions she felt and how her situation became somewhat normal to her. She discusses her situation quite a lot but it does feel like it is mostly for the purpose of the background behind her feelings. But her perspective gives great insight into what was happening behind the scenes during the Holocaust. Anne was often angry at the Germans because she recognized their horrific actions and because she was being directly affected by them. Anne understood that she was one of the few Jews who had a hiding place and when she deeply thought about the suffering of other Jews she began to feel guilty. Anne had ‘survivor's guilt’, she felt bad for being able to still enjoy moments throughout her day without the constant fear especially when she was reminded of these gruesome stories. But she, very maturely, came to the conclusion that this guilt was of no help to anyone and she rejected it; instead they passed the time telling jokes and trying to have fun.

But Anne also experienced loneliness and a desire to be someone else to avoid this situation. As with many historical events, I think we often forget that these things actually happened to real people who experienced real fear and pain and Anne’s story really puts that into perspective. I think the fact that she was a child writing this helps with this fact because it reminds us that if a child was going through this situation and felt all of these things, that it could have happened to anyone. Anne Frank’s diary reminds readers not only of the historical importance of these events and what actually happened but of the emotional and physical impact that it made on the people involved.


Comments

  1. Rachel AntonMarch 3, 2023 at 2:27 AM

    Anne Frank did seem very mature for her age - both through her thoughts and actions that she writes about and through her writing itself. It is fascinating how such a young girl was able to understand and cope with the situation she was put in while also maintaining a level head about it.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Emilie Carles: A Life of her Own

-
  Word Count: 475 From A Life of her Own by Emilie Carles “The idea of anyone else making my decisions for me was revolting, and I was not at a loss for arguments” (89). “I know we could have demanded compensation, but neither Jean nor I had the heart to take the necessary steps; we both thought it was better not to look back [...] life was stronger than all the rest” (93). “When there are children, no matter what you do, it's always the woman who knocks herself out” (101) “The dead must not prevent those who are alive from living” (107) Emilie is the first woman we have discussed that lived the societal standard through marriage and children, however that does not mean that she wasn't fighting some of these standards. When Jean came to ask for permission to marry Emilie, her family did not like the idea. The biggest concern for Emilie’s family was that Jean had no money or possessions and during that time the man was supposed to provide in a relationship. In fact, Jean calls...
Read more

Onnie Lee Logan: Motherwit

-
  Word Count: 648 From Motherwit by Onnie Lee Logan “So one morning befo’ day I woke up, somethin told me in my sleep. Next time you have yo’ white babies, get the blue-sealed Vaseline and rub it around their lil eyes real good befo’ you put the silver nitrate in” (494-5). “So I’m lettin out one a my secrets. I don't want to bury em. There’s so much that I don't want to die with. Not sharing it with somebody. That's what give me the idea to do a book because I have so much experience in here that I want to explode. I was not taught to do that. God give that to me” (487). “And that is I'm with my patients at all times with a smile and keepin her feelin good with kind words … Most of the doctors when they do say somethin to em its so harsh … Some of em say that if they wasn't strapped down there they would get down and come home. Alot of women are left totally alone. And plenty of em have had their babies right by themselves” (485). It is very obvious that Onnie is ...
Read more

Nina Berberova: The Italics Are Mine

-
  Word Count: 541 From The Italics Are Mine by Nina Berberova “I now see a kind of compensation for what I lacked as a girl. I sought not only the profession itself, but the act of choosing it, that act of conscious decision” (69). “The realization of my first strong desire to choose, to decide, to find, to move myself consciously in a chosen direction gave me for my whole life, as I now see it, a feeling of victory not over someone else but over myself, not bestowed from on high but personally acquired” (69). This story is a look at Nina Berverova’s childhood through the lens of her older self. Through this lens we get to see a more accurate assessment of her motivations as a child. The most interesting connection to me is the idea of her obsession over choosing a career being based in the idea that she had felt trapped as a child and felt she could not make her own decisions. Nina wanted to decide her future career as a child because she wanted to have something in her life t...
Read more