From Diary by Anne Frank
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From Diary by Anne Frank
“Also it says that Eva has a monthly period. Oh, I’m so longing to have it too; it seems so important” (283).
Having a period is one of the many things I take for granted and often complain about. To think that it was so important to Anne Frank makes me sad and remember my blessings.
Anne finds it hard to relate to those around her (275). Even though they are all in hiding and live very close together, they do not see from Anne’s childlike point of view (275). To combat this, Anne creates an imaginary friend, Kitty, to whom she addresses every diary entry. Kitty is an outlet for her fear and anger. My brothers were born much later, so growing up I often felt alone in my feelings and habits that only other children could relate to. Anne’s adolescent feelings and thoughts are so understandable, and it allows the reader to see her in a very empathetic light.
When she lived, Jews were hated, and I think reading this proves how human the many victims of the Holocaust were. While reading her entries, although often describing normal familial experiences and seemingly easy to relate to, the reader is forced to separate themselves from Anne and remember her early death. This adds gravity to every word Anne writes, and is a constant reminder to the reader of how fleeting life can be and how cruel war is.
“I’m not jealous of Margot, never have been. I don’t envy her good looks or her beauty. It is only that I long for Daddy’s real love: not only as his child, but for me–Anne, myself” (284).
I wanted to add this quote in my blog because it made me stop and think in depth. What was Otto Frank thinking when he read this? Is this how my younger siblings feel? Did Anne know how desperately she was loved, or did she have a skewed view based on her extraordinary circumstances? Her words evoke so much emotion and thought from the reader, and I find it striking that these precious diary entries were almost lost forever, only meant to be read by “Dearest Kitty” (275).
Every time I read excerpts from Anne Franks diary or watch videos/film about it, my memory is jogged back to what a horrific time it was when the Holocaust took place. Imagining what she went through as she describes what she saw and how she lived during this time with imagery and detail is important to do when reading an excerpt like this.
ReplyDeleteIt must have been so hard for Anne as such a young girl to be living with all of those older people. She couldn't have much of a childhood and I felt so awful for her while I was reading this work because I could only imagine how I would have reacted had I of been in a similar situation. I also think that it would have equally of been hard for her parents, trying to protect her while also letting her live as normal of a life as possible. I think they all were just trying to do the best they could with the circumstances they were put in!
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