During World War 2, many people who were seen “unworthy” by Hitler, the ruthless dictator of Germany, were injured or killed. When World War 2 occurred, millions of people including Jews, Soviet civilians, Polish civilians, disabled individuals, gypsies, Jehova’s witnesses, criminal offenders, resistance activists, and homosexuals had their lives stolen by the Nazi political party. (Victims of the Nazi Era) A young Jewish girl, named Anne Frank, had been one of the many people who lived during this time. Anne was given a diary on her thirteenth birthday in 1942, and continued to write in it after she was forced into hiding due to the danger that began to crowd her town. (“Anne Frank.”) She documented in her diary about her experiences, how she yearned to go outside, and her personal thoughts. The Diary of Anne Frank is a moving story that continues to inspire people of all ages due to Anne’s life story, her passion which made her book so famous, and the lessons she teaches to all who read it.
Anne Frank was born on June 12,1929 in Frankfurt, Germany. (“Anne Frank.”) Anne had a mother and a father named Edith and Otto and an older sister named Margot. She was thirteen years old when she received her first diary for her birthday. She wrote to it as if it were a friend named Kitty, and felt like she could finally confide in “someone.” In 1942, Anne’s sister, Margot, obtained a letter ordering her to a work camp, but the family decided to go into hiding to protect themselves. The family, along with a business partner of theirs named Hermann van Pels and his family, decided to hide in an empty space in the father’s office building. The families remained there for two years and did not get to leave to go outside or make too much noise in fear of the police finding out their hiding place. After two years had passed, an unknown person disclosed the information about the families’ location and they were raided by the police on August 4, 1944. The Frank family was separated when they were sent to a work camp, and Otto, the only remaining survivor after being liberated from the camp, never saw his children or wife again.
Anne Frank is a very influential character in history to many people across the world. After Anne had died in the camp and the father was freed, the father found himself with her diary and decided that she would have wanted it published after months of hesitations. In the published diary, she talks about how she felt as a teenager in hiding, and she wrote more eloquently than most people her age at the time. The way her diary portrays the thoughts she had throughout her daily life shows how much she wondered about the world around her. The book captures the minds of readers because she writes of how she feels, argues with her parents, frequently loses faith, and thinks of her future.
The Diary of Anne Frank shares the experiences of a young Jewish girl in hiding during World War 2, and while most people did not experience this, they can relate to Anne’s thoughts, actions, and feelings. Anne expresses throughout her diary how she feels about matters such as courage, faith, laziness, happiness, loneliness, memories, love, laughter, and hope. The diary contains many of Anne’s speculations, and she had many different thoughts that gave her hope including when she wrote “I don’t think of all the misery, but of the beauty that still remains.” (Frank, Anne) Anne’s writing aptitude inspires and teaches readers that no matter where you are in the world you should never give up on your dreams.
Anne Frank spent two years hiding from German police and writing in her diary. Though she died at the early age of fifteen, her spirit lives on today as millions read her book and understand what she and many others went through. During the war, there was widespread murder of innocent people with hopes and aspirations for their future. Anne Frank was just one of these people. We can mourn all the deaths that occurred, but we should also learn that we should never give up on our dreams, hopes, or goals.