Anne Frank Diary Reading Analysis

    Reading pages from Anne Frank’s diary was different than other readings in this book. Anne’s focus was on what her life was like in hiding during the war. Her along with her family and the Van Daan family, hiding away from the Germans with days written out as they were happening created a different feeling while I was reading. I, of course, haven’t forgotten the horrors that went on outside of their secret hiding space, but Anne gave a different perspective. She wrote about what it was like for two families to be stuck in a small space together for such a long time. They would listen on the radio at times to hear the horrible news, but her diary was full of descriptions of quarrels and relationships between people in the house with her. In other stories, we have read the women write from the point of view after escaping the horrible conflicts they endured. 

    Anne felt that she was separate from her family especially her mother. Anne wrote, “I only look at her as my mother, and she doesn’t succeed in being that to me; I have to be my own mother. I’ve drawn myself apart from them all” (p. 285). Even when stuck together in close quarters Anne still feels independent from her family at such a young age. She teaches herself French, mathematics, and code. Anne has this feeling that there is a gap that her parents don’t understand. As Anne explains, “I’m not a baby or a spoiled darling any more, to be laughed at, whatever she does. I have my own views, plans, and ideas though I can’t put them into words yet.” (p. 285). Her family still held on to the idea that Anne was just a child but in her own mind, she was a lot more mature and intelligent. She was a strong young woman with an understanding of the world around her and her own ideas. 

Word Count: 326

Comments

  1. livvcastroMarch 1, 2021 at 6:43 AM

    Emmy, I agree with the point you made that reading Anne Frank’s diary was a lot different than the other excerpts we have read this semester. I think this is because of how she writes. It made me feel like I was right there having a conversation with her. Her diary entries showed the reader who Anne Frank was and what she was forced to experience at such a young age. I also like how you mentioned Anne’s relationship with her parents, especially her mother. It must have been really hard for her to be trapped in a house with someone who did not understand her. This forced her to become so independent at such a young age, which is something no child should have to go through.

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  2. Katie TaylorMarch 1, 2021 at 6:45 AM

    I think you did a great job of analyzing how this excerpt is a diary from a young girl and it covers topics that almost every young girl experiences while also being vastly different from what we have ever experienced in our lives. Anne has difficulty when it comes to conversing with her mother which most teenagers experience. Anne also did not want to be treated like a child anymore. You chose a great quote from Anne that explains how she is a growing intellectual and beginning to form her own ideas and views that may be different from the rest of her family.

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  3. Cassidy MikelMarch 1, 2021 at 4:02 PM

    I agree that this account of the holocaust was quite different from all others because it wasn’t truly about the holocaust. This story was mostly about a young girl living entirely separate from the world with nothing but a handful of people to interact with. I think it was especially hard for her to grow up in this environment because, as you said, she was a strong and outspoken person, especially for a woman of that time. The main reason I think this story was so powerful is because it wasn’t written about someone's past, it was a full account of what it was like right then and there.

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