TOW 26 - Diary of Anne Frank (IRB)

 In the early 1940s, in the midst of World War II and Hitler’s reign to kill all “non-Aryans”, there lived a Jewish girl named Anne. Anne, nearing her teens and looking for a way to express herself and her interest in writing, began to record her thoughts and the daily events of her life. It was just before her 14^th birthday that her parents announced they would have to make an abrupt move (or go into a hiding at a friend’s home). Thus was the beginnings of an accredited memoir that has impacted our knowledge of the Holocaust greatly.

Anne’s tone in her diary adds to her purpose of documenting what a young Jewish girl at that time was feeling. She deliberately uses distinct diction to show her feelings of isolation and longing in the Secret Annex. For example, in one of her entries, she writes, “Still, I can’t help telling you that lately I’ve begun to feel deserted. I am surrounded by too great a void.” (33% on Kindle) Anne uses words like “deserted” and “a void” to help communicate her sadness and what she is coping with. She feels bad admitting it, even to her own diary, because she knows she is fortunate to be safe with her family, but the loss of her friends and former life is incompatible. In this way, we recognize how difficult it must have been growing up as an adolescent who was being forced to go into a hiding at the cost of her life. It is astounding how well of author young Anne is, for she remarks the happenings in the Secret Annex in full, comprehensive detail.

I have noticed that often times, Anne’s frustration and boredom has become more and more apparent as the book continues. This is more evidence that the Holocaust affected the Jewish people as a population, both physically and emotionally.