The Diary of Young Girl by Anne Frank

CHARACTER LIST:

  1. Anne Frank: Anne Frank is a thirteen years old girl born in Germany. She keeps a diary while hiding from his family in Amsterdam in the Netherlands during World War II. She is intelligent and creative.
  2. Otto Frank: Otto Frank nicknamed “PIM” is Anne’s father. He is a Jewish businessman. He is very supportive of Anne; wo feels closer to him than to her mother. In 1980, he died in Switzerland.
  3. Edith Frank: Edith Frank is the Anne’s mother.

    She is highly intelligent woman. Anne have turbulent relationship with her mother, but it improves as the diary processes and she realizes that she has been unfair to her mother in many ways.

  4. Mr. van Daan: He is the father of the family who hides in the annex along with the Frank and had worked with Otto Frank. Mr. van Daan’s actual name is Hermann van Pels, but Anne calls him Mr. van Daan as gloomy and annoying man in her diary.
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    They both are frequently in conflict with each other.

  5. Mrs. van Daan: Mrs. Van Daan’s actual name is Auguste van Pels and she is the wife of Van Daan but Anne calls her Petronella van Daan in her diary. She describes her as friendly, teasing woman but later she calls her a motivator. Mrs. Van Daan always complains about family situation that Anne does admire or respect her. Anne dislikes her because of her acting of overbearing parent.
  6. Peter van Daan: The son of Mr.
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    Van Daan, whose real name is Peter van Pels. He strikes Anne as lazy and talentless boy, but later she knows about his hidden strengths and they become close friends. Peter is quiet, sweet and a source of comfort for Anne. He eventually starts to develop deeper feelings for Anne, but in the end, they decide it is best to remain as friends.

  7. Margot Frank: Anne’s older sister. She was born in 1926. Anne and Margot do not have close bond. Anne gives little attention to her sister in diary. Anne gets jealous of her sister because she thinks that she is pretty, smart, emotional, and everyone’s favourite. Margot is quiet and serious-minded, takes her religion more seriously.
  8. Mr. Dussel: A dentist whose real name is Fritz Pfeffer, but Anne calls him Mr. Dussel in her diary. His wife lives in America. He was recommended to the group by Miep. Miep is a young woman who worked with Mr. Frank and now is the member of the group who help in hiding survive. Anne has to share her room with her because no other space can be arranged. He dies on December 20, 1944.
  9. Mr. Kugler: He was the man who helps Frank in hiding and run his spice company after Jews are forbidden to own their business. He was arrested along with Kleiman in 1944 but escapes in 1945. He immigrates to Canada in 1955 and dies in Toronto in 1981.
  10. Mr. Kleiman: Another man who is Christian, he helps in Frank’s hide and runs Mr. Frank’s jam company. He is a helpful friend and he and lends Anne's family many books. He is arrested in 1944 but released because of poor health.
  11. Bep Voskuijl: She is a worker in Otto Frank’s office. She brings many staples to the Secret Annex. She helps the family by serving as association to outside world. She remains in Amsterdam until her death in 1983.
  12. Jan Gies: Jan Gies is the friend of Franks and husband of Miep Gies. He is endlessly helpful like his wife to the residents of the Secret Annex.
  13. Miep Gies: Miep is the wife of Jan Gies and a long-time employee of Otto Frank's company. She brings them food and other necessities, often conveying vital news of the outside world. She dies in 2010 at the age of 100.
  14. Hanneli: She is Anne’s school friend. Anne has a heartbreaking dream in which Hanneli asks why Anne has deserted her and begs Anne to rescue her.
  15. Mouschi: Mouschi is the cat who lives in the Secret Annex. She provides some comfort but also an infestation of fleas.
  16. Lies: Lies is Anne's classmate and friend. While hiding, Anne dreams about her.
  17. Sanne: Sanne and Anne were best friends until she went to different school.
  18. Peter Schiff: Peter Schiff is a boy one year older than Anne. She has dreams about him while in the annex. He was Anne’s love since 6th grade.

SUMMARY:

Anne Frank has a sister that is 3 years older than her, parents, and relatives, she sometimes feels lonely because nobody understands her. Despite the fact that people continually fenced her, she never managed to make a deeper connection with anyone. In 1933, the whole family moved to the Netherlands where her father got a job. After 1940, the war gets to the family Frank and all of the other Jews who were erect in way. The Jews became second-class residents by many laws that stripped them of their rights. They were permitted to shop in specific shops in a specific time, and they could not visit public places like cinemas and playhouses. They were ordered to be home at 8, and they had to wear the Star of David on their clothes.

The ninth of July 1942 was the day when Anne’s family had to hide to safeguard themselves from being taken to the camps were Jews ended up during World War II. The people who worked with her father assisted them find shelter in a building where they worked and since that day on Anne named her new home “The secret shelter”.

That same year on 13 August, the family van Daan merged the Franks because they also had no place to go and was in need of a shelter for a while. Their only son Peter came with them, and at the beginning, Anne did not have a mainly high opinion of him.

The entrance of the new family seemed like a good idea for a while. They spent time together like a big family. However, the life of many people in a small place led to many problems. There was a lot of time and a little space. Anne and Peter kept on educating themselves and expended time learning English and French. Mister Koophius who was a junior of her father, secretly brought them a book from the library. He did not only get them books for children, so Peter got into a competition with his father over an inappropriate book. Anne loved history and mythology, so her father started making a family tree with her and she liked it thoroughly.

While the Franks and Van Daans are concealed in the shelter, awful things happen on the streets. Trucks come and take a momentous amount of people to camps. The streets are unsafe for the Jews and camps are terrible places from where they might never come back.

The 17th of November brings the eight residents. It was Mister Albert and he seemed like a fine, older man and it was decided that he will be sleeping in Anne’s room. As time passed by Anne started observing that he wasn’t as nice as he seemed and they got into a fight over a small table in the room that Anne wanted to use for a few hours. In the end, she had to ask her father for help. Space was narrow, and there were many people, so they had to set up some rules before things get out of hand. Life was hard and resolute strictly by rules.

The situation got worse and worse, and people got restless, and complaints broke out. Robberies became a part of everyday life, and there was even an attempt of a break-in to the house where they were hiding. Everyone was terrified. If the police came into the building, there was a great chance that they’ll discover them and take them to campsites.

Anne stopped talking around the table because it was better for her but she still sensed the need to have a real pal to share her secrets with. She found that person in Peter. The more time they spent together, the bigger her opinion about him got. She wrote down in her diary that she was frightened of boring him out that what was happening was the exact opposite. Peter loved her, and fresh love was born. Neither of them was sure of his emotions, but they were sure it wasn’t simple friendship anymore.

Anne’s diary ends when she sends a letter to Kitty. She writes about her self-contradictory nature and a happy, chatty and cheerful girl. She emphasizes that there is a different and better Anne that almost nobody knows and that is why everyone finds her way more insufferable than she is.

The fourth of August was the day the police arrested the residents of the shelter, including some of her father’s co-workers who helped, them and took them to attentiveness camps. Anne died in one of them of typhus in 1945.

ANALYSIS:

A diary of young girl was written by a young girl when she and her family was hiding from Nazis during World War II. She writes her diary during hard times of her life where she was not able to walk outside and the name of her diary was published after her death. The most important thing is that this diary was written by a young girl of thirteen age. And because she was victim of a war so we can see this story from her eyes and feelings. We can only see the events that she sees at that time and she was also confused and have different mood swings. She has mentioned in her novel that she was angry and depressed at that time when she writes her diary. We should understand through readings that what she feels at that time and what circumstances she experienced on that certain occasions.

JUSTIFICATION:

'The Diary of a Young Girl' was written by Anne frank, a thirteen-year-old Jewish girl. She started writing her diary as she didn't have any friend with whom she could share her feelings and emotions. The red and white chickened diary came to her rescue and throughout her life she confided in it and gave it the name 'Kitty'. She treated it as her dear friend. She gave vent to her feelings while making the entries in her diary. Some of the entries are very personal while some criticise her parents as well as friends. She never kept anything back from her diary and recorded even petty issues like d everyday quarrels between her mother and Mrs. Van Daan and even between Mr. and Mrs. Van Daan. She recorded her feelings during the war, her fear, her frustrations and anger at the way in which d Jews were treated by d Germans. The whole book has been written in a diary form and revolves around d life of the girl - Anne Frank. Hence the title is justified.

IMPORTANT LESSONS:

  • Be grateful for what you have:

While hiding in an office building Anne, her family, and her family-friends went through terrible living conditions. At times, they were starving and couldn't go out and buy food because they were Jewish and food was very scarce. Anne says, 'From tomorrow we shall not have a scrap of fat, butter, or margarine left. We can't have fried potatoes (to save bread). Our supper consists of a hash from the barrel.' This shows how much suffering Anne and her family went through. Never take what you have for granted because it can be gone before you know it.

  • Be positive even if the people around you aren’t:

Even though Anne was in one of the most stressful and frightening situations, she was very positive and kept her head held high. Anne was able to stay hopeful due to her optimistic outlook on life. Anne says, 'I see the world being slowly transformed into a wilderness, I hear the approaching thunder, that, one day will destroy us too, I feel the suffering of millions and yet, when I look up at the sky, I somehow feel that everything will change for the better, that this cruelty too shall end, that peace and tranquillity will return once more. In the meantime, I must hold onto my ideals. Perhaps the day will come when I'll be able to realize them.'

  • Learn from your own mistakes and don't make other people shape who you want to be:

Anne says to herself, while looking out of a window, 'As long as this exists, and I may live to see it, this sunshine, the cloudless skies, while this last, I cannot be unhappy.' This shows just how appreciative she was towards things we take for granted in life. Anne truly lived with her words and never showed hate towards people, not feeling sorry for herself and remain positive.

  • Life goes on:

Even though the Jewish population's freedom and privacy was violated, Anne still lived life as best as she could. Anne wrote in her diary, 'Our freedom was severely restricted by a series of anti-Jewish decrees: Jews were required to wear a yellow star; Jews were forbidden to use street cars...Jews were forbidden to visit Christians in their homes; Jews were required to attend Jewish schools. You couldn't do this and you couldn't do that. But life went on.' This shows that even though Anne's freedom was taken, her life wasn't.

THEMES:

  • Secrets and hiding away:

In the novel we can see that Anne frank and her family hides themselves. Anne find her secret from the people around her. The writer of the novel Anne frank said that its hard to hide herself in one place for a long time and she said that its more difficult to hide your personality and life like an unknown person.

  • Growing up:

The theme growing up represents that Anna frank was small when they come to Annex. She became mature emotionally and physically (she gets her first periods while living in the Annex), she begins to recognize her shift from childhood into adult. She became more sensible and she learned how to be in her limits and what are the specific limits for her when she first starts to write her own diary.

  • Love and sexuality:

As we know that she was young when they get thread from W.W II , and she grew up at Annex and we also know that in adult age you have desires to be loved by someone from opposite gender and also to love them like that Anna also have desires to do so and she also noticed that she loves Peter , she thinks that her feelings for peter was characterized as love.

  • Human nature and greed:

Anne learned how to survive and she saw that for comfortable life you have to be selfish sometimes. She experienced that human nature often focus on generosity and greed, she learned how to react in different circumstanced in her life.

  • World War II:

World War II creates fear, sufferings, and hope in the life of Anne, Anne have fears that in World War II she will lose her loved once and she feels isolated and unsafe in these circumstances. She was suffering many things like hidings herself and her personality , she was even can’t able to go to window and be in darkness but she had hope that one day this all ends and she will be free with her family and feel freedom and live her life as she wants.

LIFE CHANGING INCIDENTS AND THEIR EFFECTS:

When Anne begins writing her diary, we meet a carefree, vivacious young woman. Amsterdam is already under Nazi control, and the Jews have already begun to be restricted, but she is still able to socialise with friends.

Margot's call-up notice would be the second life changing event after the German occupation. It is because of the notice and the family's refusal to send Margot away to German defence corps, that the family decides to go into the hiding.

While in hiding, Anne matures (a natural change). She's a teenager and she's feeling all of the hormonal and physical changes that any child goes through. The difference? She's going through them in an isolated but completely public way. All young girls fight with their mothers and enjoy privacy.... Anne didn't have that.

Anne also falls in love for the first time; she becomes aware that everyone she knew has been sent away to concentration camps; she feels the hope of D-day and even embraces the attempt on Hitler's life. All of these things changed her.

When Anne went to secondary school, she had to take the tram. Margot's friend Lauren Nussbaum recalled: Anne was always surrounded by children, boys and girls and was always the centre of attention.

LITERARY DEVICES:

  • Setting:

So, there you are I've introduced you to the whole of our beautiful 'secret Annexe' Page #18, Sunday 14th of June 1942 Tuesday 14 August 1944 pg#1-268- Isabel

  • Characterization:

Peter was very good-looking boy, tall, handsome and slim with an earnest calm intelligent face, he had black hair and beautiful brown eyes ruddy cheeks, and a thick nose.

Page# 133-13 Kate Anne was able to describe peter's physical appearance to us more information about him

  • Onomatopoeia:

Rrriinngggg.... The alarm clock that raises its voice at any hour of the day. Crake-ping Mrs. Van Daan has turned it off. Creak- Mr. Van Daan gets up page 98 Isabel.

This part gives us the sound of alarm clock and it describe the sound in words, giving an auditory image in our mind.

  • Symbolism

Then followed lies, who seems to be a symbol to me of the suffering of all my girlfriends and all the Jews.

pg# 133 Kate

To Anne, her friend lies is her symbol of guilt because she left behind without and explanation, terrible things are happening to others while she is hiding.

  • Imagery

A loud clap followed immediately its sounded just as if an incendiary bomb had fallen besides my bed page #81 Isabel.

Imagery is a word of phrase that involves one or more of the senses. In those hearing is the sense that is being taken place.

  • Alliteration

I've been playing ping pong a lot myself lately pg-5 Kate.

Alliteration draws attention to certain words in this case playing ping pong focus attention to emphasize this sentence.

  • Metaphor

Whose wings have been clipped and who is hurting in utter darkness against the bars of cage pg 113.

Michelle this describes how Anne is trapped in the attic like the bird in the cage she knows her freedom has been taken away and fells helpless.

  • Simile:

We shall have to be silent as rat, so that the neighbours don't hear us page 33 Michelle. Being quite as a rat meant that they hear to be.

Updated: Nov 25, 2022
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The Diary of Young Girl by Anne Frank. (2021, Dec 04). Retrieved from https://studymoose.com/the-diary-of-young-girl-by-anne-frank-essay

The Diary of Young Girl by Anne Frank essay
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