Anne Frank

“It’s really a wonder that I haven’t dropped all my ideals, because they seem so absurd and impossible to carry out. Yet I keep them, because in spite of everything, I still believe that people are really good at heart.”[1] Anne Frank was a Jewish child who had the unfortunate luck of growing up during the holocaust. Even though the world around her was awful, she still remained optimistic. Anne was a bright and intelligent child who only wished for the best in life. Her life was, no doubt, ended to soon. Anne Frank was born as Annelies Marie Frank on June 12, 1929 in Frankfurt Germany (biography.com), to Otto and Edith Frank.[2] Margot Betti Frank, born on February 16, 1929, was Anne’s oldest and only sister (about.com). Otto Frank was a man who was dedicated to his home country of Germany. He served in the German army during World War I and had plan to remain in Germany until his own death. The Frank family was reform Jews, which means that they observed the traditions of the Jewish religion without strictly adhering to all Jewish beliefs and customs. The Frank family was German, spoke German, and read German. Teaching his children the German ways was very important to Mr. Frank.[3] On January 20, 1933, Adolf Hitler became chancellor of Germany. Even though it wasn’t what he wanted, it became very obvious to Mr. and Mrs. Frank that them and their two daughters needed to relocate to a safer country (biography.com). To remain on the safe side, Otto Frank sent his wife and children to live with his mother-in-law in Aachen. The chance to leave Germany came soon when he received an offer to start a new company in Amsterdam. Together, the family decided to move to The Netherlands. Upon arrival in the summer of 933, Otto Frank opened a new Dutch firm of Opekta with Miep Santrouschitz and Bep Voskuijl. Quickly, he started looking for a home for himself and his family.[4] He found a house in the fall of 1933 and sent out for his family to come live with him. The other members of the Frank family joined shortly after, with Anne being the last to arrive February 1934 (biography.com). Life in The Netherlands was much safer and calmer for the Frank family and other Jewish families who tried to escape from the hate of Hitler. Anne and Margot proceeded to grow up living normal lives. The girls had several neighborhood friends which they enjoyed playing games with. Anne began her schooling in 1934, and at the age of sever years old, she was reaching and writing quiet well (van der rol and Verhoeven 24). In 1939, at the age of ten years old, Anne’s interest were now: laughing, history, movie stars, Greek mythology, writing, cats, dogs, and boys (van der Rol and Verhoeven 28). Everything seemed perfect despite the rapidly changing country right outside of The Netherlands. On May 10, 1940, Hitler had invaded The Netherlands. The German Army had caught up with the Frank family and there was no place left to flee. Five days later, May 15, 1940, The Netherlands surrendered. Germany was now in control and quickly began issuing anti-Jewish laws and edicts (about.com). At first, the German occupation did not seem too bad for the Jews in The Netherlands. Margot and Anne went to school as usual and continued to play with their old friends. Newspapers suddenly became full of stories that included Jews, but Otto and Edith tried hard to hide it from their daughters (van der Rol and Verhoeven 29). After the summer of 1941, Jewish children learned that they would no longer be allowed to go to a school of their choice (van der Rol and Verhoeven 33). Both Frank girls were forced to attend a segregated Jewish school (biography.com). On June 12, 1942, Frank’s parents gave her a red checkered diary for her thirteenth birthday (biography.com). Two days later, she began writing in it about her family, her friends, and her school (van der rol and Verhoeven 37). Anne’s diary would be her very best friend, a friend she could trust with everything. She called her friend “kitty” (van der rol and Verhoeven 3). “I hope I will be able to confide everything to you, as I have never been able to confide in anyone, and I hope you will be a great source of comfort.” She wrote the very first day she began writing (biography.com). She writes of the laws that required Jews to have curfews, to wear a six-point star sewn on their clothes, and to give up simple pleasures such as bicycling and going to the movies (Goza 426). With life becoming harder everyday for the Jews, an escape plan had to be made. The Franks planned on going into hiding on July 16, 1942, but their plans changed when Margot received a call up notice to report to a “work camp” on July 5, 1942 (about.com). The very next day the family was ready to go into hiding. The Frank family left each in the morning. “We put on heaps of clothes as if we were going to the North Pole, the sole reason being to take clothes with us. No Jew in our situation would have dreamed of going out with a suitcase full of clothing. I had on two vest, three pairs of pants, a dress on top of that, a skirt, jacket, summer shorts, two pairs of stocking, lace-up shoes, wooly cap, scarf, and still much more; I was nearly stifled before we started.” Frank wrote three days after she went into hiding in the “Secret Annex” (van der Rol and Verhoeven 43). The Secret Annex was a floor that was directly above Otto Frank’s office. Only Victor Kugler, Johannes Kleiman, Miep Gies, and Bep Voskuijl knew that the Franks were coming to the annex (van der Rol and Verhoeven 49). Being stuck in a small area with her family was driving Anne insance. On July 13, 1942, the van Pels family them in hiding. There was three members of the van Pels: Mr. and Mrs. Van pels and their fifteen-year-old son Perter van Pels. Anne was extremely greatful when then joined her family (van der Rol and Verhoeven 52). While in hiding, Anne writes of the changes in her body, mind and soul as she transformed from a girl into a woman (Goza 425). She was maturing and even falling in love! The object of her love was Peter and she wanted to share everything with him even though he was shy (van der Rol and Verhoever 76). Anne knew that she was growing up, but the people around her continued to treat her like a child. That often frustrated her and she expressed it in her diary. Anne felt truly alone and misunderstood. Her diary became her one and only friend. On August 4, 1944, sometime between ten o’clock and half past ten in the morning, the German police stormed the Secret Annex. Each person was allowed to grab one suitcase before they were shipped off to a labor camp (van der Rol and Verhoeven 84). August 1, 1944, was the last time Anne got to write in her diary. After leaving the Annex, Anne and her family spent time in three different camps: Westerbork, Auschwiz, and Bergen-Belson. Early on in the camps Anne was separated from her father but remained close to her mother and sister. Despite the jealousness and arguments described in the diary, the Frank woman got closer and relied on each other for strength. After separation from their mother in Auschwits, Anne and Margot managed to stay together until death (Goza 428). In late February of early March of 1945, Margot died of typhus, just a few days later followed by Anne, also from typhus, at the Bergen-Belsen camp. Bergen-Belsen was liberated on April 12, 1945, just a mother after their deaths (about.com) Otto Frank was the only member of the Frank family to survive (biography.com). After the liberation of the Jews, he returned to Amsterdam hoping to relocate his family (Goza 428). Only July 18, 1945, he met two sisters who were in the Bergen-Belsen with Margot and Anne and passed on the news of their deaths (biography.com). Upon hearing the news, Miep, who had been saving Anne’s diaries in case she returned, handed the books and pages over to Otto Frank (Goza 428). After receiving the diary, Otto Frank set out to get his daughter’s writing published. He knew that his daughter wanted to be a writer and he was determined to do so in her honor (Goza 429) For many people Anne Frank became a symbol of the six million Jewish men, women, and children who were murdered by the Nazi in the second World War (van der Rol and Verhoeve 104). Anne’s diary is not only a memoir of a young girl’s transition into womanhood, it is also an account of one of the most unforgettable times in world history (Goza 426)

Works cited page
. "Anne Frank biography." biograpyh. N.p., n.d. Web. .
Goza Elizabeth. Writers for Young Adults. 1. New York: 423-420. Print.
. "Historical Importance of Anne Frank." About. N.p., n.d. Web. . van der Rol, Ruud and Rain Verhoeven. Anne Frank Beyond the Diary. Scholastic Inc., Print.
-----------------------
[1] Anne Frank, Diary of a Young Girl, .
[2] Elizabeth Goza, Writers for Young Adults, .
[3] Ruud van der Rol, and Rian Verhoeven, Anne Frank Beyond the Diary, .
[4] Ruud van der Rol, and Rian Verhoeven, Anne Frank Beyond the Diary, .