Born on June 12, 1929, thirteen year old Anne Frank has deep insights based on her diary entries (biography.com Editors, 2016). Anne Frank, a Jew, and her family had to go into hiding in Amsterdam when the Nazis took over Germany, making the lives of Jews difficult. Along with her parents, older sister Margot, her father’s business partner and his family, they were all hiding together behind a hidden movable bookshelf (history.com Staff, 2009). In The Diary of a Young Girl, Anne Frank writes entries in her diary that her father, Otto Frank, gave to her (Gilmore, 2012). Although her writing and thoughts are mature for her age, the overall tone throughout her diary remains youthful, just as how a thirteen year old’s diary would seem to be. Anne was not only a young girl with a diary, but she also aspired to be a writer.
Anne Frank would refer to her diary as “Kitty” in the form of “Dear Kitty” instead of it being the usual “Dear Diary”. This allows her to have a personal connection with her diary, especially during when she was in hiding. She wrote “When I write, I can shake off all my cares.” (biography.com Editors, 2016) This quote has shown the significance of her diary to her, thus, making it even more personal. Furthermore, it has appealed to the audience’s sense of pathos as they too can have a sense to what Anne is feeling at the time of her situation.
Unfortunately, Anne Frank did not make it alive to finish her stories. Their secret hiding place was discovered by the Nazis and they were taken into concentration camps, leading to the separation of men and women in the family. After a few months, Anne and Margot were separated from their mother. From their family, only Otto Frank survived the concentration camps. Anne’s diary was returned to Otto and he decided to publish his daughter’s diary in order to share the encouragement and strength his daughter had.
The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank was first published in German in 1947 and has been translated into sixty-seven different languages (Stichting). Due to this fact, it is very possible that there are some words or phrases that has lost its meaning through the multiple translations as some words are special to its own language and cannot be described in another.
Works Cited
Biography.com Editors. “Anne Frank Biography.” Bio.com. A&E Networks Television, 8 Jan. 2016. Web. 18 Sept. 2016. <http://www.biography.com/people/anne-frank-9300892#early-life>.
Gilmore, Kim. “Anne Frank: Her Diary Reconsidered.” Bio.com. A&E Networks Television, 17 Apr. 2012. Web. 18 Sept. 2016. <http://www.biography.com/news/anne-frank-her-diary-reconsidered-20803621>.
History.com Staff. “Anne Frank.” History.com. A&E Television Networks, 2009. Web. 18 Sept. 2016. <http://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/anne-frank>.
Stichting. ” .” Anne Frank Guide. Anne Frank Stichting, n.d. Web. 18 Sept. 2016. <http://www.annefrankguide.net/en-us/bronnenbank.asp?aid=26362>.