“I must have something besides a husband and children, something that I can devote myself to! I want to go on living even after my death!”
-Anne Frank
Nothing that I’ve read, watched or heard about WWWII come close to the shocking chills Anne Frank’s diary gave me.
Though she starts Kitty; her diary, to tell a ‘brief history of her life,’ it goes further to give an unbelievable insight on how good times rapidly fled; for the Jews in general, and young Anne in particular.
“First the war, then the capitulation, followed by the arrival of the Germans, which is when the suffering of us Jews really began."
Jews must wear a Yellow star
Jews must hand in their bicycles
Jews are banned from trains and are forbidden to drive
Jews only allowed to do shopping between three and five - only in shops which bear the placard ‘Jewish shop’
Jews must be indoors by 8 o’clock (not even allowed to sit in their own gardens)
Jews are forbidden from visiting theatres, cinemas and other places of entertainment
Jews should not take part in public sports
Swimming baths, tennis courts, hockey fields, other sports grounds prohibited to Jews
Jews must not visit Christians
Jews must go to Jewish schools…”
Anne’s family was then forced to speed up plans to go into hiding at the Secret Annexe by 10 days after a call-up for her older sister Margot came.
Before, this Form 1 noisy chatterbox was living a very good life; happy, with friends, dreaming of becoming a journalist or writer, and excited about exploring her teenage years. Now; days, weeks, months and years into hiding, she has to deal with the realities of the war, of being a Jew, going hungry, eating rotten and rationed food, being sick but unable to see a doctor, outgrowing her clothes and shoes, living under the constant surveillance of the adults, flea infestation, air raids, and worse - fear of being discovered…
So what kept them busy throughout the 761 days?
Reading, learning and the radio. Also crying. Crying can bring such relief.
And, ‘the only way to take one’s mind off it all is to study,' and she did a lot of that.’
Secret Annexe Rules
Use of language: speak softly at all times, by order! All civilized languages are permitted, therefore no German!
Dinner: Served cold and/or hot: no fixed time (depending on the news broadcast).
Wishes at the Secret Annexe:
When allowed to go outside again:
Margot & Van Daan wished for a 30 minute long hot bath filled to overflowing, Mrs. Van Daan looked forward to eating ice-cream, Dussel couldn't wait to see Lotje; his wife, Mummy longed for a cup of coffee, Daddy's was a visit to Mr. Vossen, Peter's was a visit to town and cinema whereas for Anne, she longed to know that she was finally free, have a home of their own, be able to move freely, go to school, visit a public library and later a year in Paris, another in London…learn language and history of art but most importantly, become Dutch.
Overall, Anne Frank's The Diary of a Young Girl is a 10/10 Perfect Read
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