Anne Frank

There were many tragic stories in WW2, but only a few that are important and inviting. One of these includes the diary of a young girl named Anne Frank. She was born in Frankfurt, Germany but moved to the Netherlands for more safety in 1934, five years after she was born. The Frank family hid in their basement with four other Jews when Germany took control of the Netherlands. Anne then began to write in a diary of her life, feelings and the outside world. She wrote in the diary every day for two years until their hiding place was found and she was forced into a concentration camp where she died with her sister due to a sickness. Although Anne wasn't only a tragic girl in WW2, she showed unusual young girl thoughts in her writing which makes her an inspiration. Anne Frank was a young girl that portrayed the characteristics of bravery, hopefulness, and her young strength which were hard to manage in the hardships that she was a part of.

Anne Frank was a strong and brave girl in everything she did. Anne showed she was brave by, "Anne eventually was transported to the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp in Germany with her sister."(Diary of Anne Frank). Anne shows her bravery by when she was in the concentration camps with her sister and stayed strong to her life as she was switching through camps. Even through the hard times of being a prisoner in concentration camps, Anne still remained brave and always stayed hopeful in her future. Anne was brave enough to alert for her and her sister to be alive. Anne shows her bravery again by "Anne, like the others, finds it difficult hiding in the Secret Annex. They can never go outside, and always have to be careful. But Anne always tried to get a look outside if she could and record it in her diary." (Anne Frank). Anne was also brave here because she was not supposed to go outside but decided to write in her diary of the outside world and be brave. Times were rough in the Netherlands and Anne wasn't supposed to go outside because it could show her hiding place and the government could take her. But Anne was brave and strong and decided to take risks for the sake of her writing and her possible legend in this period of time.

Anne was hopeful in her life for her future as an author even if she wasn't there to see her diary published. Anne was always hopeful in her writing because, "Anne also thinks this is a brilliant idea and writes: Just imagine how interesting it would be if I were to publish a novel about the Secret Annex. The title alone would make people think it was a detective story."(annefrank.org). Anne started to publish her writing in her diary as an act of hope for her writing. She was hopeful enough in herself to put her writing before her life which is why she wrote in the book a lot and "Kitty", the diary, became her best friend. Anne was also hopeful in her writings when, "The cheerfulness of Frank's writing in such dangerous circumstances, as well as her sensitivity and talent to describe difficult circumstances and the tragedy of her short life, made her diary an instant success." (Rosenfeld, Alvin). Anne Frank was strong and was brave enough to stay hopeful in times of trouble in the concentration camps and in her hiding place. She wasn't the one to become melancholy in times of no hope; she was the one to provide happy and comforting news that could soothe others. "She was nicknamed 'Miss Chatterbox' and 'Miss Quack-Quack.'" (Frank, Anne). Anne showed that even throughout times of heartache and hurt that there was still something to fight for and something to look forward to.

Anne was also inspirational for her age. Many forget the young age that she was at when she provided our society with knowledge of WW2 and the personal preference of young Anne. She explained her thoughts by, "'Not being able to go outside upsets me more than I can say, and I'm terrified our hiding place will be discovered and that we'll be shot.'"(Anne Frank). Anne was frightened and scared in these times for her life, but despite all of the troubles she faced, Anne remained strong through the fear of her life. She also expresses her petrified thoughts in her diary but refuses to act upon them. Anne decides to show her strong character instead of the young timid girl she should act and look like. Anne was a huge impact on today's world due to her expressions she showed. Anne's diary, "Anne's book became an international best seller and one of the most stirring documents to come out of the Holocaust." (Diary of Anne Frank). Countries thrived to read Anne's Diary and her book sales flourished. Everyone was trying to read the point of view of a young girl in the circumstance of WW2. Her diary impacted many and motivated them to make a difference even at their age because if she could do it, anyone has the capability to do it. Anne shows these strong thoughts through the harsh period she lived in despite the young girl she was, and proved that age doesn't matter to become an inspiration.

Born in Germany as a Jew was no easy task, so when Anne was five the Frank family moved to the Netherlands. She had no problem talking or being friendly towards others. Anne was happy even through the times where Germany invaded the Netherlands and she hid in her father's basement. It was then when she became best friends with her diary, "Kitty", and became hopeful for her future. Even when the Frank family was betrayed, Anne remained hopeful in her diary pages even if she couldn't survive. While being shoveled from concentration camp to the next Anne revealed her strong side instead of her youthful frightened side. Anne says, "The weak fall, but the strong will remain and never go under." This shows how Anne knew that she had to be strong in this tough world. She ingeniously made her life known to everyone through the vigorous hope and strength she illustrated in her diary. Regardless of all the pressures that Anne faced with the German rule over her and her family, she portrayed the characteristics bravery, hopefulness, and her young strength through those hardships.

Works Cited

Anne Frank. N.p., n.d. Web. 5 Dec. 2013.

DEKKER, RUDOLF M. "Frank, Anne (1929-1945)." Encyclopedia of Children and Childhood in History and Society. Ed. Paula S. Fass. Vol. 2. New York: Macmillan Reference USA, 2004. 367-368. Global Issues In Context. Web. 9 Dec. 2013.

"Frank, Anne." Gale Contextual Encyclopedia of World Literature. Vol. 2. Detroit: Gale, 2009. 635-638.     Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 5 Dec. 2013.

Rosenfeld, Alvin. "Anne Frank." Encyclopaedia Judaica. Ed. Michael Berenbaum and Fred Skolnik. 2nd ed. Detroit: Macmillan Reference USA, 2007. Biography in Context. Web. 9 Dec. 2013.

Wituska, Krystyna. "Letters from Halle-Salle Prison." Government, Politics, and Protest: Essential Primary Sources. Ed. K. Lee Lerner, Brenda Wilmoth Lerner, and Adrienne Wilmoth Lerner. Detroit: Gale, 2006. 58-61. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 5 Dec. 2013.