Anne Frank

"We were loved. We were ripped from the arms of our parents and thrown into the fire. We were nothing more than children. We had a future. Remember us, for we were the children whose dreams and lives were stolen away" (Sonek). The Holocaust destroyed the lives of millions of European Jews, including those of Anne Frank and her family. Anne was an outgoing, positive, energetic Jewish girl who lived in the German city of Frankfurt during the time when Nazis came to power. Her father understood that the time was coming that they would need to leave Germany and start a new life somewhere else. In order to avoid the Nazis, their family made arrangements to move to Holland. They lived there happily until Germany invaded and forced them to go into hiding. After months of remaining undiscovered, the German Secret Police found them out and they were all forced into concentration camps. Throughout the time of the holocaust Anne kept a diary of her experience as a child in this time. Anne Frank showed character through a horrific time period by maintaining her strength selflessness and empathy.

Anne Frank lived a life like many other kids, until the day when Hitler rose to power. Her world as she knew it was turned upside down. Anne and her family were forced to go into hiding for months. Nazis were around every corner threatening their lives. Despite all of this Anne tried to keep her optimism for her family's sake. "I try to laugh it all off, because I don't want to let them see my trouble" (Frank 65). Anne just wants her family to enjoy their life. She doesn't want them to have to worry about her happiness. Despite how scared, sad, and hopeless she is feeling, she still tries to stay strong. Even though she is frightened by her situation, she tries to stay positive so that her family isn't affected by her misery. Anne wanted a normal childhood and as she realizes that is never going to happen, she tries to make the best of what she has. Anne, unlike most kids, stands up for herself and her family. It is 1932, and Anne is with her grandmother, who she refers to as Oma, as she accompanies her to school. When she and Oma got onto a busy street car and no one gave them a seat, this prompts Anne to pipe up: "won't anyone stand up for this old lady?" whatever popped into Anne's head quickly popped out of her mouth"(Lee 21).This quote proves that she is selfless because she came to the defense of her grandmother because she thought it was right that she should get a seat. There are many other instances of her selflessness throughout her diary, and this one in particular highlights how her family brings out her good character. Overall, the struggle Anne and her family went through brought out her best traits, including her selflessness when it comes to her family.

The way Anne reacts to the struggle of her situation reflects her inner strength through positivity and sheer willpower. Anne and her family had just found out that Jews were being taken away and this is their reaction: "None of us really knows how to take it all. The news about the Jews had not really penetrated through to us until now and we thought it best to remain as cheerful as possible."(Frank, )Even though they are just finding out that people from their synagogue are being taken hostage they are trying to stay positive and keep a smile on their faces.This demonstrates her strength because despite everything she and her family go through she somehow manages to hold herself together. Old childhood friends of Anne found her and her sister after they were moved from Auschwitz to Belsen. After Anne and her sister were infected with typhus fever, Anne took care of Margot and they were visited often by their friends. They later recollect that, "Anne was very sick but stayed on her feet until Margot died"(Lee 191). Anne used sheer willpower to overcome the limitations of her own illness so that she could continue to care for her sister. This demonstrates her strength because despite her illness she was able to do what she needed to do until her sister died and she too was forced to give in to typhus. Strength is the only thing that kept Anne going through the duration of the holocaust.

Anne demonstrates her empathy through regret and sorrow. After looking through her diary in a concentration camp, Anne comes across an entry when she was angry at her mother. She was taken aback and immediately regrets writing the words, as she reads, she asks herself, "Anne is it really you who mentioned hate? Oh Anne how could you!"(Frank127). She didn't want her words to ever get back to her mother and hurt her and she was disturbed that she put that hateful message out there. This is an example of her empathy because it demonstrates how she feels for her mother even though the entry was never read by her. A survivor who knew Anne in Auschwitz recalls one of many moments when Anne was the only one in the camp affected by the pain of others:"I can still see her standing at the door and looking down the camp street as a herd of naked gypsy girls was driven by to the crematory, and Anne watched them go and cried" (Frank 279). This demonstrates empathy because despite not being immediately affected by their pain, she still feels for people who are being marched off to die. Even though she didn't know these people, knowing the pain they were about to endure, she still felt for them as though she had known them her whole life. Furthermore, Anne's empathy is a quality of hers that makes her different from other Jewish children during the time of the holocaust.

Anne has such a strong caring personality; she processes qualities of empathy, strength, and selflessness. Learning and researching about Anne helps us to realize how honorable she must have been as a person. Anne felt empathy for others who are in pain like they are her own family, and despite everything she went through she stayed strong for her sister and the rest of her family. The Holocaust murdered so many and destroyed the lives of countless others. Anne fought for her life, her sister's life, and her family's lives until the very end. This is why she is my hero. Her acts of selflessness throughout her life are something I look up to.