The Diary of Anne Frank
Overview
Everyone has their own story. The Dairy of Anne Frank is a story about the lives of a Jewish girl and her family hiding in a warehouse during World War II. When Anne wrote her diary, she would never have imagined that her personal story could have impact on millions of people. Her true story brings me lots of memories and inspiration.
Observation, experience and reminiscence
Reading the Diary of Anne Frank, I find that we share a lot of similarities. In her diary, she revealed that there was nobody she could trust or rely on. Therefore, she decided to address the diary ‘Kitty’ and confide everything to this imaginary friend. It seems to me that her childhood is full of loneliness. Compare with Anne, I am a lot more fortunate given that I was born in a peaceful and prosperous city. However, being the only child in my family with working parents, I was accustomed to be alone. When I was lonely and bored, I used to talk to myself as if there was somebody else. Sometimes, I imagined myself as a teacher and presented the whole chapter in front of the ‘audience’. There were at times I could not help feeling that I was such a strange person who talked with the air. Yet, after meeting Anne, I can totally understand why she needed Kitty.
From the letters to Kitty, I can see that there is a change of Anne throughout the years. She starts her first diary entry at the age of thirteen and her early entries are something very subtle and personal. For example, she mentions her friends, schools, family, relationship and social life. These are very typical topics that teenage girl would write about. However, over the two next years, a new Anne has been emerged. This Anne becomes more patient, considerate, mature and insightful. She is aware of the threat of the war. She feels guilty about her luck in having a hiding place when others are suffering in concentration camps. Despite the fact that Nazi Laws strictly affect the lifestyle of Anne, she never complains nor despairs but moves on her new life. She accepts the limitation and becomes more optimistic. This can be revealed in her letter that ‘in spite of everything, I still believe that people are really good at heart.’ The adult diary not only indicates the growth of a naïve child to a mature adult but also reflects how this complicated situation catalyzes her maturity.
Inspiration and reflection
The optimistic attitude of Anne makes of think of teenagers in Hong Kong. We are now living in a place that is free from war or political danger. However, it is not uncommon to hear the news that local teenagers are so stressed that some even destroy their lives by playing truant, taking drugs, abusing alcohol or committing suicides. To me, it is rather ironical that people who are suffering from war are trying their best to survive whilst those who are living peacefully terminate their lives by committing suicides. These tragedies show that teenagers in Hong Kong are psychologically fragile and vulnerable and they are not good at expressing their feelings. In fact, keeping a diary or writing blogs is one of the easiest and most effective ways in dealing with pressure. Therefore, I suggest that you should write diaries and set your emotion free there. By setting your mind free, I do not mean that you should express your anger or detail your dissatisfaction. Instead, it is a second chance for you to think from another perspective. Every coin has two sides. If you can look from different perspectives, your obstacle can turn to be a motivating factor, too!
Conclusion
To conclude, the story of Anne Frank is not purely a story narrating adolescent thoughts and problems but a story that promotes positive attitudes. I hope that you will take a look of this book after reading my book report. I also hope that you are not just following what Anne think thinks of in her entries but also appreciating her enthusiasm of life and peace.
分享者﹕管瑩胤 老師
