The Diary of A Young Girl-Anne Frank

Title : The Diary of A Young Girl-Anne Frank

Edited by : Otto H. Frank and Mirjam Pressler

Number of Page : 351

Publisher : Penguin Books

"... What's the point of the war? Why, oh, why can't people live together peacefully? Why all this destruction?... Why are millions spent on the war each day, while not a penny is available for medical science, artists or the poor? Why do people have to starve when mountains of food are rotting away in other parts of the world? Oh, why are people so crazy?"

Anne Frank is probably the youngest and the most complex individual I've ever known. Reading her diary is like reading adult's journal. The way she thinks is just too deep and I cannot even believe that she wrote this diary at the age of thirteen.

It was that time, in Hitler's and World War II era when Anne Frank and her family had to hide in the secret house. They tried to survive for almost three years in that little place because they were Jewish. Once German knew their location, they would surely be tortured and killed. 

Eight people in that house... They had to be quiet all the time, eat almost the same food everyday... I could imagine how boring that was. They tended to have bad mood all the time. And in that kind of situation, Anne Frank grew up as teenager.  

When I decided to read this book, I expected it to be full of historical informations. Well, of course I was wrong. This book is just a diary of a girl trying to understand the world around her. Sometimes it was quite boring when nothing happened. The contents were pretty much about daily activities, telling about what she ate, what she did during the day, the schedules of the other family members, and those usual stuffs. But, the strength of this book is Anne herself. She was strong, witty, and full of passion. She was never afraid and always positive. She grabbed her hopes and her dreams, waiting for the outside war to end. Everything she wrote about her feelings amazed me in the way that I could relate all of them with myself. I mean growing up is not easy, especially in time like that.  I could see that she changed throughout those three years become a wonderful person.

Anne liked to write. She wanted to be a journalist. I believed if she was still here, she would be a good writer. Her writing is good, the words are neat and full of meanings. 

Ironic. That's what I think about her life. Few months before German was defeated, someone betrayed her family and told the authorities about their location. Anne Frank died due to typhus epidemic in working camps. The only one who lived was her father. He edited all her diaries and tried to spread his daughter's words around the world. 

"To be honest, I can't imagine how anyone could say 'I'm weak' and then stay that way. If you know that about yourself, why not fight it, why not developed your character? Their answer has always been: 'Because it's much easier not to!' This reply leaves me feeling rather discouraged. Easy? Does that mean a life of deceit and laziness is easy too? Oh, no, that can't be true. It can't be true that people are so readily tempted by ease... and money."

"I've often imagined how nice it would be if someone were to confide everything to me. But now that it's reached that point, I realize how difficult it is to put yourself in someone else's shoes and find the right answer."

"We're all alive, but we don't know why or what for; we're all searching for happiness; we're all leading lives that are different and yet the same... We have many reasons to hope for great happiness, but... we have to earn it. And that's something you can't achieve by taking the easy way out. Earning happiness means doing good and working, not speculating and being lazy. Laziness may look inviting, but only work gives you true satisfaction." 

"People who are religious should be glad, since not everyone is blessed with the ability to believe in a higher order. You don't even have to live in fear of eternal punishment; the concepts of purgatory, heaven and hell are difficult for many people to accept, yet religion itself, any religion, keeps a person on the right path. Not the fear of God, but upholding you own sense of honour and obeying your own conscience. How noble and good everyone could be if, at the end of each day, they were to review their own behaviour and weigh up the rights and wrongs. They would automatically try to do better at the start of each new day and, after a while, would certainly accomplish a great deal. Everyone is welcome to this prescription; it costs nothing and is definitely useful. Those who don't know will have to find out by experience that 'a quiet conscience gives you strength'!"
     

The secret house of Frank's now becomes historical place worth to visit in Holland. Through her diaries, Anne Frank has taught us about humanity and freedom rights. And for me, she becomes one of the most favorite character I've read in a book.

4/5