Annelies "Anne" Marie Frank, German, 12 June 1929 (the same year as the Nazi's rise to power) – early March 1945 is one of the most discussed Jewish victims of the Holocaust. Diary has been the basis for several plays and films. Born in the city of Frankfurt am Main in Weimar, she lived most of her life in or near Amsterdam, in the Netherlands. Born a German national, Frank lost her citizenship in 1941. She gained international fame posthumously after her diary was published. It documents her experiences hiding during the German occupation of the Netherlands in World War II.
The Frank family moved from Germany to Amsterdam in 1933, the year the Nazis gained control over Germany. By the beginning of 1940, they were trapped in Amsterdam by the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands. As persecutions of the Jewish population increased in July 1942, the family went into hiding in some concealed rooms in the building where Anne's father worked. After two years, the group was betrayed and transported to concentration.
Unfortunately, on August 4th, 1944 (with the allies closing in on a retreating Germany army), an anonymous source gave a tip off to the German secret police. The families were arrested and sent on the last convoy train to Auschwitz. After surviving the selection process (most people under 15 were sent straight to the Gas Chambers) Anne her sister, Margot, were selected to be sent to Bergen Belsen concentration camp. It was here that Anne contracted typhoid fever and she died in March 1945, just one month before the camp was liberated by the advancing allied armies.
Otto Frank, the only survivor of the family, returned to Amsterdam after the war to find that Anne's diary had been saved, and his efforts led to its publication in 1947. It was translated from its original Dutch and first published in English in 1952 as “The Diary of a Young Girl”. It has since been translated into many languages. The diary, which was given to Anne on her 13th birthday, chronicles her life from 12 June 1942 until 1 August 1944.
Her Diary.
“It’s difficult in times like these; ideals, dreams and cherished hopes rise within us, only to be crushed by grim reality. It’s a wonder I haven’t abandoned all my ideals, they seem so absurd and impractical. Yet I cling to them because I believe, in spite of everything, that people are truly good at heart.”- Anne Frank 21 July 1944
“After May 1940…the trouble started for the Jews. Our freedom was severely restricted by a series of anti-Jewish decrees: Jews were required to wear a yellow star; Jews were required to turn-in their bicycles; Jews were forbidden to ride trams or in cars, even their own…Jews were forbidden to go to theatres, cinemas or any other forms of entertainment; Jews were forbidden to use swimming pools, tennis courts, hockey fields or any other athletic fields…You couldn’t do this and you couldn’t do that, but life went on…”- Anne Frank 20 June 1942
“I long to ride a bike, dance, whistle, look at the world, feel young and know that I'm free, and yet I can't let it show. Just imagine what would happen if all eight of us were to feel sorry for ourselves or walk around with the discontent clearly visible on our faces. Where would that get us?” - Anne Frank December 24, 1943
Frank aspired to become a journalist, writing in her diary on Wednesday, 5 April 1944:
“I finally realized that I must do my schoolwork to keep from being ignorant, to get on in life, to become a journalist, because that's what I want! I know I can write ..., but it remains to be seen whether I really have talent ...”
“And if I don't have the talent to write books or newspaper articles, I can always write for myself. But I want to achieve more than that. I can't imagine living like Mother, Mrs. van Daan and all the women who go about their work and are then forgotten. I need to have something besides a husband and children to devote myself to! ...”
“I want to be useful or bring enjoyment to all people, even those I've never met. I want to go on living even after my death! And that's why I'm so grateful to God for having given me this gift, which I can use to develop myself and to express all that's inside me!”
“When I write I can shake off all my cares. My sorrow disappears, my spirits are revived! But, and that's a big question, will I ever be able to write something great, will I ever become a journalist or a writer?”— Anne Frank
What’s make me inspire
Anne's diary tells of the difficulties of living in a limited space with so many people. The atmosphere was at times gripping, but despite the hardships and difficulties of her situation, she also expressed her optimism and positive view of life and being happy and enjoy about her life. People fascinated by her writing and what she managed to convey in the most difficult of situations. Her book has become an important symbol of how innocent people can suffer from intolerance and persecution.
