The Diary of Anne Frank

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The name “Anne Frank” is synonymous with hope, optimism, and belief in human good, even in times of relentless evil. Although she only lived to be fifteen, Anne is known and respected throughout the world for the humanistic light her work shed on an infamous time. Born June 12th, 1929, in Germany, she spent her early years in a middle-class Jewish-German family. However, the tranquility of the Frank family and 522,000 other German-Jews’ would be shattered by one of the most nefarious events in history, the Holocaust. Anne’s diary became an influential resource in understanding historical and emotional aspects of the Holocaust. Although she was young, Anne Frank is the greatest diarist of European history because she preserved a critical time in history, her work captured the human experience of the Holocaust, and her ideals of hope and optimism remain influential throughout our world today.
Adolph Hitler was appointed the chancellor of Germany in 1933. The Nazi regime promised a better future, appealing to the unemployed, youth, and lower-middle class. Hitler was a mesmerizing speaker, capturing the dreams of many and gaining support among the public. However, this “political savior” had different intentions for the Jews. With the rise of Hitler, Otto Frank, Anne’s father, moved his family to Amsterdam in order to escape escalating persecution of Jews. Anne attended Amsterdam's Sixth Montessori School and throughout the 1930s experienced a normal childhood, free of anti-semitism. For her thirteenth birthday, Anne received the diary that would encase her everlasting story. On July 5th, 1942, Anne’s sister, Margot, received a notice to be deported to a work camp, leaving no choice but to go into hiding immediately. The Secret Anne...

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Primary Source
Frank, Anne. The Diary of a Young Girl: The Definitive Edition. Comp. Otto Frank. Ed. Mirjam
Pressler and Susan Massotty. New York: Doubleday, 1995. Print.

Secondary Sources
"Diary of Anne Frank." World Book Student. World Book, 2014. Web. 22 Mar. 2014.
Foray, Jennifer L. The Nation Behind the Diary: Anne Frank and the Holocaust of the Dutch
Jews. Rep. no. 62508909. High Plains Library. Web. 24 Mar. 2014.

Jones, Stephanie, and Karen Spector. "Constructing Anne Frank: critical literacy and the
Holocaust in eighth-grade English: a critical approach to the writings by and about Anne
Frank leads to a better understanding of crucial historical events. Misconceptions about Frank's life and death are discussed, leading to greater knowledge." Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy 51.1 (2007): 36+. Student Resources in Context. Web. 22 Mar. 2014.

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