Just a Little Diary of Anne Frank

Watching The Lady and reading Anne Frank's Diary Of A Young Girl consecutively make me inexplicably solemn. My short review of The Lady can be found here. If anyone of you are wondering who Anne Frank is, as I am half way reading her book, I wish I could tell you how inspiring and touching her story is. She is one author that I have been looking forward to read her book. 
She was only 13 when she started her diary, which she called it as Kitty, and ended it when she was 15. Yes she was undoubtedly very young yet she is one of the most successful teenage authors in the world. Oh, in case you are wondering, she was born in June 12th, 1929.


I'm about to tell you her extraordinary life.


Who is this Anne?


It all begins with Anne getting a diary as her birthday present. She had many interesting friends at school, but none of them she could confide in except her dear little Kitty (her diary). Since then she had been talking to Kitty as her dear friend and keeping all her secrets in her. She wrote about her classmates, ice-creams, boys, maths and some random stuffs for a few weeks before her life was changed completely. 


In 1933, when Anne was three years old, her family moved from Germany to Netherland as Nazis gained control over Germany. Her life, though under a lot of restrictive laws and pressure, was still happy and safe until July 1942. As the persecutions of the Jewish by the Germans were getting dreadful, the family went into a hiding place, The Secret Annex, together with another family, the van Daans and Mr Dussel. It's all because they were Jews.

Reconstruction of the bookcase that covered the entrance to the Secret Annex, 
in the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam  

Anne wrote about her life in the small yet cozy little annex. She told us funny little stories like how the two families dislike each other, how they preserve food, who were the ones who helped them generously.... to miserable details such as everyone's tension for hiding, the fear of being caught and murdered and their sincere but dim hope of leaving the annex one day. 


Although the days of hiding must be boring her to death, she lived with optimism. She dreamed of her life when the war was over, when she grew up and imagined how the world will be when she resumed to her cheerful life.


A dream is just a dream when it never happens. They were discovered in 1945, sent away for camps and eventually all died before the war ended. Her closest and favourite family member, her father Mr Frank was the only survivors of the eight hiding Jews. He decided to publish his daughter's diary, which chronicles her life from 12 June 1942 until 1 August 1944.

Facing hunger, fear of discovery and death, and the petty frustrations of such confined quarters, Anne writes with adult wisdom and views beyond her years. Her story is that of every teenager, lived out in conditions few teenagers have ever known.

 (quoted from back cover of the book)

Are we taking life for granted?


I am ashamed of my indifference to war, peace and human's right. For me war was just a term to describe historical events and we learn it from all the facts and figures in books. When was the war started, how many people died, which country won the war... It's all about rigid, lifeless and scary data. When I got to read, see and feel the fear, significance, sacrifice and consequence of a war, I am speechless. I have been taking peace, health, freedom and everything in my life for granted.


I visited Nanjing Massacre Memorial Hall (侵华日军南京大屠杀遇难同胞纪念馆) in Nanjing a few years ago. There were statues, sculptures, pictures, data, stories and even human skulls displayed in the museum to remind the successors the pain of war. Perhaps I was too young to appreciate the silent reminders and dreary stories of the ancestors, it didn't bring out the conscious and gratefulness in me. I was just complaining about the boredom of history and the weather. Until I meet Aung San Suu Kyi and Anne Frank. 


The world is getting crazier and human's hearts are getting colder. We don't need silly war and stupid quarrel between nations or between men anymore. Aren't we always saying we are at a modern and civilized era now? 


Anne, do you know?


If Anne is alive now, I believe she will be an avid blogger. As she mentioned to Kitty,

I hope I will be able to confide everything to you, as I have never been able to confide in anyone, and I hope you will be a great source of comfort and support.

Writing in a diary is a really strange experience for someone like me. Not only because I've never written anything before, but also because it seems to me that later neither I nor anyone else will be interested in the musings of a thirteen-year-old schoolgirl. Oh well, it doesn't matter, I feel like writing, and I have an even greater need to get all kinds of things off my chest.

Paper has more patience than people.

Well well, Anne, do you know millions of people had read/is reading/ will read your little diary? How will you react to this unexpected fame of your little kitty? And Anne, I agree with you, paper has more patience than people. Everyone is so busy, including myself. Oh and we don't write so much nowadays, we type and blog to share our thoughts.


Anne, thank you for reminding me to believe in writing. I used to care so much about who has read my blog, how many page views I got everyday, and I used to be so sad for not getting any response from my readers. but in fact, who cares about those things? When time goes by I realize age views are just rigid, lifeless and insignificant data. The main point is, I feel like writing, and I have an even greater need to get all kinds of things off my chest. Of course, if people read your work and agree with you, share the same thought and interest with you, that will be a true bonus.


I still have half of the book to read and a few movie adaptations of the book to watch. I am sure they will inspire me even more. Till then, take care.