From the Diary of Anne Frank

Summary

Anne Frank was a young Jewish girl. She lived with her parents in Germany. But Hitler’ Nazi Party was against the Jews. The Nazis were killing the Jews or forcing them to work i the concentration camps. The Frank family fled from Germany in 1933 and took shelters i the Netherlands. But in 1940, Germany attacked the Netherlands and captured it. Now the Nazis started arresting the Jews and sending them to the concentration camps. The Fran family went into hiding. They lived secretly in the upper floors of their business premises. They hid there for 25 months. Their non-Jewish friends gave them food Anne had started writing her diary before going into hiding. In August 1944, the German came to know of their hiding. They were arrested and sent to Germany. Anne, her sister Margot and her mother soon died in a concentration camp. Her father survived an published part of Anne’s diary. In this diary, Anne gives a moving and tragic account of the difficulties faced by her family and the other Jews. The part of the diary reproduced in this chapter is about the days when Anne was a schoolgirl and she and her family had not yet moved to the secret quarters.

Comprehension Questions

Answer the following questions in 30-40 words:

1. Mr. Keesing is a kind, but strict teacher. Explain.
Mr. Keesing was annoyed with Anne as she was a very talkative girl. He was kind
enough to warn her several times but she didn’t change. So, he punished her by
giving an essay to write.

2. How did Sanne help Anne Frank in writing the third essay?
Anne’s friend Sanne was good at poetry. She helped Anne write the third essay in
verse. It turned out to be a good poem, and even the teacher, Mr. Keesing, took it
in the right way.

3. How did Anne want her diary to be different?
Anne did not want to jot down the facts in her diary, the way most people do. She
wanted the diary to be her friend and she would address the diary as ‘kitty’.

4. Explain ‘teachers are the most unpredictable creatures’.
Anne believed that a quarter of her class was stupid and should be kept back.
However, she thought that teachers were the most unpredictable creatures’ as
nobody knew what there was in their minds and whom would they pass or fail.

Answer the following questions in 100-120 words:

1. 'Paper has more patience than people.‛ Elucidate.

Anne had loving parents, an elder sister and a number of friends. She could tal to them about common everyday matters. But she could not express her inner feelings to them. So she felt depressed and lonely. She wanted a patient listener to whom she could confide in. But she felt that neither did people have the patience to listen to her nor could she trust them with her secrets. So she decided to maintain a diary believing that it would be more patient than anybody. Hence, Anne Frank says that paper has more patience than people.

2. Why was the whole class shaking in its boots? How does Anne Frank describe the

behaviour of her classmates?

The annual results were to be disclosed soon. The teachers were going to hold their annual meeting to decide which of the students would be promoted to the next class and which of them would be kept back in the same class. As a result, the students were nervous and shaking in their boots. Half the class was making bets. Anne and her friend G.N. laughed heartily at their classmates C.N. and Jacques who had staked their entire holiday savings on their bet. They were all the time speculating who would pass and who would not. Anne was angry with many of them. But they would not calm down. According to her, a quarter of her class was dummies and should be kept back. But she also felt that teachers were the most unpredictable creatures on earth.

Questions from the text book.

Thinking about the Text

1. Do you keep a diary? Given below under ‘A’ are some terms we use to describe a written record of personal experience. Can you match them with their description under ‘B’? (You may look up the terms in a dictionary if you wish.)

2. Here are some entries from personal records. Use the definitions above to decide which of the entries might be from a diary, a journal, a log or a memoir.

Thinking About the Text

1. Was Anne right when she said that the world would not be interested in the musings of a thirteen-year-old girl?

No, Anne was not right when she said that the world would not be interested in the musings of a thirteen-year-old girl. Her diary was published under the name ‘The Diary of a young girl’. It was translated from Dutch into many languages and it became one of the world’s most widely read books. There have also been several films, television and theatrical productions, and even an opera based on

the diary. It was described as the work of a mature and insightful mind. It provides an intimate examination of life under Nazi occupation. Anne Frank became one of the most renowned and discussed of the Holocaust victims.

2. There are some examples of diary or journal entries in the ‘Before You Read’ section. Compare these with what Anne writes in her diary. What language was the diary originally written in? In what way is Anne’s dairy different?

Anne’s diary was originally written in Dutch. Her diary is different from the others in many aspects. She had named her diary ‘Kitty’. She thought of it as her only true friend whom she could confide in. She treated it as another person who was listening to her daily accounts. She wrote all her stories in it. She started by writing ‘Dearest Kitty’ and ended the account by writing, ‘Yours, Anne’. Her diary was a lot more personal than other diaries.

3. Why does Anne need to give a brief sketch about her family? Does she treat ‘Kitty’ as an insider or an outsider?

Anne gave a brief sketch of her life since no one would understand a word of her stories if she were to plunge right in. She treated Kitty as an insider because she called it her best friend and was ready to confide in it.

4. How does Anne feel about her father, her grandmother, Mrs. Kuperus and Mr. Keesing? What do these tell you about her?

Anne felt that her father was the most adorable father she had ever seen. Anne remembered her grandmother even after her death. She wrote in her diary that no one knew how often she thought of her grandmother and still loved her. In the sixth form at the Montessori nursery school, her teacher was Mrs. Kuperus, who was also the headmistress. At the end of the year, they were both in tears as they had a heartbreaking farewell. Mr. Keesing was her Maths teacher. He was annoyed with her because she talked too much. However, Anne was able to justify her talkative nature every time she was punished by Mr. Keesing. On each occasion, he was impressed by the manner in which she presented her arguments. All these incidents show how lovable and intelligent Anne was. Everybody was attached to her, and even Mr. Keesing could not help but laugh at her essays and acknowledge her intelligence.

5. What does Anne write in her first essay?

In her first essay, titled ‘A Chatterbox’, Anne wanted to come up with convincing arguments to prove the necessity of talking. She wrote three pages and was satisfied. She argued that talking was a student’s trait and that she would do her best to keep it under control. She further wrote that she would never be able to cure herself of the habit since her mother talked as much as she did. There was not much that one could do about inherited traits. Mr. Keesing too had a good laugh reading her arguments.

6. Anne says teachers are most unpredictable. Is Mr. Keesing unpredictable? How?

Anne felt that a quarter of her class was dumb, and should not be promoted to the next class. However, she also felt that teachers were the most unpredictable creatures on earth. Mr. Keesing could be termed as unpredictable. The way Anne always talked while the class was going on, any teacher would lose his temper. However, after several warnings, all Mr. Keesing did was to assign her

extra homework. She had to write an essay on ‘A Chatterbox’. In this way, he tried to play a joke on her. Each time that he asked her to write such essays, she wrote very well. She kept countering his jokes. One could not have predicted that he would take all the jokes in the right spirit. Finally, he accepted her talkative nature and actually allowed her to talk in class. He did not even assign

her any more extra homework. That is why it can be said that Mr. Keesing was unpredictable.

7. What do these statements tell you about Anne Frank as a person?

(i)We don’t seem to be able to get any closer, and that’s the problem. Maybe it’s my fault that we don’t confide in each other. These lines show that though Anne was friendly, she did not have a friend in whom she could confide in. She even blames herself for not trusting people enough to confide in them.

(ii)I don’t want to jot down the facts in this diary the way most people would, but I want the diary to be my friend. This line shows that Anne wasn’t interested in keeping records. Instead, she wanted a friend who could patiently listen to her.

(iii)Margot went to Holland in December, and I followed in February, when I was plunked down on the table as a birthday present for Margot. This statement shows that Anne was a fun-loving. She was witty and knew how to present things in a funny way. The use of ‘plunked down’ shows her sense of

humour.

(iv)If you ask me, there are so many dummies that about a quarter of the class should be kept back, but teachers are the most unpredictable creatures on earth. This statement shows that she considered herself intelligent enough to make it to the next class while a quarter of her class was stupid in her opinion.

(v)Anyone could ramble on and leave big spaces between the words, but the trick was to come up with convincing arguments to prove the necessity of talking. This statement shows that Anne took the punishment as a challenge. She was intelligent enough to come up with arguments for talking.

Practice Questions

Q1 Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow.

(a) All I think about when I’m with friends is having a good time. I can’t bring myself to talk about anything but ordinary everyday things. We don’t seem to be able to get any closer, and that’s the problem. Maybe it’s my fault that we don’t confide in each other. In any case, that’s just how things are, and unfortunately, they’re not liable to change.

i. What was Anne’s problem with her friends?

 a. Anne’s friends would not talk to her.

 b. Anne would not talk to her friends.

 c. Anne couldn’t confide in her

 friends.

 d. Anne’s friends were jealous of her.

ii. What does Anne do to overcome this problem?

 a. Anne visited a counselor.

 b. Anne started speaking to Margot.

 c. Anne invited her friends for a party.

 d. Anne started writing a diary.

iii. Explain - ‘unfortunately they’re not liable to change’.

 a. The situation was not likely to

 change.

 b. The situation is perfect.

 c. The situation is likely to change.

 d. Gradually the situation would

 change.

iv. Find the word from the passage which means ‘tell someone one’s secrets’.

 a. confide

 b. talk

 c. unfortunately

 d. liable

(b) ‘Paper has more patience than people.’ I thought of this saying on one of those days when I was feeling a little depressed and was sitting at home with my chin in my hands, bored and listless, wondering whether to stay in or go out. I finally stayed where I was, brooding. Yes, the paper does have more patience and since I’m not planning to let anyone else read this stiff-backed notebook grandly referred to as a ‘diary’ unless I should ever find a real friend, it probably won’t make a bit of difference.

i. Why does Anne think ‘paper has more patience than people’?
 a. people might be disinterested to listen.
 b. it is easier to record experiences on paper.
 c. people are always available to listen or talk.

 d. her father gifted her a diary.

ii. Why did Anne feel depressed?
 a. she did not have a true friend.
 b. her teacher gave extra homework.
 c. she had lost her diary.
 d. she was trapped inside her house for two years.

iii. Whom would Anne allow to read her diary?
 a. Margot 

 b. Sanne 

 c. Mrs. Kuperus 

 d. a true friend

iv. Find the word from the passage which means ‘thinking deeply making one sad’.
 a. brooding 

 b. wondering 

 c. listless 

 d. depressed

Q2. Answer the following questions in 30-40 words each.

(a) Why does Anne want to keep a diary? Why does she feel she can trust a diary more than the people? 

Anne did not have a true friend to whom she could confide. Hence, she started writing a diary. Moreover, she knew that paper had more patience than people and her secrets would be safer in a diary than with people. 

(b) What does Anne write in her first essay? 

In her first essay, titled ‘A Chatterbox’, Anne came up with convincing arguments to prove the necessity of talking. She wrote three pages and argued that talking was a student’s trait and she would do her best to keep it under control but being an inherited trait, she would never be able to cure herself. 

(c) How do you know that Anne was close to her grandmother? 

Anne lived with her grandmother for some months when her parents went to Holland. She loved her deeply. When her grandmother died, Anne felt sad and often thought about her. Hence, we can say she was close to her grandmother. 

(d) Why was the entire class quaking in its boots? 

The annual results were expected and soon a meeting would be held when teachers would decide whom to pass and whom to retain in the same class. That is why; the whole class was quaking in its boots.

Q3. Answer the following questions in in 100 -150 words. 

(a)What does Anne say about her family and her stay in the Montessori School?

Anne calls her father very adorable. When her parents were married, her father was thirty-six and the mother was twenty-five. Margot was Anne’s elder sister. She was born in Frankfurt in 1926. Three years later, Anne was born. She lived in Frankfurt until she was four. Her father migrated to Holland in 1933. Her mother, Edith Hollander Frank, went with him. Anne and her sister, Margot were sent to Aachen to stay with their grandmother. Margot went to Holland in December and Anne went three months later. Anne started studying at the Montessori School. She stayed there until she was six at which time she was in the first form. When she was in the sixth form, her teacher was Mrs. Kuperus, the headmistress. Both loved each other. When she left school, both Anne and her teacher were in tears.

(b)Why did Mr. Keesing punish her? When did he finally stop punishing her?
Anne Frank was very talkative in the class. Hence, Mr. Keesing, her Math’s teacher was annoyed with her and gave her several warnings but it had no effect. One day, he punished her by giving her extra homework. He asked her to write an essay on the subject ‘A Chatterbox’. Anne wrote the essay, giving amusing arguments in it. Mr. Keesing liked the essay. But Anne continued talking in the class. So he gave the task of writing another essay. This time, the subject was, ‘An Incorrigible Chatterbox.’ After that for two lessons, Anne did not get any punishment. But during the third lesson, Mr. Keesing saw Anne talking again. He asked her to write another essay on the subject ‘Quack. Quack. Quack, Said Mistress Chatterbox.’ Anne wrote this essay in verse form. She wrote about a mother duck and father swan. They had three ducklings. But the father killed the ducklings because they quacked too much. Mr Keesing liked the essay greatly. He read it out to the class. He read it to other classes also. After that, he stopped punishing Anne.