Anne Frank by Margaret Ann Johnson

Anne Frank 1929 - 1945

After all these years, this is a sory that still breaks my heart...

Anne Frank was an ordinary teenage girl, who matured and grew during extraordinary times. She loved life, laughter, history, film stars, mythology, cats, writing, books and boys. She intensely disliked mathematics, staying indoors, selfishness, human suffering and fleas!

Our freedom was severely restricted by a series of anti-Jewish decrees: Jews required to wear a yellow star; Jews were required to turn in their bicycles; Jews were forbidden to use streetcars; Jews were forbidden to ride in cars, even their own; Jews were required to do their shopping between 3 and 5 p.m.; Jews were required to frequent only Jewish-owned barbershops and beauty parlors; Jews were forbidden to be out on the streets between 8 p.m. and 6 a.m.

In the country of Denmark, the King himself declared that he and the entire population would wear the yellow star, in sympathy with the Jews. Every Jewish child over the age of six was required to follow this policy. The Jewish people were not the only ones discriminated against during the Nazi regime so were blacks, gypsies, mentally and physically handicapped as well as homosexual people.

Some Europeons did risk their freedom, and even their lives, in order to help Jews and to conceal them from their Nazi oppressors. Anne writes in her diary that it was apparent to a number of "outsiders' such as the people who supplied them with bread and vegetables as well as the Frank's office staff that the family along with another were "in hiding." She speaks of her father's secretary as being so laden down with food and books that she resembled a pack mule each week.

It is important to note that Anne was given her diary as a birthday present for her thirteenth birthday. Anne decided that she would pretend her diary was her very best friend, a friend she could trust with everything. She called her: 'Kitty'. On the first page, Anne wrote: "I hope I shall be able to confide in you completely, as I have never been able to do in anyone before, and I hope that you will be a great support and comfort to me. (June 12, 1942). On the inside of the cover she stuck a photograph of herself, and wrote next to it: "Gorgeous photo, isn't it!!!"

It wasn't until I had the opportunity a couple of weeks ago to actually view the original red and white cloth covered manuscript that I could actually feel the invincible spirit and the essence of determination; that this young woman possessed. It was fascinating to me to view her writing in the diary and see that it was written in both cursive and block style.

There are additional pictures and cross-outs as though she were editing. However, she quickly filled it up and then wrote on separate pieces of paper, too. I learned that she didn't just write in her diary she also wrote imaginary stories, essays on serious subjects,etc. That story book is extremely neat without cross outs or mistakes.

I was able to climb the steep and narrow stairs and actually experience the close, crowded quarters which housed eight people "in hiding." The house is bare of furniture but Anne's room remains as it was with her pictures of movie stars and postcards "pasted"onto the walls. It is an overwhelming fact that so many people could be totally exterminated. As a quote in the Anne Frank house reminds us: "It is not true that six million Jews were murdered; one Jew was murdered six million times over."

Anne's writing speaks of her high ideals and "The nice part is being able to write down all my thoughts and feelings; otherwise, I'd absolutely suffocate." Anne valued life and was greatly concerned with the values of fairness and honesty in judging people for being rich or poor, yellow star-studded, dirty or clean and maintains that true greatness lies in only in "character and goodness." She encourages us in the book Tales From the Secret Annex to set a good example and others will follow. What an example of the idea of value "modeling" from one who is so young!

. . .Give of yourself, give as much as you can! And you can always, always give something, even if it is only kindness! If everyone were to do this and would not be as mean with a kindly word, then there would be much more justice and love in the world. Give and you shall receive, much more than you would have ever thought possible. . .There is plenty of room for everyone in the world, enough for us to share.

Anne Frank's life and description of it recorded in her own handwriting is a remarkable accounting of a variety of values. When Anne started writing in her diary two days after she received it and recorded how her life changed during those two years. When Anne started writing in her diary two days after she received it and recorded how her life changed during those two years.

There is no way she could have known that millions of people throughout the world would read her diary. She loved, hurt, feared, struggled, questioned, and captured the essence of her life and sometimes discouraged spirit. Her words also reveal an honesty that is remarkable and is sparkled here and there with a sense of humor.

As John F. Kennedy so eloquently states, "Of the multitude who throughout history have spoken for human dignity in times of great suffering and loss, no voice is more compelling than that of Anne Frank."

Anne Frank's example of recording her thoughts and feelings has inspired me to do something that no one else has been able to and that is to record my thoughts and feelings beginning with the first day of my trip to Europe. I will never forget her influence and Anne Frank will also be a very special SHERO to me!

***Note: Anne was born on June 12, 1929 and died three days after her older sister, Margo from typhus fever at Bergen-Belsen in March of 1945. Sadly, the camp was liberated a few weeks later in April.