From the Diary of Anne Frank

 

Anne Frank

One of the themes of Anne Frank's diary is the loneliness and isolation of adolescence. Being a young adult can be hard at times, but it's harder still if you're forced to live in such a tense, claustrophobic environment like Anne.

Summary

The author feels that it is strange and unusual for her to write a diary because it is the first time she is doing it. She feels that in the future no one will read about a young girl’s past experiences. But then she puts these thoughts away and decides to write her thoughts. The author is feeling very lonely as she has no friends to talk to. She wants to give her need of friend a shape, hence decides to name the diary as “kitty”. The writer feels that the paper has more capacity to absorb thoughts rather than people who have low patience level. She has a good time with friends but cannot share everything with them as they are not true friends. She refers to her father as the most lovable who presents her the Diary on her 13th birthday. On June 20, 1942, she mentions how her class is nervous about their results. The author says that the only subject she is unsure about is mathematics. She and her friend, G are trying to stop the students from making noise, but to no avail. According to the author, about the quarter of the class should not pass as they do not participate in any activities. Anne recalls how the maths professor is constantly irritated by her talkativeness. While talking in his classes he gives her extra homework as punishment. The first punishment is to write an essay on “Chatterbox”, which the author thinks as weird. She imagines about the topic and decides to present concrete arguments in support of talking. She writes that she will try to better herself but cannot eliminate talking completely. The professor finds it amusing but allots another topic after she did not change her nature. The topic is An incorrigible chatterbox which refers to a habit that is difficult to change. After keeping an eye on her, the professor gives her another topic, Quack, Quack, Quack, Said Mistress Chatterbox, as a punishment. She runs out of thought after writing two times on a similar topic. She decides to write her third topic in the form of a poem and writes a satire and luckily the professor takes it lightly. The professor recites the entire poem in front of the class and the author talked uninterruptedly after this.

 

Word Meaning

Moved to- gone to जाना | Gained- got पाना, मिलना | Trapped- entrapped जाल में फंसना  Extended- increased बढ़ना |Persecutions- trouble   सताना |Betrayed- Cheated  विश्वासघात करना |Transported  to- shifted to you send भेजना |Typhus- a disease with a red marks on the body एक बीमारी शरीर पर लाल चकत्ते पड़ जाते हैं | Survivor- live  जिंदा लोग | Convinced-  fully believed आश्वस्त होना | Unique-  special    विशिष्ट |Events-  incidents घटनाएं |Chronicles-  account विवरण |Eventually- in the end  अंत में |Opera-  dramatic performance with music संगीत |Insightful-  clear perception  निरीक्षण | Intimate- close समीप |Renowned-  famous प्रसिद्ध | Occupation-   tenure  काल, समय | victims  -troubled people दुखी आदमी | Promptly-  immediately शीघ्रता से | Scolding- reprimand  डांटना |Magnificent- decent  शानदार | Musings- thinking सोचना Depressed- troubled      दुखी | Listless- without energy शक्तिहीन | Brooding- thinking सोचना | a bite of- some, little   थोड़ी सी |  Probably-  possibly संभवत  |Prompted-  encouraged अग्रसर करना |Confide-  to talk privately  गुप्त रुप सेबातें करना |Unfortunately- unluckily  दुर्भाग्य से | liable to-  responsible जिम्मेदार |in hence- - increase बढ़ाना | jot down-  to collect and wright  इकट्ठा करना और लिखना | Plunge`-  jump  छलांग मारना सम्मानित हां |Adorable-  honoured  सम्मानित | Emigrated-  to go and live in another country   परदेस गमन | Plunked down-  put down in a casual way       साधारण रूप से मिटा देना |in tears-  weeping आंसू बहाना | Heart breaking  farewell- heart rending farewellहृदय विदारक अलविदा | intended to- desire to इच्छा करना | Solemn- serious गंभीर |  Dedication-surrendering समर्पण करना | quaking in its boots -  shaking with fear   डर से कांप ना | Silly-  madly,foolishly  बेवकूफी से | Form-  class कक्षा श्रेणी  Pleading-  Discussion बहस |Outburst- angry, breasting  गुस्सा होना |Dummies-  block headed मूर्ख | Unpredictable- which can't be predicted  जिस की भविष्यवाणियां की जा सके  Creatures-  people  प्राणी | to lose  hurt heart-    to be in  trouble  धीरज खोना | old  fogey- an Old fashioned man  प्राचीन फैशन वाला |Annoyed- to became angry  गुस्सा करना | Assigned-  gave  देना | Quite-   calm शांत |Tucked-  placed रखी |Chewing- eat with teeth दातों से चबाना | Tip-  corner कोना | ramble on- talk aimlessly for long   देर तक व्यर्थ में लिखना |Convincing- in manner that can be believed  ढंग से पेश करना कि विश्वास हो | Trait- quality     गुण  inherited - that one gets from one's parents  वंश अनागत रूप से |Proceeded - Moved on आगे बढ़ना | Incorrigible-      that can't corrected जो ठीक ना हो सके |Quake- to boast ghost  शेखी मारना | Roared-  cried  चिल्लाई |Exhausted- finished  समाप्त होना| Ingenuity- skill, intelligence  बुद्धि और चतुराई | Ridiculous-  difficult कठिन  Ducklings-  children of a duck  बतख का बच्चा |beaten to death- scolded  डांटना | Comments-  remarks  टिप्पणी |

 

Comprehension Check

1. What makes writing in a diary a strange experience for Anne Frank?

Ans: It is a strange experience for her because of two reasons. First ,she had never written anything like this before and secondly she thought that apparently nobody would be interested in musings of a thirteen year old girl.

 

2. Why does Anne want to keep a diary?

Ans: Anne wants to keep a diary as she doesn't have friends.She needs some channel through which she can get rid off all the burden and pain she is suffering from. Hence, she wants to keep a diary. Anne Frank is searching for a friend in the form of her diary.

 

3. Why did Anne think she could confide more in her diary than in people?

Ans: The friends she had were there to have more fun and good times rather than the ones whom she could confide in. She also believed that a paper has more patience than people, so she decided to write and confide in a diary.

 

1. Why does Anne provide a brief sketch of her life?

Ans:A good introduction gives a brief explanation about what a reader is going to read.So,Anne provides a brief sketch of her life since no one would understand a word of her musings if she were to jump right in.

 

2. What tells you that Anne loved her grandmother?

Ans: Her statement, that no one could understand her intensity of love for her grandma tells that she loved her grandmother. Moreover, the touching gesture of lighting up one candle for grandmother during Anne’s birthday is also a poignant reminder of her love for grandma. Oral

 

Comprehension Check

1. Why was Mr Keesing annoyed with Anne? What did he ask her to do?

Ans: Mr. Keesing was annoyed with Anne because she was very talkative and this distracted everybody in the class. He assigned her extra homework, asking her to write an essay on the subject, ‘A Chatterbox’.

 

2. How did Anne justify her being a chatterbox in her essay?

Ans: She gave two arguments to justify her being a 'Chatterbox' in the essay, one that chatting is student's hobby and other reason that nothing can be done about the inherited traits .She carried these genes from her mother as she was also very talkative.

 

3. Do you think Mr Keesing was a strict teacher?

Ans: Mr. Keesing may or may not be a strict teacher. But he expected discipline and silence in his class while he was teaching, which is acceptable.He punished Anne by asking her to write an essay on ‘A Chatterbox’. When Anne wrote a convincing essay on it, he received it with a good laugh. However, when Anne continued with her talking, he punished her again by asking her to write another essay; this time the topic was ‘An Incorrigible Chatterbox’. Even after this when she kept talking, he asked her to write on the topic ‘Quack Quack Quack, said Mistress Chatterbox”. He was trying to control a supposedly bad habit of Anne. However, she came up with a brilliant poem, and he read this poem in the class, acknowledging its content. Therefore, in regard of these events, Mr. Keesing cannot be entirely labeled as a strict teacher. He was fun-loving too.

 

 

4. What made Mr Keesing allow Anne to talk in class?

Ans: Anne was able to justify her talkative nature every time she was punished by Mr. Keesing. On three occasions, as punishment, he gave her topics to write essays on. However, on each occasion he was impressed by the manner in which she presented her arguments. This helped Mr. Keesing to see the lighter side of a natural bubbly behavior of a teenager. Finally, Mr. Keesing accepted the fact that Anne would always be that way. Hence, she was allowed to talk in class.This also helped bridge the gap between the teacher and the student.

 

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?

Ans: No, Anne was not right when she said that the world would not be interested in the musings of a thirteen-year-old girl.As most of the people do not want to see the world from a child’s perspective because children are too immature for them. People seldom believe that a child can also have beautiful insights about the trials and tribulations of human life.But Anne became one of the most talked about author with her dairy"The Diary of a Young Girl".

 

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?

Ans: Anne’s diary was originally written in Dutch. Her diary was 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, it had informal tone which portrayed the exuberance and carefree nature of a teenager.

 

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

Ans: Anne Frank claims that paper has more patience than people. She usually sits depressed and all alone .She claims of having no real friend .This lends the reader the perception that there isn’t any body to take care of Anne Frank. To clear the clouds of doubt and let her readers understand her well, Anne Frank gives the sketch of her adorable father, compassionate mother, kind grandmother, and loving sister. 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?

Ans: Anne had fond memories of all the people in her life. 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 Math teacher. He was always 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 smart Anne was. Everybody was attached to her, and even Mr Keesing could not help but laugh at her essays and acknowledge her smart mind.

 

5. What does Anne write in her first essay?

Ans: In her first essay, titled ‘A Chatterbox’, Anne wanted to come up with convincing arguments to prove the necessity of talking. She began thinking about the subject. 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 very frankly accepted that she would never be able to get rid of this habit since she carried it in her genes as 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?

Ans: Anne felt that a quarter of her class was dumb, and should be kept back and not 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, when she wrote an entire essay in verse 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. (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. (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. (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. (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 taking.

Ans: (i) These lines show that Anne had no true friend whom she could confide in. She even put the blame on herself that the fault might be hers. (ii) This line shows that Anne really considered her diary as a friend whom she could trust and narrate all her stories to. She did not want just a diary in which she could write down the facts like others did. She considered it as her friend and named her Kitty. (iii) This statement shows that Anne was a fun-loving person. She was witty and knew how to present things in a funny way. She narrated this incident with a lot of fun. The use of ‘plunked down’ shows her sense of humor. (iv) This statement shows that she had an opinion on everything. She thought that a quarter of her class was full of dummies, signifying that she herself was intelligent enough to make it to the next class. She thought of teachers as the most unpredictable creatures on earth because nobody could say which students would fail and which students would be passed on to the next class. (v) This statement shows that Anne knew a lot about writing. She was given the task of writing an essay as a punishment. She took it with full vigor. She did not want to write it like others who merely left big spaces between the words to make the essay look voluminous. She knew that the trick was to come up with a convincing argument to prove the necessity of talking. She was different in her approach from everybody else.

Message

The diary ends suddenly on 1 August 1944. There are many important messages in this book, but the most important message is that all people have the right to live in freedom. Anne's story shows us that just because people may be a different religion or race, doesn't mean that they should be treated differently.

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