75
Selectio n Rev iew # 1
A n n e Fran k: T h e Di ar y of a Young Gir l
14 June, 1942 to 7 November, 1942 (pages 1 - 46)
1. Make a list of things you know about Anne Frank. Then compare your list with that of a
classmate. Anne is a talkative, intelligent, secure thirteen-year-old who enjoys a happy, busy
life. She enjoys school and has many friendships with both boys and girls. Anne, who is Jewish,
enjoys a comfortable middle-class lifestyle with her two parents and her older sister Margot in
Holland, where they fled to escape Hitler's persecution of the Jews in Germany.
2. What must Jews in Holland do and avoid doing after the Germans occupy that country?
Jews must wear the yellow six-pointed star at all times. They must shop only at Jewish stores
and during certain hours; they must observe a curfew; they cannot attend non-Jewish schools;
they cannot drive or ride the trams. They must turn in their bicycles, and they cannot visit cinemas or use public recreational facilities such as tennis courts and swimming pools.
3. Where do the Franks hide, and who helps them? Several of the Franks' Christian co-workers,
such as Miep and Henk Van Santen, Mr. Koophuis, Mr. Kraler, and Elli Vossen, help the Franks
set up a tiny apartment on the top two floors of the building where Mr. Frank works.
4. These diary entries trace the early days the Frank and Van Daan families live in the annex.
Compare Anne's hopes to the reality. What factors contribute to the strained relationships?
Anne and the Franks looked forward to the arrival of the Van Daans, believing they would enjoy
each other's company. They enjoy a brief honeymoon period, but the stress of living together
in a small area and the lack of outside relationships cause tension for the two families. The
constant fear of being discovered has also put a tremendous strain on their relationship.
Soon, they all find fault with one another and quarrel easily.
5. How does Anne feel about her mother during this period? Anne is critical and distant toward
her mother and writes that her mother does not fit her image of what a perfect wife and
mother should be. On the one hand, Anne resents her mother's suggestions or guidance, and
on the other hand, she criticizes her mother for not loving her or guiding her as she needs. For
example, when her mother gives her a prayer book and urges her to use it, Anne feels her
mother is trying to force her to be religious against her will.
continued...
76
6. What is happening in Holland? The Gestapo is taking Dutch Jews away to concentration
camps in cattle trucks. There are some episodes of resistance (sabotage) against the occupying German army, which are punished by executions of prominent innocent Dutch
civilians by the Gestapo. Dutch young men are being sent to Germany, probably to either
work as slave laborers or serve in the German army.
7. Why is Anne's diary so important to her at this time? Anne is completely cut off from her
friends and the outside world. She has no girlfriends to confide in, no distractions or
amusements, no outlets for her energy and emotions except her writing. She feels that
only her diary is patient with her and can offer the comfort she needs.
77
Selectio n Rev iew # 2
A n n e Fran k: T h e Di ar y of a Young Gir l
9 November, 1942 to 1 May, 1943 (pages 46 - 93)
1. Anne's world has shrunk dramatically. She no longer has her friends, school, or other outside contacts. What effect does this have on her? Anne is depressed at times and feels an
emptiness that cannot be helped. She is becoming overly introspective and thinks about herself constantly. She, like the other members of the annexe, is becoming overly critical.
2. How does Anne feel about the suffering of her fellow Jews? What does she do to help
during this time of crisis? Anne feels miserable when she thinks of the suffering her fellow
Jews are enduring. She also feels guilty because she has enough food to eat, a warm bed,
and has thus far been saved from the concentration camps. To help save one more person
from being sent to the camps, she gladly agrees to share her little room with the new person,
Dr. Dussel.
3. Tell about three new restrictions passed by the Germans in occupied Holland. The Germans have ordered all residents to turn in their radios to prevent them from listening to foreign broadcasts. They have also declared 500- and 1000-guilder notes invalid, making it
harder for Jews in hiding to give co-conspirators large bills to buy supplies. Finally, Hitler has
ordered all Jews out of all the occupied territories by July 1st.
4. How do the residents of the annexe find meaningful work to pass the time? Give examples.
Why is this important to them? The residents (especially Margot and Mr. Frank) help Elli,
Miep, and Koophuis and Kraler with office work. At one point, Mr. Frank is so desperate to
hear the details of a business meeting that he lies with his ear on the floor for several hours.
The young people continue with their schoolwork, and the adults practice reading and
speaking foreign languages. Dussel tries to practice dentistry on the other residents of the
annexe and does some sort of office work on the little table. Mr. Van Daan, who used to be
in the sausage business, makes sausage. Helping with the office work or keeping up with
their professions not only helps the residents pass the time -- the only thing they have plenty
of -- but restores a sense of usefulness, dignity, and self-worth.
78
Selecti on Rev i ew #3
A n n e Fr a nk: T h e Di ar y of a You ng Gir l
29 July, 1943 to 3 February, 1944 (pages 93 - 150)
1. Anne is increasingly using figurative language to describe how she feels. How does she
describe her life? Anne describes herself as “a songbird whose wings have been clipped
and who is hurling himself in utter darkness against the bars of his cage.” She feels she is
“alone in a dungeon” and dreams the secret annexe is on fire and that she and the others
are being taken away at night. She describes the annexe as “a little piece of blue heaven”
surrounded by heavy clouds that circle tighter and tighter.
2. What episodes reveal that Miep and Elli are feeling the strain of hiding eight Jews? Anne
writes that Elli suffered a “fit of nerves,” brought on by the many stresses in her life. Miep
loses her temper and endangers her life, and quite possibly the lives of the secret annexers,
by cursing at a German car that runs into her on the road.
3. Who is treated favorably in Anne's character sketches? Which individuals come under
heavy criticism? Mr. Frank and Elli and Miep are treated most favorably in Anne's character
sketches. Mr. Van Daan, Dussel, and Mrs. Van Daan are criticized for their many flaws.
4. Which members of the annexe does Anne begin to see in a more favorable light? What
factors contribute to this? Anne begins to see her mother and Mr. and Mrs. Van Daan in a
more favorable light. She realizes that she bears part of the responsibility for the tensions in
these relationships. Her year and a half in the annexe, her careful examination of all her
feelings, and her growth toward maturity help her to see things in a more balanced and realistic perspective. She is also influenced in her good feeling toward the Van Daans by her
crush on Peter.
5. Who does Anne see in her dream? How does she feel? What does this reveal about
Anne? Anne sees her old friend Lies in a dream. She feels guilty and sorrowful that she is
warm and protected while her friends are suffering and in great danger. She regrets that
she allowed her friendship with Lies to fade away. Anne is a sensitive and loyal friend, and
her concern about the welfare of her fellow Jews is never far from her thoughts.
79
Sele ctio n Rev iew # 4
A nn e Fran k: T h e Di ar y of a Young Gir l
12 February, 1944 to 11 April, 1944 (pages 151-208)
1. Is Anne really in love with Peter, or more in love with the “idea” of Peter? Explain. Anne
has turned a blind eye to Peter's faults and sees only his good points. She thinks of him constantly, schemes to find ways to be with him, and lets this relationship control her moods. She
admits that the two Peters – Peter Van Daan and Peter Wessel – have merged into one boy
who is all good. She does not see Peter as an equal in some ways and often says she wants to
“help” him. She claims that the two of them are “just alike,” wanting to gloss over their differences.
2. How has the relationship with Peter affected Anne's views of life in the annexe? Anne's
relationship with Peter has caused her to have a much more optimistic view of life in the annexe.
She says that while the residents have lost much since coming to the annexe, they have “inward
compensation” in their relationships with each other. This is a surprising comment, considering
all the tension she has described between the residents.
3. How has Anne changed since her pre-annexe days? Anne realizes that she was superficial,
flirtatious, and a little spoiled before coming to the annexe. She was popular and enjoyed the
attention she received from both boys and girls. She feels she has outgrown that carefree life,
and if she were to go back to it, she would be quickly bored and dissatisfied. She now wants
her relationships to take place on a deeper level.
4. How do the other residents of the annexe feel about the relationship between Anne and
Peter? Most of the adults comment on the budding romance between Anne and Peter, making
remarks that Anne finds “feeble.” The two mothers seem to be jealous of the relationship,
and Anne's parents caution her against spending too much time with Peter. Anne fears that
Margot might be jealous and want Peter for herself, but Margot assures her that this is not the
case. She only wishes she also had someone to talk to.
5. What hopes for her future does Anne express? Are these realistic goals for her? What is
ironic about them? Anne writes that she wants to have a career, unlike her mother and Mrs.
Van Daan, and wants to be a journalist after the war is over. She also dreams of great success
and longs to serve mankind in such a way that she would go on living after her death. Anne
certainly possessed the drive, talent, and intelligence to be a successful journalist. It is ironic
that it is Anne's diary of her life in the annexe and her early death that bring her fame. Anne's
diary of life in the annexe brought her more fame than she probably would have achieved had
she lived.
continued...
80
6. What happens in the warehouse? Why are the residents so concerned? What do they
do to avoid being detected? When Peter hears banging downstairs, the men check and
find burglars breaking a hole in the warehouse door. They scare the burglars away, but
some people outside shine a light through the hole into the warehouse. The men fear they
have been detected and make the room look as if it has been burglarized. They hope that
if anyone saw men in the warehouse, the police will think it was the burglars.
7. According to Anne, how has suffering affected the Jews? What purpose does this suffering serve? Anne believes the Jews will be held up as an example of how to endure suffering. She believes their religion can instruct others in how to be good. She believes that
because of their suffering and strength, the Jews will remain a distinct people, no matter
what country they live in. Anne believes that God protected her and her family during the
burglary, and that while He has allowed the Jews to suffer terrible persecution, He will one
day raise them up again. She believes He has never deserted her people.
81
Sele ctio n Rev iew # 5
A nn e Fran k: T h e Di ar y of a Young Gir l
14 April, 1944 to 6 May, 1944 (pages 208- 256)
1. What letter does Anne write to her father, and how does he respond? Anne writes a letter to
her father that says that she is completely independent from her family and doesn't have to
give an account to anyone but herself. She accuses her parents of deliberately ignoring her
when she was in distress. Her father is very hurt but responds very lovingly. He helps Anne to
see that she is wrong and to put her relationship with her parents in a proper perspective.
2. What does Mr. Frank think of Peter? What does Anne tell Peter that her father thinks? Mr.
Frank is concerned about the amount of time Anne and Peter are together. He thinks that
Peter's character is unformed and that he can be influenced for either good or bad. When
Anne tells Peter about her conversation with her father, she omits the parts that are unflattering to Peter and says only that her father is concerned that they might clash because they
spend so much time together.
3. What concerns does Anne express about Peter and her relationship with him? Anne is beginning to see more of Peter's faults now that she has “conquered” him and won his affection.
She wants him to take more initiative and move the relationship to a deeper emotional and intellectual level. She realizes that Peter's moral character is weak and that, as her father has
said, he is easily influenced for evil or good. His attraction to easy money and his jokes of becoming a criminal or gambler after the war frighten her.
4. Why is Anne depressed during this period? Anne's spirits are low because she is disappointed in Peter and saddened by the imprisonment of the vegetable man. She also fears the
revival of anti-Semitism. She complains of the heat, the delay in the Allied invasion, plumbing
problems, and bad food.
5. What happens on June 6, and how does this affect Anne? June 6, 1944, is D-Day, the day
the Allies invaded occupied Europe. Anne and the others are relieved that this day has finally
come and are optimistic that the war may be over by the end of the year. She expresses a
hope of returning to school in the fall.
6. Why is Anne concerned that Peter has no religion? What does she see as the benefits of
religious belief? Anne realizes that Peter lacks strong inner convictions and is morally weak.
She believes that religion keeps people on the right track, leads to self-improvement, creates
noble character, and gives people hope. She sees that Peter is emotionally and spiritually
“poor” because of his lack of religious beliefs.
82
Selecti o n Rev iew # 6
A n n e Fr a nk: T h e Di ar y of a You ng Gir l
8 July, 1944 to 1 August, 1944 & Afterword (pages 256 - 283)
1. How does Anne feel about her father at this time? Anne is pulling away from her father and
is more critical of him than she has been in the past. She resents his fatherly advice and wants
him to “feel with her” as a friend or peer. She feels he treats her like a child and absolutely
hates it when he tries to reassure her that she is passing through a normal adolescent stage.
She feels he has not been supportive enough, even though she recognizes that he has always
been good to her. Because she feels more mature and wants to be more indepen dent, Anne
finds her father's care and advice highly annoying.
2. What insights does Anne have about her relationship with Peter? Anne realizes not only
that she has “conquered” Peter and deliberately drawn him to herself, but that she has created
an unrealistic image of him in her mind. She sees that her need for a friend and confidant
was so strong that she glossed over his faults and let the relationship become more intimate
than she believes was proper. She now feels he is clinging to her, and she wants him to stand
on his own two feet.
3. Why does Anne write that she is a “little bundle of contradictions”? Anne writes about her
sense that she is really “two Annes,” one of whom is light-hearted, fun-loving, and cheerful,
while the other is “deeper, better, purer.” She says her better side never shows itself in front of
others, while the light-hearted Anne is all the rest of the world sees. When the “better” side of
her takes the stage, she is more serious and quiet. Her family is so unaccustomed to this side
of Anne that they think she is either moody or ill.
4. How was Hitler able to become so powerful in Germany? What was Hitler's “final solution”?
Hitler was shrewd and ambitious and was a skillful public speaker. Germany was politically
unstable and economically depressed after World War I, and its post-war government, the
Weimar Republic, was weak. Hitler promised to create a new world order based on the superiority of the Aryan race. When he came to power, he crushed all opposition and took control of
all forms of communication. Hitler despised the Jews and blamed them for all of Germany's
economic problems. He wanted to exterminate Jews, not only from Germany, but from all of
Europe as well. He gradually isolated the Jews from their countrymen and took away their civil
rights. He established an efficient killing machine – a system of labor and death camps – that
killed six million Jews.
continued...
83
5. What happened to the residents of the annexe? The residents of the annexe were arrested and sent to camps at Auschwitz and Belsen. Margot and Anne died of typhus, Peter
was probably executed, and all the adults except for Mr. Frank died in the camps. The Russians finally liberated Mr. Frank from the camp, and he eventually returned to Amsterdam.
84
Name:
L itera tu r e Te st # 1
A n n e Fr a nk: T h e Di ar y of a You ng Gir l
14 June, 1942 to 7 November, 1942 (pages 1 - 46)
1. Describe Anne Frank.
2. How did the German occupation of Holland change Anne's life even before her family went
into hiding?
continued...
85
3. What must the residents of the annexe do to keep from being discovered?
4. What were Anne's hopes for living together with the Van Daan family? What actually happens? What factors contribute to these strained relationships?
86
Name:
L itera tu r e Te st # 2
A n n e Fr a nk: T h e Di ar y of a You ng Gir l
9 November, 1942 to 1 May, 1943 (pages 46 - 93)
1. Anne no longer has her friends, school, or other outside contacts. How does this affect her
state of mind?
2. How does Anne feel when she hears of the terrible fate of so many of her friends? What
does she do to help her fellow Jews?
continued...
87
3. List three new rules the Germans put in place in Holland.
4. What nightly events frighten the residents? Why is their situation especially dangerous?
5. How do the annexe residents pass the time? Give examples. Why is this important to them?
Why does this cause friction between Anne and Dussel?
88
Name:
L itera tu r e Tes t # 3
A n n e Fr a nk: T h e Di ar y of a You ng Gir l
29 July, 1943 to 3 February, 1944 (pages 93 - 150)
1. Tell about one of the metaphors that Anne uses to describe her life.
2. What events show the stress that Miep and Elli are feeling as a result of hiding the eight
Jews in the secret annexe?
continued...
89
3. How does Anne's opinion of the Van Daans change? What causes her to change her mind?
4. What friend does Anne see in her dream? How does the dream make her feel?
90
Name:
L itera tu r e Tes t # 4
A n n e Fr a nk: T h e Di ar y of a You ng Gir l
12 February, 1944 to 11 April, 1944 (pages 151-208)
1. What tells us that Anne has a crush on Peter? List at least three clues. How might this contrast with a more mature love?
2. How is Anne different from the way she was before going into hiding?
continued...
91
3. What future goals does Anne express? Are they realistic? In what ways are they ironic?
4. Describe the warehouse burglary. What do the residents do to keep from being detected?
92
Name:
Literatu r e Te st # 5
A nn e Fr a nk: T h e Di ar y of a You ng Gir l
14 April, 1944 to 6 May, 1944 (pages 208- 256)
1. Describe Anne's letter to her father. How does he respond?
2. What is Mr. Frank's opinion of Peter? What does Anne tell Peter is her father's opinion of him?
continued...
93
3. Why is Anne disappointed in Peter? What weaknesses does she see in him?
4. Why is June 6, 1944, significant?
5. According to Anne, what are the benefits of religious belief?
94
Name:
Litera tu r e Tes t # 6
A n n e Fr a nk: T h e Di ar y of a You ng Gir l
8 July, 1944 to 1 August, 1944 & Afterword (pages 256 - 283)
1. How does Anne feel about her father at this time?
2. What insights does Anne have about her relationship with Peter?
continued...
95
3. List some of the events that led to Hitler's rise to power in Germany.
4. Why do you think Anne believes that “In spite of everything, people are really good at heart”?
96
Name:
Vocabu la r y Tes t # 1
A nn e Fr a nk: T h e Di ar y of a You ng Gir l
14 June, 1942 to 7 November, 1942
WRITE SENTENCES FOR THE FOLLOWING WORDS:
absurd
emigrated
lenient
allotted
melancholy
trivial
ardent
ingenious
vague
involuntary
97
Name:
Vocabu la r y Tes t # 2
A n n e Fr an k: T h e Di ar y of a Young Gir l
9 November, 1942 to 1 May, 1943
WRITE SENTENCES FOR THE FOLLOWING WORDS:
attributed
inquisitive
tactless
congenial
superficial
valid
dejected
clandestine
veteran
indignant
98
Name:
Vocabu la r y Tes t # 3
A nn e Fr a nk: T h e Di ar y of a You ng Gir l
29 July, 1943 to 3 February, 1944
WRITE SENTENCES FOR THE FOLLOWING WORDS:
incessantly
perturbed
immovable
irrevocable
brusquely
propaganda
proficient
disheartened
stagnant
humane
99
Name:
Vocabu la r y Tes t # 4
A n n e Fr an k: T h e Di ar y of a Young Gir l
12 February, 1944 to 11 April, 1944
WRITE SENTENCES FOR THE FOLLOWING WORDS:
ample
intuition
indescribable
boisterous
tedious
indifference
compensation
audible
precarious
commotion
100
Name:
Vocabu la r y Tes t # 5
A nn e Fr a nk: T h e Di ar y of a You ng Gir l
14 April, 1944 to 6 May, 1944
WRITE SENTENCES FOR THE FOLLOWING WORDS:
capitalists
livid
insurmountable
coherent
surpluses
laborious
inaccessible
explicitly
vain
incalculable
101
Name:
Vocabu l a r y Te st # 6
A nn e Fr an k: T h e Di ar y of a Young Gir l
8 July, 1944 to 1 August, 1944 & Afterword
WRITE SENTENCES FOR THE FOLLOWING WORDS:
culprit
exuberant
impeccable
acquiesced
shrewd