Why Anne Frank inspires me

Anne Frank was a Jewish girl living in Germany. Her family emigrated to Amsterdam, Holland in 1933 when Nazis controlled over Germany. Holland was also occupied by Nazis in 1940 leading to many anti-Jewish regulations. Her family went into hiding when her sister was called up for deportation.

Anne had received a diary on her 13th birthday. She christened it as Kitty and found it to be her best companion. She recorded her daily life, feelings, life in the “Secret Annexe”, her thoughts about the war, etc. She wrote her diary from June 12, 1942, to August 1, 1944. She wished to publish her diary after the second world war. But she could not survive till then. Her father Otto Frank was the only survivor of her family, and he decided to publish her diary. It was first published in Dutch in 1947 and later on in English in 1952.

Anne Frank’s diary got published with the name “The Diary of a Young Girl.” It is one of the most-read books worldwide. And it is one of the most read books by me as well. I have read it for like four times and read again some parts while writing this blog.

I was in grade 8th or 9th, when there was a chapter in my English literature book. It had a certain part from “The Diary of a Young Girl.” After reading that particular chapter, I wanted to read the complete diary. After 2 or 3 years, I read this book. I completed it in one sitting. I again wanted to devour it slowly, so I read it again. It is one of my most favourite books and I recommend everyone to read this once in their life.

This quote by her is my most favourite:

Paper is more patient than man.

Anne Frank is so inspirational for me. She was just a teenage girl who had to live in extraordinary conditions, still she did not lose hope and left us with this masterpiece of hers. I too was a teenager then and this book has made a strong impact on me. Every time I read her book; I found myself to be evolved a bit. I wish if she would have survived, then we would have been so fortunate to read more of her works.

In this blog post, I am talking about some of the reasons why Anne Frank is so inspiring for me and other teenagers as well.

Anne was just an ordinary teenager. She had dreams and aspirations like people of her age. She wanted to hang out with her friends, spend time in nature, but she was not that much fortunate. She had to live a secret life with her family and some other people. Despite that, she never complained about her miseries. Instead, she made a gradual improvement in her character. If you read her diary, you will find she was completely transformed from the beginning to end in a positive way.

In spite of everything I still believe that people are really good at heart.

Teenage represents a very crucial time of one’s life. The hormonal changes and other changes make one feel a little different. Anne was also experiencing similar issues. But the one thing that makes her more inspiring is that she was vocal about her feelings. She wrote about everything in her diary. Her conflicts with her parents and sister and her feelings for Peter have been properly comprehended in the diary. She understood herself. She knew who she was and who she was not. She did not formulate any fake version of herself in her mind. She accepted her mistakes wherever required. It shows how mature she was.

Although I’m only fourteen, I know quite well what I want, I know who is right and who is wrong. I have my opinions, my own ideas and principles, and although it may sound pretty mad from an adolescent, I feel more of a person than a child, I feel quite independent of anyone.

Anne was also vocal about rights of women. She talked about the prejudices and inequalities that women face. She raised questions about why women were considered inferior to men. She wanted to know the concrete reason behind it. She wanted respect and equal rights for women.

She had some aspirations in her life. She did not want to lead her life being just a housewife. She wanted to become a writer. She wanted to create an unique identity of herself.

Women should be respected as well! Generally speaking, men are held in great esteem in all parts of the world, so why shouldn’t women have their share? Soldiers and war heroes are honored and commemorated, explorers are granted immortal fame, martyrs are revered, but how many people look upon women too as soldiers?…Women, who struggle and suffer pain to ensure the continuation of the human race, make much tougher and more courageous soldiers than all those big-mouthed freedom-fighting heroes put together!

Anne expressed critical points about war. She emphasized everyone’s contribution to war. She believed that not the people who have power are only responsible for war, but even a common man adds fuel to the fire. This part has made her more inspiring for me. When I was a teenager, I was not having any idea about war. But Anne compelled me to ponder over it.

There’s a destructive urge in people, the urge to rage, murder and kill. And until all of humanity, without exception, undergoes a metamorphosis, wars will continue to be waged, and everything that has been carefully built up, cultivated and grown will be cut down and destroyed, only to start all over again!

Anne had her opinion on everything, and she was not afraid to showcase it. She believed young people must have their own opinion about everything. She advised not to be afraid because of the people who want you to shut your mouth.

These days when you look around, you will find lots of people trying to force their opinions upon you. Some of us succumb to the pressure, but at that point I recall Anne’s words. That is the reason I never get influenced by anyone. I formulate opinions on anything as per my understanding and looking at the actual facts.

We aren’t allowed to have any opinions. People can tell you to keep your mouth shut, but it doesn’t stop you having your own opinion. Even if people are still very young, they shouldn’t be prevented from saying what they think.

When I had read about the “Secret Annexe” in Anne Frank’s diary, I always imagined about how it felt to be live a secret life when you cannot even see the outside world. Right now, when I am in quarantine and locked in my own home for more than 15 days, I am relating little bit with Anne. Although it was more difficult for her because she was hiding from Nazis and here I am hiding from an invisible virus. There are days when I feel extremely anxious. Every morning after waking up I wish it to be a nightmare. But in these moments of negative thoughts, Anne encourages me to become brave and be positive about it. She inspires me to possess courage and think of all the beauty still left.

Where there’s hope, there’s life. It fills us with fresh courage and makes us strong again.

At last, I will say that Anne inspires me to read a lot. She was a voracious reader. In her diary entries, she has made several references from the books that she has read. She even tried to read as much she can while living in “Secret Annexe.”

If I read a book that impresses me, I have to take myself firmly in hand before I mix with other people; otherwise they would think my mind rather queer.

I can go on and on while talking about Anne Frank, but I would stop here. Have you read this book? What are your views about it? Share it in comments.

Here is a stack of different editions of this book which I found in Delhi Book Fair, 2019.