Strange as it may seem, I feel I have to make the connection between Anne Frank and many girls my age (and her age) that I know today. Specific examples are how Anne complains about her grammar, history, and math work, and how she and her sister's relationship fluctuates. I doubt there are many kids that age who don't complain as she does, and I know for sure that I can fight with my sibling sometimes and be his best friend at other times.
Another way she seems like other girls I know is how she seems to plan out her future a little bit. "Cissy van Marxveldt is a terrific writer. I'm definitely going to let my own children read her books too," Anne writes, apparently not taking into consideration the possibility of dying in a German concentration camp. Other times that she reminds me of some modern teenage girls are when she falls out with her mother or when she makes remarks about her appearance. She writes in her diary about her weight at one point, and also about asking her sister whether or not she was pretty.
Ali,
ReplyDeleteI don't think that's an odd connection at all. In fact, I think that your observation is one of the reasons the diary is so compelling. Anne's voice could be 'any girl's.' It's almost universal. While the details may be different, she could be a young Roman teen in the 500s, an Irish maiden in the 1200s or an American adolescent in the 21st century.