Graham's Connections

When my cousin was about four years old and just learning how to write, her mom encouraged her to keep a journal. My aunt was a Literature teacher before her kids were born and she thought this was a very productive way to teach kids to learn how to spell, write and read. The journal had stuck with my cousin and she continues to keep one even now. I have countless memories of her reading me passages and passages of it. These stories varied from five year old-thoughts of swimming at the pool during Summer to pre-teen problems with friends and school. While it never really occured to me to keep one, growing up with her, I could definitely see how writing in a journal or diary helps people with their problems and certain aspects of life. As Anne goes through the hardest life of any teenage girl her age, continually writing in a diary keeps her grounded and from becoming too caught up in the horror going on around her.

Anne is a teenager. Growing up in a family in the 21st century even with our ipods, tvs, and cell phones seems extremely difficult, especially after you factor in school and homework. While I could say that we all relate to Anne and her family troubles, of course no one could possibly understand how stessful family life is when just outside your house are life threatening dangers galore. She is constantly arguing with her family and dealing with their harsh comments about her actions and statements, and i think that is something we all go through while growing up. She still remains true to who she is, a quick thinking girl with a good head on her shoulders and that is definitely something that will help her later in life.

The movie Australia showed a continent that generally doesnt get much publicity pertaining to world wide affairs. In Australia during WWII, another race was being discriminated against. Children of mixed races (usually half European and half Aborigine) were sought out and taken from their homes. These Creamies (as they were derogatively referred to), much like the Jews, were extremely overpowered and didnt stand a chance. Commonly their fathers, the only people who had a relevant say in the matter, were the ones who worked to get these children to Europe and away from their homes for a false chance at a "well brought up life and good education." The difference between these two cases is that while one tragedy ends in the enslavement of a race, the other is the horrific genocide of the Jewish religion.