The Blog of Anne Frank

 

. . . everything can be taken from a man except one thing: the last of the human freedoms–to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.

— Viktor E. Frankl, Man’s Search for Meaning

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

— Anne Frank

On this date — September 2 — in 1944, Anne Frank was among 1,019 people on the 68th and last train from Holland to Auschwitz. Anne and others hiding with her had been betrayed and captured a month before and held in the Westerbork detention center.

Gravestone for Margot and Anne Frank at Bergen-Belsen site

The Frank family had gone into hiding two years earlier, in July 1942, after Anne’s sister, Margot, received a call-up notice to report for deportation to a labor camp.

Anne was at Auschwitz for two months, then at Bergen-Belsen, where she and Margot died four months later of typhus, just a few weeks before the camp was liberated.

Anne’s father, Otto, was liberated from Auschwitz by the Russian Army on January 27, 1945. His wife, Edith, had died the previous day.

Otto Frank was taken first to Odessa and then to France before being allowed to return to Amsterdam. He did not learn the whereabouts of his daughters until October 24, when he received a letter informing him they had died at Bergen-Belsen.

This unfortunately was not an unusual family trajectory for European Jews in the 1940s. Anne Frank is remembered from among millions of others because she maintained a blog — I mean diary — so that her experiences, what she did, the thoughts she had, and everything she suffered was not lost.

I suppose the same holds true for everyone, with or without a diary — nothing is lost, nothing can be undone . . . and it may be possible for a life that appears to be quite pointless at the time to attain a meaning, a purpose, even through suffering, failure and death . . .

  470 comments for “The Blog of Anne Frank

  1. lydia
    21 Feb 2008 at 6:01 pm

    i love the holocaust it is so interesting reading the diary of Anne FRank helped me learn more about the holocaust.

  2. Jordan Mulholland
    24 Feb 2008 at 11:19 am

    Hello My name is Jordan Mulholland
    I am doing a report on Anne Frank and i was just wondering if you could send me some information on Anne Frank if you would my e-mail address is soccergurl95@gmail.com

    Thank You,
    Jordan Mulholland

  3. Elizangela
    24 Feb 2008 at 2:49 pm

    I feel so sorry for Anne and her sister because they were so young. They did not do anything rong to diserve such horor and missory. I expecualy feel bad for Peter beacause he died 3 days before all the jewish people were free. Now since I found out about Anne Frank I will look up to them forever.

    Thank You,
    Elizanela De Carvalho

  4. Melissa
    26 Feb 2008 at 6:07 pm

    I have read The Diary of Anne Frank many many times in my 30 years of existance, and I must say that I don’t think anyone could’ve imagined that someone could turn a diary into a book, into movies and plays, and it become as popular is this has. Anne was a very courageous young woman who died so young and tragically over something a tyrant believed he could force everyone into. Perhaps he did not realize the origins of the Jewish faith.

    I hold Anne in a special place. She is an inspiration to millions around the world, and can be seen as a survivor. True, she did not survive the Holocaust, but in a way she did…though her diary. Her star definately shines bright in my eyes!

  5. rachel
    5 Mar 2008 at 2:20 am

    anne frank’s story is really disturbing… maybe for adults it s ok but forcing teenagers or “tweens” to read this book is very inappropriate. The book shows Anne touching herself…. and stuff.. These people end up getting traumatized after reading this book.

    Also Anne frank shows so much disrespect towards her mother. Maybe its the war and all and stuff but it is really really disappointing everytime you read that scene. Anne should have thought of her mother’s feelings when she did that.

    Children. instead of admiring anne’s life ,end up criticizing her and doodling on her face. Anne frank may be a hero in some way but still, i think she portrays a bad influence among the tweens….

    ** truly sad ending. anne frank didnt deserve that sort of pain **

  6. katie
    5 Mar 2008 at 12:02 pm

    anne frank is a person that people should look up to. (yep thats right rob and raul) the diary is so inspiring. i read her book and even read memories of anne frank that was by hannah. the books are really sad but at the same time interesting. annne frank is one of the ony peoples storys that could be told to the world. anne frank rocks!!!!!!!!!
    my elementry teacher was so into the holocaust. she read us all kinds of things on her and her friends. we even got to meet a holocaust suviver. now that was cool.

  7. Caitlin
    8 Mar 2008 at 12:40 pm

    Hi again!

    This is a note I want to give to the girl named Rachel (if she ever comes back to this website) who typed in her thoughts about Anne Frank on March 5, at 2:20 am.

    Rachel, I feel rather uncomfortable about how you think people should critisize Anne, instead of worshipping her. I know that Anne made some bad choices in some of the stuff she wrote in her diary (like some sex stuff, and her bad thoughts about her mother) . But, you, and all the others who know about Anne Frank, must remember what Anne’s last entry said, which was that she believed that people are truly good at heart, and she included herself, I’m sure. She felt bad about how she messed up with her behavior occasionally, and she really tried her best to keep herself under control as she grew up. So, Rachel, and those who might not like Anne Frank, PLEASE don’t critisize her. I’m sure that she isn’t upset with you about it, since you are probably good at heart.

    Here’s something I think might be interesting to discuss. I believe that the reason why Anne’s mother always treated her like a baby sometimes is because Anne had back problems. She mentioned in her diary how she couldn’t participate in some of the activities in her gym classes because her shoulders would often get dislocated. Also, in an image of Anne and her sister Margot at the beach, with their backs facing the camera, you she Anne’s (who’s on the left) shoulder bones sticking out. I know it sounds a little gross, but it’s the truth. She might have had Scoliosis (I apoligize if I didn’t spell that correctly) .

    That’s all!

    From,
    Caitlin J.C.

  8. Janell
    14 Mar 2008 at 5:23 am

    this is sooo sad!!!!

  9. alyssa
    14 Mar 2008 at 5:26 am

    i love the book

  10. Agustina
    17 Mar 2008 at 2:48 pm

    Hola quiero agredecer a Anna por mostrar que hasta el último momento se puede tener fé y ganas de vivir

  11. Paulina
    18 Mar 2008 at 11:04 am

    Anna je bila jako hrabra za svoje godine,proživljavati tako nešto strašno,ta nezaboravljiva godina 1945.najgora godina za sje?anje svih židova.Prisje?anje kada nisu mogli ama baš ništa poduzeti oko toga,pogotovo briga za svoju djecu.Zato se divin anni koja je imala puno hrabrosti dogurati toliko dana,mjeseci…kako i drugi ljudi uz nju…Puno pozdrava

  12. Megan
    18 Mar 2008 at 1:21 pm

    Megan,
    It is so un fair of what they did to you I’m sooooo sorry!

  13. 18 Mar 2008 at 5:21 pm

    anna you are so valent. you are so strog, the best lucky

  14. Kathrine
    19 Mar 2008 at 2:19 pm

    It is sad because Anne never got to show the world how creative she was and I think she could have changed the world but now all we have are books to remember her by.

  15. keegan
    19 Mar 2008 at 6:43 pm

    anne gets all the attention. margot just didnt keep a dairy. this story was very sad, true. But margot needs her fair share of attention. I believe that Annes real reincarnation would be posting meaningless messages say “ZOMG I AM SOOO ANNES REAL REINCARNATION!!” no. well thats just my opinion.

  16. Chloe
    22 Mar 2008 at 9:16 am

    hey

    i’m reading anne’s diary now and i think her life is sad, being kept up in that annexe most of her life. plus she died so young, with her sister and her dad was the only one to survive. it’s tradgeic!!!!
    and her mother not seeing her two girls and her husband again

  17. Caitlin
    22 Mar 2008 at 11:13 am

    Hello Again!

    This is a message I want to give to Margot Frank.

    Margot, you are VERY LUCKY to have a little sister like Anne. I LOVED the parts where Anne let you read a couple of entries in her diary, and how you guys wrote letter’s to each other about your relationships with Peter Van Pels (Van Daan) . If it weren’t for your little sister, the WHOLE WORLD would NEVER have gotten to know your family and friends so much.

    I love you Margot Frank!!

    Caitlin J.C.

  18. yvonne
    25 Mar 2008 at 10:46 am

    hey anne frank i think u r so amazing nd i wish u were still alive

  19. emma
    26 Mar 2008 at 2:15 pm

    i have to read this book in my teacher mrs.jolly’s class for english were on page 220 i luv dis book

  20. 27 Mar 2008 at 4:41 pm

    i thiink that diisz story about anne frank is very sad n tragic and that the people who are putting commentsz sayiing “disz sucksz” yah need o get a liife..i thiink dat it was very sad dat anne frank diied at a very young age…and i would like 2 kno more about her and i would love 2 do a project on her and the famsz…itsz just an interestiing story and i would love 2 kno more itsz very inspiring to us young people….sry about her death =[ **Margot Frank**
    ~*Yoursz Trully Miisz Kiikii*~

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