From the Diary of Anne Frank
The Background
Written by Anneliese Marie ‘Anne’ Frank, a German-born Jewish girl who hid with her family in Amsterdam during World War II, this diary was originally a gift for her thirteenth birthday. Anne provides a brief sketch of her family, mentioning her loving parents, her sixteen-year-old sister Margot, and her deep affection for her late grandmother. Despite having a family and about thirty people she calls friends, Anne feels completely alone because she cannot confide in them about anything beyond ordinary everyday things. To fill this void of a true friend, she begins writing in a stiff-backed notebook, affectionately naming her diary "Kitty".
The Classroom Drama
The core narrative focuses on a specific entry dated Saturday, 20 June 1942. Anne writes about the nervous atmosphere in class as teachers prepare the forthcoming meeting to decide who will be promoted to the next form. She is only anxious about maths, taught by the strict "old fogey" Mr Keesing. Mr Keesing is annoyed with Anne because she is excessively talkative, so he punishes her by assigning extra homework: an essay titled "A Chatterbox".
Instead of just rambling on and leaving big spaces, Anne writes convincing arguments that talking is a student trait, humorously pointing out that she inherited it from her mother and there's not much you can do about inherited traits. Though Mr Keesing laughs at her arguments, her continued talking earns her two more essays: "An Incorrigible Chatterbox" and "Quack, Quack, Quack, Said Mistress Chatterbox". Determined to ensure the joke is on him, Anne enlists her friend Sanne to write the final essay as a poem from beginning to end in verse. It tells the beautiful story of a father swan who bites his three baby ducklings to death simply because they quacked too much. Luckily, Mr Keesing takes the joke the right way, reads it to the class while adding his own comments, allows Anne to talk, and even starts making jokes himself.
Key Figures
Anne Frank
A perceptive thirteen-year-old schoolgirl who feels the need to get things off her chest. Despite her circumstances, she displays a typical teenager's sense of humor, wit, and longing for genuine connection, successfully using her ingenuity to outsmart her teacher.
Mr Keesing
Anne's elderly, somewhat strict maths teacher. Initially presented as an "old fogey" with no patience for Anne's chattering, he ultimately reveals a sense of humor and fairness by appreciating Anne's poetic joke and reading it to multiple classes.
Themes to Remember
Paper has more patience
Anne's famous realization on a depressed day that while humans might not be interested in the musings of a thirteen-year-old, the blank pages of her notebook will unconditionally absorb her true feelings.
The Teenage Void
The universal adolescent experience: realizing that one can be surrounded by a loving family and thirty acquaintances, yet still feel profoundly alone without a single true friend to confide in.
Power of Creativity
When faced with punishment, Anne uses her writing skills to assert herself. Her essays and final poem in verse are forms of subtle, creative rebellion that eventually win over her strict teacher.
