Lesson 4 From the dairy of anne frank

Anne Frank was a Jewish girl born in Germany who later settled in Amsterdam, Holland, with her family due to the difficult conditions faced by Jews under Nazi rule. Before going to Holland, she stayed with her grandmother in Aachen. Anne studied at the Montessori School, where she was loved by her teachers and classmates and was taught by Mrs. Kuperus. She had many friends, yet she felt that she lacked a true friend with whom she could share her deepest thoughts and emotions. Therefore, on receiving a diary as a birthday gift, she decided to write in it and named it “Kitty”. Anne believed that paper has more patience than people because it listens silently without criticism or interruption. In her diary, she wrote about her family, school life, hopes, fears and personal experiences. She loved and respected her father greatly, was deeply attached to her grandmother, and remembered Mrs. Kuperus with affection. Anne was intelligent, sensitive, honest, humorous and creative. She describes how her entire class became anxious and nervous while waiting for the teachers' decision about promotion to the next class. One of the important incidents in her school life was her relationship with Mr. Keesing, a strict but kind teacher who was annoyed by her habit of talking in class. To punish her, he assigned essays such as “A Chatterbox”, “An Incorrigible Chatterbox” and “Quack, Quack, Quack, Said Mistress Chatterbox”. Anne completed these tasks with remarkable wit, logic and humour, which impressed Mr. Keesing and finally ended her punishments. Thus, Anne's diary presents a vivid picture of her family, education, friendships, thoughts, emotions and experiences, making it one of the most famous and inspiring personal records in world literature.