Anne Frank’s favorite spot was by the window, the real world only a pane of glass away. She loved observing the chestnut tree as it changed with the seasons – from blossoming to fruit-bearing, then shedding its leaves, and finally renewing its life cycle. These natural rhythms reflected Anne’s own yearning for life. She also cherished the sound of the church bells, which brought her a sense of calm and a feeling of closeness to God.
The end of the diary
The final entry in Anne Frank’s diary is dated August 1, 1944. At that time in the Netherlands, the German occupiers had initiated a system that offered a bounty of 40 Dutch guilders to anyone who reported a Jew. On August 4th, acting on an anonymous tip, the Gestapo opened the bookcase that concealed the entrance to the Secret Annex, arrested Anne and all those hiding with her, and deported them to concentration camps.
Rediscovery of the diary
After the raid, Miep Gies, a trusted employee of Otto Frank, Anne Frank’s father, found Anne’s diary amidst the disarray in the Annex. When Otto Frank, the sole survivor of his family, returned to Amsterdam after the war, Miep handed him the diary, still locked by its small brass clasp. Otto did not open the diary immediately, waiting in the hope of his daughter’s return.
The heartbreaking news
Eventually, Otto received the devastating news. Anne Frank and her older sister Margot had died in the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp, just two months before the camp was liberated by Allied forces. Only then did Otto open the diary, bringing Anne’s brief yet beautiful life back into the world. Tears streamed down his face as he read…
The most influential piece of World War II literature
Since its publication in 1947, The Diary of Anne Frank has sold over 30 million copies worldwide in 65 languages, making it one of the most widely-read and influential pieces of World War II literature. In 2009, Anne’s diary was included in UNESCO’s Memory of the World Register as an outstanding record of historical memory.
Post-war reflection in Germany
In the aftermath of the war, Germany, as the instigator of this human tragedy, struggled to educate its citizens about the evil nature of Hitler’s fascist regime. However, these efforts often fell short.
The publication of The Diary of Anne Frank in German by the Lambert Schneider Publishing House in Heidelberg in 1950, began to cause a stir among the populace. The Germans knew that their history was prone to political whitewashing, as it had been in the past. But Anne’s authentic record of her life began to resonate with the entire nation. Her diary allowed the German people to recognize and acknowledge their own culpability in the atrocities committed. This understanding has made it difficult for neo-Nazism or similar extremist ideologies to regain a foothold and harm the nation again.
Anne Frank’s legacy: An ever-present call to vigilance
Today, we remember The Diary of Anne Frank as a testament to injustice and persecution. Only when every “Anne” records their experiences can we hope to distance ourselves and future generations from such atrocities.
See Part 1 here
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