The Diary of a Young Girl-Anne Frank-Nov 09-03-12-19-20-28

The Diary of a Young Girl-Anne Frank-Nov 09-03-12-19-20-28

Monday, November 09, 1942

Anne Frank says in this entry that Peter’s birthday was celebrated. He received a game of Monopoly, a razor and a cigarette lighter in gifts.

Next she writes that, at times. Reports from the outside world would make them gloomy (deeply sad) and hopeful too. She says that they have some reports that the English had landed in Tunis, Algiers, Casablanca and Oran. Everyone was saying that it was the beginning of an end. But it was also said, “This is not the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning.”

They have some reason of optimism because the Russian city ‘Stalingrad’ has been under attack for three months, but the Germans have not succeeded in capturing it.”

Next Anne describes about bread, which is being delivered by Mr. Kleiman’s friend. They have to purchase things at higher price due to black-marketing.

They have to store food and sacks of beans. Peter has been entrusted to shift six sacks of beans upstairs and he has shifted five out of the six successfully, but the last one broke and all the beans went downstairs. They had to pick them up with difficulty as they were so small and slippery.

During this time, Anne’s father also recovered from illness.

 Chapter 3: Tuesday, November 03, 1942

This diary entry begins with a plan underway to allow another person in the hiding place.

Ann adds that a plan is in the offing to add a new person to them. It means that it will be an additional burden on Mr. Kleiman. Before that, Anne’s father and others have to think wisely whether the new entrant should be allowed to live with them or not. Her father had rejected all the van Daan’s relatives.

The new person, if given permission, would be a dentist, named Alfred Dussel. He lives with a Christian lady, quiet and refined. Miep knows him well. If he comes, he will sleep in Anne’s room.

Thursday, November 12, 1942

This entry. Narrates Mr. Dussel’s entry into the Secret Annex. Miep had already told him to wait at a certain place at 11 a. m. for a man to meet him. But Mr. Kleiman went to him to tell that the man whom he was waiting for was unable to come. Mr. Kleiman took a street car to reach office and the man had to follow on foot. He reached the office at 11:30. Miep told him to remove his coat so that the yellow sign becomes invisible for others to avoid doubts to grow in their minds.

Mr. Kleiman kept him busy until the clearing lady finished her work and went out. Then he was taken up by Miep through the secret door. He was astonished to see all that. During the time, all the seven members seated themselves around the dining table waiting for the new addition to their family. After that, they talked and had lunch together. After a short nap, he again joined them. He was given a printed copy of the list about rules and regulations for the Secret Annex. (It was a van Daans product). The title given to the rules and regulations was:

             Prospects And Guide To The Secret Annex

                  A Unique Facility for the Temporary

                  Accommodation of Jew and Other

                              Dispossessed Persons

Thursday, November 19, 1942

Anne writes that she did not mind sharing her room with a stranger like Mr. Dussel. She says that, sometimes, one has to make sacrifice for good cause. Her father says, “If we can save even one of our friends, the rest doesn’t matter.”

Mr. Dussel asked Anne so many questions. For example, he asked her as to what time the cleaning lady came to the office, about wash-room, toilet, etc. she told him all and said that, during the day, they would not make any noise as the people below in the office could hear them. They had to be extra careful about things. Anne is surprised to notice that Mr. Dussel is so slow in understanding the things explained to him that she has to repeat them. After that he easily forgets what has been explained to him. Anne thinks that he is still a little bit confused about his ‘all of a sudden’ shifting to the new place.

What Mr. Dussel Reports

Mr. Dussel reports them about the outside world. A great number Jews, who are their friends and acquaintances, are being picked up from their residences and sent to the dreadful places.

Thursday, November 19, 1942 (Contd)

Every night, vehicles of green & gray coloured cruise (travel)  the streets. The soldiers ask the owners of the houses if any Jews are living there. It is difficult to escape them unless one lives in a hiding place. They are also keeping lists of the Jews in their hands and knock at the houses of the Jews according to the list. Then they capture them and take them to some far off places.

As the nights descend and spread their darkness everywhere, Anne sees long lines of innocent people with their crying children walking on. A few men bully and beat them until they nearly faint down. Mr. Dussel tells them that no one is spared. The sick, the elderly, children, babies and even pregnant women are forced to march towards their death places.

Anne says that they (all the eight persons in the hiding) are safe because they are all away from the clutches of the German soldiers.

Anne expresses her sympathy to the people who are being tortured outside. She also feels guilty that she sleeps there in a warm bed and all of them are not able to render any help to the sufferers.

Anne gets frightened to think about their friends who are at the mercy of those cruel monsters.

Friday, November 20, 1942

Anne says that before Mr. Dussel’s arrival, very little news reached the Secret Annex. They wanted to remain cheerful and  happy. They did not want to make Mrs. Van Daan cry by telling her about what was going outside. But, what Mr. Dussel narrated about was gruesome. The stories of torture on the Jews made the atmosphere inside the hiding  place very glum (0. Once they all come out of the sadness in their minds, they will start their normal life again. She thinks that it is not good to continue in gloomy state of mind. They did not want to turn the secret Annex into a ‘Melancholy Annex.’

Anne Feels Guilty & Gloomy

But Anne writes that she is always worried about those who have already been taken away from their sweet homes. If she laughs, the feelings of guilt overpower her mind. Then she thinks that she has no right when her fellow people are suffering every minute outside. But she is wise enough to come out of this gloom.

Her personal nature is also responsible for making herself feel miserable. Another misery she adds is that for thinking herself all alone and deserted in this world. Anne, here, talks of a great ‘void’(the feeling of acute loneliness and emptiness). 

Before coming to the hiding place, she had also been rebuked and humiliated by her mother and sister, but then, she used to forget all those things in the company of her friends. But now, the situation is different for her. She has to remain with them for all the time and she has little choice to ignore them.

She ends up this diary entry by telling her friend ‘Kitty, the diary’ that she is ungrateful to her by telling all this.

Saturday, November 28, 1942

Anne writes in this diary about the excessive use of electricity and as a result of it they will have to face a long power cut that may continue about fourteen days or more. They are unable to read after four or four thirty in the evening. So they all sit together and while away (pass) the time doing crazy activities like ‘telling riddles (asking puzzling questions), ding physical exercises, workout (Calisthenics) in the dark, speaking English or French. Reviewing books….” After sometime, all these activities would lose charm and become boring.

She has discovered another pastime (an entertaining activity for passing time). It is about using a good pair of binoculars to peek (to peep, to look secretly) into the lighted houses of their neighbours.

She writes that she never knew that her neighbours could be so entertaining. She has seen “a few at dinner, one family making home movie” and she has also seen a dentist working on a frightened lady.

Mr. Dussel, an Orthodix Preacher

She also writes about Mr. Dussel, the man who has turned out to be an old fashioned disciplinarian and preacher of long sermons on manners.

Anne writes that most of her miseries started coming due to him. She shares her ‘narrow room’ with him. Mr. Dussel also reports to Anne’s mother about what he thinks Anne’s bad manners. Then she scolds Anne. Even Mrs. Van Daan fin ds enough time to deliver a lecture about her rules and regulations to Anne, who avoids all these scolding and admonitions. 

She is so much irritated at the way they exaggerate her short-comings that she calls them ‘a family of nit-pickers’. At night while in her bed, she ponders her shortcomings and she weeps or laughs depending on the mood. But then, she has to think that she is different and that’s why she behaves differently. After that, she sleeps.