The Diary of a Young Girl-Anne Frank
Saturday, January 30-Feb 05-27-March 04-1943

We find Anne seething () with rage () at the behavior of all, her mother, father sister Margot, the van Daans and Dussel.

Read the text:

“…I like to scream, stamp my foot, give Mother a good shaking, cry and I don’t know what else because of the nasty () words, mocking looks and accusations (charges/ blames) that she hurls (throws) at me day after day, piercing me like arrows from a tightly pull bow, which are nearly impossible to pull frm my body. I’d like to scream at Mother, Margot, the van Daans, Dussel and Father too….”

Anne further says that everyone in the Annex thinks that she is showing off “… when I talk, ridiculous when I’m silent, insolent (arrogant, bad tempered, bad mannered) when I answer, cunning  when I have a great idea, lazy when I am tired, selfish when I eat one bite more than I should, stupid, cowardly, calculating, etc. etc.”

She adds that she “minds all those things hurled at her although she tries to show to them that she doesn’t mind all that.”

She wishes that God would have given her another character different from the present one, but that is impossible now.

She is quite sure that she is not a bad person and she does her best to please everyone.

She sometimes snaps at her mother after a series of reproaches () she receives from her. Then her mother stops talking to her, but after two days, suddenly, all is forgotten and she treats her like others.

Friday, February 5, 1943

Anne begins this diary entry by saying that squabbles (petty quarrels) in her family do not stops it seems they have become a permanent feature of the Secret Annex. Mr. Dussel took them seriously in the very beginning, but gradually he became accustomed (habitual) to them and did not mediate after that.

She calls Margot and Peter boring. She has no desire to become like Margot because she is “weak-willed and passive”. Another negative point in Margot’s character is that she is easily swayed by others’ opinions. In the meantime, the tension grows due to quarrels, but it is relieved when the people from the office come up to have a cup of soup for lunch.

Mr. van Daan gave a direct indication to Margot, rather mockingly, that she eats so little and she should continue it to keep her figure maintained.

Showing a strong reaction to it, Mrs. Van Daan’s face turned red as a beet () and Mr. van Daan only stared without saying anything.

Anne says that in spite of all quarrels and heated arguments, they usually have hearty laughter also. She writes here about Mrs. Van Daan as to how she was talking about her past. She told them all as to what a flirt she was.

She further writes that, sometimes, Peter also entertained them by his stupid activities. He liked using foreign words in wrong context giving wrong meanings.

Saturday, February 27, 1943

Anne begins this diary entry by writing about her fears of attack on any time. Churchill has recently recovered from his illness due to pneumonia.

Anne also calls Gandhiji the champion of India’s freedom and says that he is on one of his “umpteenth hunger strikes”.

Bishops have addressed to the people.

“People of the Netherlands stand up and take action. Each of us must choose our own weapons to fight for the freedom of our country, our people and our religion! Give your help and support. Act now!”

Anne also writes here that she is afraid that it is too late to help her fellow-Jews!

 

Another thing Anne reports here is that the building in which they are hiding has been sold by its owner without informing Kugler and Kleiman.

She thanks God that Mr. Kleiman used his presence of mind in handling the new owner of the building. He saved them from being exposed by making an excuse that he had left at home the key of the part of the building which had the Secret annex as the owner wanted to examine it.

Anne and Margot are preparing a file in which they are supposed to note down the books along with their authors’ names and the date on which they have read them.

Anne has got a separate note-book to note down new words in it.

After that, she mentions Mrs. Van Daan’s greed in making unequal distribution of butter to everyone at breakfast plate.

Thursday, March 04, 1943

Mrs. Van Daan has been given a new nick name “Mrs. Beaverbrook”. They have started calling her by this nick name taken from a character on  the English radio. He contradicts everyone including Churchill. Mrs. Van Daan is in complete agreement with what that character says on the radio. So this name has been given to Mrs. Van Daan out of fun.