“Human greatness does not lie in wealth or power, but in character and goodness. People are just people, and all people have faults and shortcomings, but all of us are born with a basic goodness.” - Anne Frank
"All her would haves are our opportunities" - Emma Thompson
The story of Anne Frank has captured the hearts of everyone who has read her diary. For a girl
writing between the ages of 13 to 16, her words are remarkably poignant, philosophical and thought provoking. Moreover, today sadly her words remain even more powerful than ever.
writing between the ages of 13 to 16, her words are remarkably poignant, philosophical and thought provoking. Moreover, today sadly her words remain even more powerful than ever.
"We cannot change what happened anymore. The only thing we can do is to learn from the past and to realise what discrimination and persecution of innocent people means. I believe that it's everyone's responsibility to fight prejudice." - Otto Frank, 1970
After the war, the only surviving member of The Secret Annexe, Anne's Father Otto Frank, returned to Amsterdam. On his request, during the restoration to a museum the Annexe is left in its barren state after the Nazi's plundered their possessions. Despite the lack of theatre, the museum does not fail provoke immense thoughts and feelings within yourself. With my bookmark marked at halfway, reading her diary whilst visiting made the experience even more relatable and powerful. I was able to identify with all the diary's references, making the connection between the past and present even stronger.
My favourite quotes from Anne Frank's The Diary of A Young Girl:
“In spite of everything, I still believe that people are really good at heart.”
“Where there's hope, there's life. It fills us with fresh courage and makes us strong again.”
“Women should be respected as well! Generally speaking, men are held in great esteem in all parts of the world, so why shouldn't women have their share?
“Look at how a single candle can both defy and define the darkness.”
“No one has ever become poor by giving.”Afterwards, we sat and talked about the thoughts the museum had provoked. Strikingly and unfortunately the Holocaust remains a very relevant issue today. Since the Holocaust, genocides such as in the Mau Mau Uprising, 1952-60, Rwanda, 1994, Bosnia, 1992-5, or Cambodia, 1975-9, have occurred. Though their scale was not as large or systematic as the Holocaust, their occurrence demonstrates perhaps a failure of humanity to learn from historic events.
Museums serve as an important tool in the remembrance of events, but we agreed that the act of visiting is ephemeral. When events such as these occur, people are quick to reprimand, condemn and deplore. However, they are less quick to ask why. In current affairs the role of history is under utilised as a tool for analysis. History is didactic: its purpose is to teach prompt discussion and promote a sense of morality. Nevertheless, humanity have continually failed to learn from history's mistakes.
KEY LINKS
Buy Anne Frank's The Diary of A Young GirlThe Anne Frank Museum
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