Review of The Anne Frank’s Diary

Introduction

Anne Frank’s diary is widely read. Even those who have never read it probably recognize a few quotes from it. The most heard of may be Anne’s observation: “In spite of everything, I still believe that people are really good at heart” (Frank, 1993, p. 237). Anne Frank is correct, as everyone does have some sense of good in their heart, and that people will do good for something. Anne Frank says “In spite of everything,” and even if there are bad circumstances, people will do good things.

Acts of Kindness Amidst Adversity

“This morning our vegetable man was picked up for having two Jews in his house” (Frank, 1993, p. 239). The vegetable man was not a Jew, but he helped Jews despite the circumstances. This relates to Anne’s claim because she says “in spite of everything,” and the vegetable man did all that he could to help. He did a good deed from the heart. Such acts of kindness were not isolated incidents; they were repeated by others who risked their lives to help those in need.

Miep Gies also helped people, particularly those in the Secret Annex. She did it despite the circumstances as well. She befriended Anne and tried very hard to help the people in the Secret Annex. Gies’ courage exemplifies how ordinary individuals can perform extraordinary acts of kindness, even in the face of danger.

Complexities of Human Nature

“Something had to be done with these destructive anti-social Jews who were strangling Germany,” thought Hitler. Germany had lost a lot from Jews, and wanted to do something about it. So, he created containment camps to ease it out. And again, Hitler wanted to help his country, which would be considered as a good deed. In some ways, it was ethical, because according to The Greatest Story Never Told, the camps had many things to make it livable. Considering what Hitler has done, isn’t it odd for him to do something like this? It could only mean that he wasn’t the super ruthless person we know him for. He had a sense of good, and it showed. However, this perspective is controversial and should be approached with caution, as the atrocities committed cannot be justified.

Conclusion

Despite the evidence and explanation given so far, some people may still conclude that Anne’s statement is incorrect. They might argue that the Nazis killed without conscience. This point of view makes some sense because the Nazis were brutal. This argument and evidence, however, do not prove Anne incorrect because many soldiers were actually good people, but their will was bent. Just as Anne says “in spite of everything,” many soldiers helped out and even befriended the people in the concentration camps. If the soldiers were caught, they would be punished. Saying that all the Nazis killed without any conscience wouldn’t make sense because many of the Nazis were really just following orders. Therefore, Anne Frank is correct, as everyone does have some sense of good in their heart, and people will do good for something. Even in bad circumstances, people will do good things.

References

Frank, A. (1993). The Diary of a Young Girl: The Definitive Edition. New York: Doubleday.