blog




  • Essay / Anti-Semitism in the Anne Frank novel and film: The Diary of a Young Girl

    Guiding question: In what ways is anti-Semitism present throughout the Anne Frank novel and film: The Diary of a Young GirlSay no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why violent video games should not be banned”?Get an original essayIn the story of Anne Frank's The Diary of a Young Girl, Anne, a Jew of German origin, born on June 12, 1929, recounts his life mainly between the ages of 13 and 15. Anne's family consisted of (1), her father, Otto Frank, a former lieutenant in World War I, who owned a Jewish jam-making company, Opekta, (2); mother, Edith Frank, and (3); Margot Frank, Anne's older sister. In addition, Anne had several other relatives and friends. In 1933, Otto Frank, Edith Frank and Margot Frank emigrated to Holland to avoid Nazi Germany and the rise of Hitler. Around 1933, Adolf Hitler, a German politician, was the leader of the Nazi Party, a party aimed at persecuting Jews. In 1934, Anne emigrated to Holland at the age of 5 to live with her family. Anne's life in Holland was great, being privileged as upper middle class. Anne also received an education and had the opportunity to do many things. Life for the Franks was going well in the early 1930s. But in May 1940, Nazi Germany invaded the Netherlands and Germany quickly took control of the country. As the Germans monopolized the Netherlands, life for Jews in the Netherlands changed. Many anti-Jewish decrees were put in place and life for Jews gradually became difficult. One law for the Jews was that the Germans demanded that the Jews hand over their businesses or jobs to the Germans. Yet Otto Frank, owner of Opekta, decided to appoint close friends Victor Kugler and Mr. Kleiman, non-Jews, to run the company. Nevertheless, Otto still remained in charge of Opekta behind the scenes. On Anne Frank's thirteenth birthday, Otto Frank gave his daughter a journal that Anne would soon use often. Anne elucidated her feelings, stories, occasions and family biography. Anne devoted herself to writing her diary and later named her diary Kitty. Kitty was something that Anne could trust and recount daily events as well as her personal feelings and thoughts. Over time, discrimination against Jews in the Netherlands became unpleasant. The Germans forced Anne and other Jews to attend exclusively Jewish schools, and soon; life was hard for the Jews. The Germans forced the Jews to give up their wealth, thereby increasing their poverty rate. In the summer of 1942, the Germans forced Jews into concentration camps that they had created to end Jewish opposition to the Nazis. Otto Frank knew that life was becoming more and more difficult for Jews, so he decided to go into hiding. Otto Frank had a hideout known as the "Secret Annex", located behind the Opekta warehouse. On July 12, 1942, the Frank family moved into the “secret annex”. In the Opekta warehouse, a shelf covers the entrance to the "Secret Annex". The Van Pels family and Mr. Dussel soon joined the Frank family. The group of eight managed to live in the annex safely for two years with the help of Opekta workers. Anne often wrote about everyday events and feelings in her diary. In 1944, on the last day that Anne wrote in her diary, the group of eight people living in the Annex were betrayed by unknown persons and sent to concentration camps by the Gestapo. Finally, Anne, at the age of fifteen, died with six other people (fromAnnex) in the concentration camps, in addition to Otto Frank. Later in his life, Otto Frank published his daughter Anne's diary, with over 60 million copies sold from the dairy. Throughout the film and book Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl, the theme of anti-Semitism is often raised. Anti-Semitism is the “rejection of Jewish people, groups or concepts”. There are many different forms of anti-Semitism present throughout the Anne Frank film and book that affect Jews. Anne and other Jews experience discrimination for being Jewish and face many obstacles. In the following, examples of anti-Semitism will be explained such as: (1), how anti-Semitism was present through Jewish decrees, (2); how anti-Semitism was present throughout educational systems (3); how anti-Semitism was present through the ban on Jewish property (4); how anti-Semitism was present through the wearing of the yellow Star of David (5); how anti-Semitism was present through propaganda (6); how anti-Semitism was present through the use of concentration camps (7); how anti-Semitism was present among children and (8); how anti-Semitism was present through the discrimination of Jews by Christians. First, anti-Semitism was present through Jewish decrees. In the novel Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl, Anne explains many things that the Germans allowed the Jews to do. For example, according to page 4 of Anne Frank's diary, "Jews must wear a yellow star, Jews must surrender their bicycles, Jews are banned from trams, and Jews are prohibited from driving." Jews are only allowed to shop between 3 p.m. and 5 p.m. and only in stores labeled “Jewish Shop.” Jews must be indoors by eight o'clock and cannot even sit in their own garden after that time. Jews are prohibited from attending theaters, cinemas and other places of entertainment. Jews cannot participate in public sports. Swimming pools, tennis courts, hockey fields and other sports grounds are all prohibited for them. Jews cannot visit Christians. Jews must go to Jewish schools,” etc. The Germans demanded and forbade Jews to do things so that Jews would not cause disaster and opposition to the Nazis. Additionally, anti-Semitism was present throughout educational systems. For example, in 1938, Nazi Germany banned Jews from attending schools with non-Jews. In 1940, Hitler captured Holland, the region where Anne Frank lived. In October 1941, all Jews in Holland (including Anne) were allowed to attend schools with non-Jews. For example, according to page 4 (Anne Frank novel) and 10:35-10:40 p.m. (Anne Frank film), in October 1941 (Netherlands), the Germans banned Jews from attending schools with non-Jews . Anne Frank and her sister Margot went to Jewish high school after the laws changed. Jewish students were prohibited from attending Jewish schools for many reasons. For example, according to The Holocaust Explained, “In Germany, education was a major tool through which the Nazis' racial policies were promoted and implemented. At first, many teachers were unaware of the political changes. However, very soon, German teachers who supported the Nazis or had converted to Nazism began to develop new rituals and daily routines.” Many of these teachers wore Nazi uniforms to school. In summary, anti-Semitism may have been present through education with the help of teachers. Manyteachers had converted to Nazism, which made them anti-Semites. As a result, non-Jewish teachers would not want to educate Jews, which would allow the separation of schools between Jews and non-Jews. Furthermore, changing school textbooks rewritten in accordance with Nazi ideology leads to a worse form of anti-Semitism. For example, non-Jewish teachers would ask Jews to explain things to non-Aryans at school. Face, mouth, hair, eyes, etc. Jewish students were “examples” of non-Aryans. This idea leads to the propaganda of anti-Semitism. Overall, in educational systems, anti-Semitism has played a key role, allowing the birth of new types of anti-Semitism. Third, anti-Semitism was present despite the ban on Jewish property. For example, according to Annefrank.org, in the early 1940s when the Germans took over the Netherlands, Jews were still allowed to own businesses. However, in 1941, all Jewish business owners were asked to give up their jobs. Anne's father, Otto Frank, owner of the Opekta jam company, was one of the Jews in Holland who had to give up his business. But in 1938, Johannes Kleiman joined Opekta. Soon, when the Germans arrived, Johannes would help control Opekta while Otto Frank would hide in the Secret Annex. Otto Frank still remained active behind the scenes while in hiding. Jewish stores and businesses were taken over so that Jews could no longer earn money and, therefore, live a bad life. Additionally, according to the Anne Frank film, between 4:16 p.m. and 4:25 p.m., Jewish stores were destroyed by non-Jews, and the Germans took control of the Jewish stores. Jewish stores were vandalized so that Jews would leave their businesses and no longer earn money. If all Jews failed to earn money, they would not be able to live without money, which would lead to the death of many Jews. The Jews were capable of doing minimal things so as not to cause harm. Overall, banning Jewish businesses is a form of anti-Semitism in that it prevents Jews from doing something, and since only Jews are prohibited from owning a business, banning Jewish businesses Jewish business stores is a form of anti-Semitism. Semitism was present through the yellow Star of David. For example, according to the Anne Frank film from 30:50 to 31:00, all Jews had to buy the Star of David, which they put on their shirts to distinguish Jews from others. Additionally, according to Learning Voices Of The Holocaust, the "yellow insignia were often printed on coarse yellow cloth and were grayish yellow in color. The star, which represented the Star of David…was printed in simulated Hebrew characters…Jewish stores were also marked with a yellow star. Basically, the Star of David was made in a certain way, allowing Jews to be distinguished from non-Jews. Additionally, the Star of David made it easier for politics to identify Jews and send them to concentration camps. Additionally, Jewish stores wore the Star of David so that non-Jews could boycott the stores and therefore Jewish business owners could not make money. Overall, the Star of David helped distinguish Jews and made it easier for the Germans to capture Jews and send them to concentration camps. Then anti-Semitism was present by misleading the public using propaganda. For example, according to the Anne Frank film, propaganda of grotesque and stupid people, representing Jews, was placed in the streets. Non-Jews were able to believe inpropaganda thanks to the image which leads many people to become followers of Nazism. Furthermore, according to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in its book Deceve the Public, "propaganda served as an important tool for winning over the majority of the German public... Combined with the use of terror to intimidate those who did not did not comply, a new state-led propaganda apparatus...sought to manipulate and deceive the German population and the outside world. The purpose of the propaganda was for the government to keep the people on their side to bring about a revolution. "By exaggerating the actual number of ethnic German casualties killed in Bromberg and other towns to 58,000, Nazi propaganda inflamed passions, providing 'justification' for the number of civilians the Germans intended to kill." (USHMM). Propaganda gave confidence and inspiration to the people under Nazism, which led to the persecution of millions of Jews. Without propaganda, the Nazis would not have had much confidence or encouragement to eliminate the Jews. Overall, the use of propaganda allowed the Nazis to view Jews as grotesque, stupid, and harmful people. The use of propaganda motivated the Nazis, allowing them to eliminate more than 50% of Europe's Jewish population. Sixth, anti-Semitism was present through the use of concentration camps. The Nazi Germans created concentration camps to end Jewish opposition against the Germans. Additionally, concentration camps helped keep all Jews in specific areas. Additionally, the use of concentration camps allowed the Germans to impose control, while Jews were treated brutally and unfairly. For example, according to pages 38-39 (Anne Frank novel) and 1:19:20-1:20:00 (Anne Frank film), the Germans sent Jews to concentration camps so that the Jews performed hard and brutal labor while others were gassed. . According to pages 38 and 39,… “Jewish friends are taken away by the dozen. These people are treated by the Gestapo (secret police) without the slightest decency, loaded into cattle trucks and sent to “concentration camps”. “It is impossible to escape; most people in the camps are called detainees because of their shaved heads...some are gassed. Overall, many Jews were sent to concentration camps, so that the Germans could eliminate the Jews much more quickly and the Jews would feel hardship and struggle for a longer period of time. Additionally, according to The Holocaust Explained, a concentration camp was a place where people were cramped and imprisoned without trial. Prisoners were held in poor conditions and without any rights. Additionally, between 1938 and 1945, concentration camps became a major way for the Nazis to maintain their power. Seventh, anti-Semitism was present among children. For example, according to the Anne Frank film from 5:50 p.m. to 6:15 p.m., many non-Jewish children were always warned by their parents to stay away from Jews, due to discrimination and fear that Jews might do something bad . For example, according to the Jewish Virtual Library, “the blood libel, the allegation that Jews murder non-Jews, especially Christian children, in order to obtain blood for Passover or other rituals; Most of the blood libels took place in the run-up to Passover, being basically another form of belief that the Jews had been and were still responsible for the...crucifixion of Jesus Christ"...the people were told non-Jews to stay away from Jewish children, because of the belief that..