"If I just think of how we live here, I usually come to the conclusion that it is a paradise compared with how other Jews who are not in hiding must be living," - Entry from Saturday, 1 May, 1943, Diary of Anne Frank p. 79
Hearing this quote brings me hope. I feel like Anne and her family are few of the lucky Jews and are very fortunate to be in hiding and not at death camps or concentration camps. This is a theme of hope, dehumanization, and resistance, because they are resisting to go through what the Nazis are putting the Jews through in death camps, they are being dehumanized by keeping their lives a secreting and hiding, and they don't get to live ordinary lives. I feel like she is right they really have nothing to complain about while they are in hiding and their Jewish friends and probably family are all at places where they could be gassed in chambers and die because of starvation when Anne and her family are hiding and eating pretty well compared to the Jews in the death camps. They are living a better life than the others although in a way they are dying.
I think that the quote relates to the Pianist how Spielman friends would help him out so he wouldn't have to attend death camps or concentration camps and could get out alive and move on with his life. Anne franks situation is very similar because both her and spielman are in similar situation and are both being dehumanization because they have to hide who they are and try to be someone else. They have to change their regular habits to a whole other thing.They have to leave their regular life styles and adapt to hard lifestyles. Just like Anne and her family have to adapt to their new lifestyles of not being able to go out and being free because they are in hiding.
While I read this quote, I think of how difficult it must have been for Anne to know that all of her friends and family were being slaughtered in the concentration camps, and there was nothing she could do but hide. While I agree that Anne was more fortunate, compared to Jews in concentration camps, I believe she was also more unlucky. Dehumanization is something that both Jews who were in hiding and the Jews who were in concentration camps were experiencing. Jews who were in hiding were also not really living. They were more afraid because one cough or word could mean death. Being silenced and being afraid of being caught alive is what caused dehumanization. It is unfair to say that Anne was lucky because she was experiencing the same feelings that the Jews in the concentration camps were dealing with. In fact, I would argue that Ann suffered more because she had to deal with her conscience. She said in the quote that she was living in paradise, but in real life, this was no different from living in a prison. I agree with you, that Anne frank was more fortunate but I think every Jew that experienced the holocaust was also very unlucky and very unfortunate.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI would agree with the author that Anne did have a better life compared to the Jews who were in the concentration camps. There were also some downside to living in hiding. You could not make any kind of noise or else the Nazi's would kill you. I would also agree with Anne with her conclusion about her living in paradise as Anne compared it. When I finished reading the quote that she was one of the very few of Jews that were in hiding and I think that the quote has a message of hope and to keep your hopes high no matter what. Also Anne was well aware that her life wasn't that bad and knew that someone life is worse than hers.
ReplyDeleteI agree that this quote gives hope because if Anne's family wouldn't of hidden they would of gone to death and concentration camps and would of suffered like the other Jews did. Anne and her family are very fortunate to be smart enough and hide and not get hurt by the Nazis. Anne's family is trying to have a normal life even though they are hiding. They are eating well and just thinking about how the other Jews are doing. This quote expresses what Anne's situation is like throughout the book, and how she feels about her family hiding. This quote gives hope because it means that you can prevent yourself and family from getting hurt by hiding.
ReplyDelete