Micro CERS+ with Counter Claim for Anne Frank Act 1 Scene 1

DUE:  Thursday Morning, 3/21/19, 8:15 AM

WRITING PROMPT

Act 1, Scene 1

A diary is traditionally a place where one can write down one’s own private thoughts:  one’s hopes and dreams; one’s fear and insecurities; one’s honest reflection upon personal issues like religion, morals, and philosophy, the day’s idle gossip, activities, romantic crushes, inner longings, secrets and joys.  It can be a means to “get it all out” and make sense of our lives and ourselves.

In The Diary of Anne Frank Otto tells Anne that, even though they are allowing themselves to be hidden within the Annex for the foreseeable future, she can be free “in her mind” through writing in her private diary.

Otto seems to argue that being able to write in her diary during this difficult situation will be a helpful tool to remaining free and staying mentally healthy.  And yet, neither Margot nor Peter are known to have kept diaries.  They don’t seem to need this survival tool.

Is Otto right?

Was the diary a helpful tool for Anne during her time in the Annex?  Or was her keeping the diary not particularly helpful or important at all?



COMBINED CLASSES / TEACHER MODEL


CLAIM
The play The Diary of Anne Frank by Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackett tells the story of Anne Frank’s experience hiding with her family during the Nazi occupation of Amsterdam from 1942 to 1944.  During that time, Anne’s diary proved to be a helpful tool in combating loneliness, depression, and possible mental illness.

EVIDENCE
Otto seems to recognize the value of the diary when he returns to the annex after being the sole survivor of the family.

Miep.  Burn this?

(She hands him a paper bound notebook.)

Mr. Frank.  (quietly). Anne’s diary.  (He opens the diary and begins to read.)  “Monday, the sixth of July, nineteen forty-two…” (283).

REASONING
Clearly he felt that the diary was important, otherwise he would have burned it with the rest of the papers left behind.  After all, this is the last documented voice of his little girl.  For the better part of two years, she was taken from her friends and school.  She was unable to move around freely or talk to anyone other than those in the Annex and the two helpers.  They experienced nearly constant fear of being discovered.  It had to be very stressful and depressing.  The act of getting her feelings down on the page allowed her to gain perspective and to remain hopeful.  If she hadn’t had the diary, there’s a chance that she could have succumbed to depression – refusing to eat or talk to anyone.  She might have even thought about hurting herself.  That diary was a life preserver, without which she might have been lost in a sea of fear, loneliness, and depression.

COUNTER CLAIM
But some might argue instead that Anne’s time and energy spent writing in her diary would have been better spent engaging socially with her family.

COUNTER REASONING
They might state that time with family was precious, especially since she didn’t know that it was running out and that many of them were going to die.  If she had shared her private thoughts with her sister, Margot, they could have grown even closer with the time they had.  Instead, she poured her heart onto the pages of her diary which couldn’t offer any perspective other than her own. Who knows?  She might have even been mentally healthier if she didn't have the diary because she would have been forced to find the same connection in others.

REBUTTAL
Where this line of thinking goes astray is that Anne could have still written in her diary and had a strong connection to her family.  This isn’t an “either/or” situation.  It’s possible for anyone to have time to themselves and also still have close relationships with one’s family.  The argument is flawed.

SYNTHESIS 
There can be no doubt that having access to, and writing in, a diary made Anne’s life more bearable.  However, this may be particular to Anne as a unique individual and not to everyone.  Anne is introspective, highly social, and interested in gossip – traits that would lend themselves to benefiting from a diary.  But both Peter and Margot appear to have dealt with the same situation just as well without a diary, so it depends upon the person.  A better, more nuanced answer is that for some the diary would be helpful, but for others it would not.