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From the Diary of Anne Frank

Comprehension Check - I

Question 1:

1What makes writing in a diary a strange experience for Anne Frank?

2. Why does Anne want to keep a diary?

3. Why did Anne think she could confide more in her diary than in people?

Answer:

1.       She mentioned that writing a diary is a strange experience for her because firstly she had never written anything like this before and secondly she though t that nobody is going to read or would be interested in her diary.

2.       The 13-year-old girl was all alone in this world. She didn't have friend. Therefore she wanted to keep a diary unless she would have found a real friend.

3. Anne did not have any friends. She could confide in her close friend but she didn't have one, the friends she had there were to have more fun and good times rather than the ones on whom she could confide. She believed that a paper has more patience than people, so she decided to write and confide in a diary.

Comprehension Check -    II

 Question 1:

1. Why does Anne provide a brief sketch of her life? 2. What tells you that Anne loved her grandmother?

Answer 1:

1.       Anne thought that no one would understand a word of her stories if she was to plunge right in, therefore she provides a brief sketch of her own life.

2.       While giving brief sketch of her life she made a statement that no one knows how often she still misses her grandmother and still loves her grandma. One more touching gesture where they light up one candle for grandmother during Anne's birthday is also a poignant reminder of her love for grandma.

Comprehension Check -    III

 Question 1:

1. Why was Mr. Keesing annoyed with Anne? What did he ask her to do? 2. How did Anne justify her being a chatterbox in her essay?

3.       Do you think Mr. Keesing was a strict teacher?

4.       What made Mr. Keesing allow Anne to talk in class?

Answer:

1.       Mr. Keesing was an old fogey who taught Anne at school. He was annoyed with Anne because she talked so much in the class. After several warnings he assigned her extra homework, asking her to write an essay on the subject, 'A Chatterbox'.

2.       At first she was confused from where to start. She began thinking and wrote. Anne though that she would come up with convincing arguments prove that talking is a necessity. She justified her argument by writing two things, one that chatting in student's traits and other reason that nothing can be done about someone's inherited traits.

3.       Mr. Keesing was a strict teacher. He was a disciplined man and liked the same in his class while he was teaching. Anne was a talkative child. He punished Anne and asked her to write an essay on the topic 'A Chatterbox'. Anne wrote convincing arguments in her essay. He had a good laugh at her arguments. However, Anne continued with her talking. Mr. Keesing punished her again by asking her to write another essay. This time the topic was 'An Incorrigible Chatterbox'. Anne kept talking even after all of this. Mr. Keesing had enough and asked her to write on the topic 'Quack Quack Quack, said Mistress Chatterbox". He was trying to play a joke on her. She came up with a brilliant poem with help of her friend Sanne. He read this poem in the class, acknowledging its content. Therefore, after taking all these events into considerations we can say that Mr. Keesing was not entirely a strict teacher. He was fun-loving too.

4.       Anne was smart kid. She was able to give convincing arguments for her talkative nature every time she was punished. On all the three occasions he gave her topics to write essays on. In return Anne came up with something impressive. Eventually, Mr. Keesing accepted the fact that Anne would always be the way she is. Hence, he allowed her to talk in class.

Thinking about the Text

Question 1:

1.       Was Anne right when she said that the world would not be interested in the musings of a thirteen­ year-old girl?

2.       There are some examples of diary or journal entries in the 'Before You Read' section. Compare these with what Anne writes in her diary. What language was the diary originally written in? In what way is Anne's diary different?

3.       Why does Anne need to give a brief sketch about her family? Does she treat 'Kitty' as an insider or an outsider?

4.       How does Anne feel about her father, her grandmother, Mrs Kuperus and Mr Keesing? What do these tell you about her?

5.       What does Anne write in her first essay?

6.       Ann e says teachers are most unpredictable. Is Mr Keesing unpredictable? How?

7.       What do these statements tell you about Anne Frank as a person?

(I)      we don't seem to be able to get any closer, and that's the problem. Maybe it's my fault that we don't confide in each other.

(ii)     I don't want to jot down the facts in this diary the way most people would, but I want the diary to be my friend.

(iii)    Margot went to Holland in December, and I followed in February, when I was plunked down on the table as a birthday present for Margot.

(iv)    If you ask me, there are so many dummies that about a quarter of the class should be

Kept back, but teachers are the most unpredictable creatures on earth.

(v)     Anyone could ramble on and leave big spaces between the words, but the trick was to come up with convincing arguments to prove the necessity of talking.

Answer 1:

1. No, Anne was not right when she said that the world would not be interested in the musings of a thirteen-year-old girl.

2.       Originally Anne's diary was written in Dutch. Her diary was different from the others in many aspects. She had named her diary 'Kitty'. She took it as her only true friend whom she could confide in. Anne treated it as another person who listened to her daily accounts. She wrote all her thoughts in it. She started by writing 'Dearest kitty' and ended the account by writing, 'Yours, Anne'. Her diary was a lot more personal than other diaries.

3.       Anne Frank was 13 years old. She had no friends. Anne said that paper is more patient than people. She was all alone as she had no real friend. Anne Frank gives the sketch of her adorable father, compassionate mother, kind grandmother, and loving sister no clears the reader's perception that there is nobody to take care of Anne Frank. She had named her diary Kitty. She treated it as an insider because she called it her best friend and was ready to confide in it.

4.       Anne said that she had the most adorable father ever seen. She loved her grandmother so much that she remembered her even after her death. She wrote in her diary that no one knew how often she thought of her grandmother and still loved her. Mrs Kuperus was her teacher in the sixth form at the Montessori nursery school. She was also the headmistress. At the end of the year, they were both in tears as they had a heart-breaking farewell.

Mr Keesing was her Math’s teacher. Anne used to talk too much which annoyed Mr. Keesing. Every time she was punished by Mr. Keesing Anne was able to justify her talkative nature by giving convincing arguments. He was impressed by the manner in which she presented her arguments. All these events indicate how lovable and smart Anne was. Everybody was attached to her, and even Mr Keesing could not help but laugh at her essays and acknowledge her sharp m in d.

5.       Anne was given to write essay as her a part of her punishment not once, not twice but three times by her math’s teacher Mr. Keesing. The topic for first essay was 'A Chatterbox'. Anne wanted came up with convincing arguments to prove the necessity of talking. She gave arguments that talking was a student's trait and that she would do her best to keep it under control. She further wrote that she would never be able to cure herself of the habit since her mother talked as much as she did and it was an inherent trait. There was not much that one could do about inherited traits. Mr. Keesing too had a good laugh reading her arguments.

6.       When it was time for the results all the students were making assumptions that who would pass and who out be asked to stay back. Anne felt that a quarter of her class was dumb, and should be kept back and not promoted to the next class. However, she also felt that the teachers were the most unpredictable creatures on earth. Same can be said for Mr. Keesing. Any teacher would lose temper the way Anne always talked while the class was going on. After several warnings, Mr. Keesing did gave Anne extra homework. She had to write an essay on 'A Chatterbox'. In this way, he tried to play a joke on her. He had a good laugh when she gave her arguments in the essay.

Each and every time that she was asked to write such essays, she wrote very well. She kept countering his jokes. He took all the jokes in the right spirit. Eventually he accepted her talkative nature and actually allowed her to talk in class. He did not even assign her any more extra homework. That is why it can be said that Mr. Keesing was unpredictable.

7.       (I) these lines show that Anne had no real friend whom she could confide in.

She even put the blame on herself that the fault might be hers because she does not let others come close to her.

(ii)     This line shows that Ann e really considered her diary 'Kitty' as a real friend whom she could con fide in and narrate all her stories to.

(iii)    Anne uses the phrase 'plunked down' shows her sense of hum ours. She was a fun-loving person,

Witty and knew how to present things in a funny way. She narrated this incident with a lot of fun.

(iv)    When it was time for results she had an opinion on everyone. She though t that a quarter of her class was full of dumb students, which tells that she herself was intelligent enough to make it to the next class. She thought that teachers were the most unpredictable creatures on earth because nobody could say which students they would fail an d which students would be passed on to the next class.

(v)     This statement shows that Anne knew a lot about writing. She took the task of writing an essay as a punishment. She did not want to write it like others who merely left big spaces between the words to make the essay look voluminous. She knew that the trick was to come up with a convincing argument to prove the necessity of talking. She was different in her approach from everybody else.

Thinking about Language

Question 1: Look at the following words.

headmistress notebook

long-awaited stiff-backed

homework outbursts

These words are compound words. They are made up of two or more words. Compound words can be:

•        Nouns: headmistress, homework, notebook, outbursts

•        Adjectives:  long-awaited, stiff-backed

•        Verbs: sleep-walk, baby-sit

Match the compound words under 'A' with their meanings under 'B'. Use each in a sentence.

A	B
1.       Heartbreaking 2.       Homesick 3.       Blockhead 4.       Law-abiding 5.       Overdo 6.       Daydream 7.       Breakdown 8.       Output	-   obeying and respecting the law -   thin k about pleasant things, forgetting about the present -   something produced by a person, machine or organization -   producing great sadness -   an occasion when vehicles/machines stop working -   an informal word which means a very stupid person -   missing home and family very much -   do something to an excessive degree

Answer I:

A

B

1.       heartbreaking 2.       Homesick 3.       Blockhead 4.       Law-abiding 5.       Overdo 6.       Daydream 7.       Breakdown 8.       Output

-        producing great sadness -        missing home and family very much -        an informal word which means a very stupid person -        obeying and respecting the law -        do something to an excessive degree -        think about pleasant things, forgetting about the present -        an occasion when vehicles/machines stop working -        something produced by a person, machine or organization

Question II: Phrasal Verbs

A phrasal verb is a verb followed by a preposition or an adverb. Its meaning is often different from the meanings of its parts. Compare the meanings of the verbs get on and run away in (a) and (b) below. You can easily guess their meanings in (a) but in (b) they have special meanings.

(a)     • She got on at Agra when the bus stopped for breakfast.

•        Dev Anand ran away from home when he was a teenager.

(b)     • She's eager to get on in life. (Succeed)

•        The visitors ran away with the match. (Won easily)

Some phrasal verbs have three parts: a verb followed by an adverb and a preposition.

(c)      Our car ran out of petrol just outside the city limits.

(d)     The government wants to reach out to the people with this new campaign.

1.       The text you've just read has a number of phrasal verbs commonly used in English. Look up the following in a dictionary for their meanings (under the entry for the italicized word).

(I)      plunge (right) in

(iii) Ramble on

(ii)     Kept back

(iv) Get along with

2.       Now find the sentences in the lesson that have the phrasal verbs given below. Match them with their meanings. (You have already found out the meanings of some of them.) Are their meanings the same as that of their parts? (Note that two parts of a phrasal verb may occur separated in the text.)

(I)      plunge in (ii)     kept back (iii)    move up (iv)    ramble on (v)     get along with (vi)    calm down (vii)   stay in (viii)  make up for (ix)    hand in

-        speak or write without focus -        stay indoors -        make (them) remain quiet -        have a good relationship with -        give an assignment (homework) to a person in authority (the teacher) -        compensate -        go straight to the topic -        go to the next grade -        not promoted

Answer II:

(I)      plunge in (ii)     kept back (iii)    move up (iv)    ramble on (v)     get along with (vi)    calm down (vii)   stay in (viii)  make up for (ix)    hand in

-        go straight to the topic -        not promoted -        go to the next grade -        speak or write without focus -        compensate -        make (them) remain quiet -        stay indoors -        have a good relationship with -        give an assignment (homework) to a person in authority  (the teacher)

Question III: Idioms

Idioms are groups of words with a fixed order, and a particular meaning, different from the meanings of each of their words put together. (Phrasal verbs can also be idioms; they are said to be 'idiomatic' when their meaning is unpredictable.) For example, do you know what it means to 'meet one's match' in English? It means to meet someone who is as good as oneself, or even better, in some skill or quality. Do you know what it means to 'let the cat out of the bag'? Can you guess?

1.       Here are a few sentences from the text which have idiomatic expressions. Can you say what each means? (You might want to consult a dictionary first.)

(I)      our entire class is quaking in its boots…………………..

(ii)     Until then, we keep telling each other not to lose heart…………………

(iii)    Mr. Keesing was annoyed with me for  ages because I talked so much………………..          .

(iv)    Mr Keesingwas trying to play a joke on me with this ridiculous subject, but I'd make sure

The joke was on him……………………………………………..

2.       Here are a few more idiomatic expressions that occur in the text. Try to use them in sentences of your own.

(I)      caught my eye (ii)     he'd had enough

(iii)    laugh ourselves silly (iv)    can't bring myself to

Answer III:

1.

(I) our entire class is quaking in its boots. Become nervous

(ii)     Until then, we keep telling each other not to lose heart. Not to feel troubled

(iii)    Mr Keesing was annoyed with me for ages because I talked so much. For a long time

(iv)    Mr Keesing was trying to play a joke on me with this ridiculous subject, but I'd make sure the joke was on him. To turn the table

2.

(I)      caught my eye: Suddenly the bare electric wire caught my eyes.

(ii)     he'd had enough: When the owner have had enough we declared strike.

(iii)    Laugh ourselves silly: He laughed ourselves silly on seeing me in a strange dress.

(iv)    Can’t bring myself to: I can’t bring myself to speak about medicines.

Question IV: Do you know how to use a dictionary to find out the meanings of idiomatic expressions? Take, for example, the expression caught my eye in the story. Where -under which word -would you look for it in the dictionary?

Look for it under the first word. But if the first word is a 'grammatical' word like a, the, for, etc., then take the next word. That is, look for the first 'meaningful' word in the expression. In our example, it is the word caught.

But you won't find caught in the dictionary, because it is the past tense of catch. You'll find caught

Listed under catch. So you must look under catch for the expression caught my eye. Which other expressions with catch are listed in your dictionary?

Note that a dictionary entry usually first gives the meanings of the word itself, and then gives a list of idiomatic expressions using that word. For example, study this partial entry for the noun 'eye' from the Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary, 2005.

You have read the expression 'not to lose heart' in this text. Now find out the meanings of the following expressions using the word 'heart'. Use each of them in a sentence of your own.

1.       Break somebody's heart

2.       close/dear to heart

3.       From the (bottom of your) heart

4.       Have a heart

5.       Have a heart of stone

6.       Your heart goes out to somebody

Answer IV:

1.       break  somebody's heart 2.       close/dear to heart 3.       from the (bottom of your) heart 4.       have a heart 5.       have a heart of stone 6.       your heart goes out to somebody

: Overwhelm with someone with sadness. : Of deep interest and concern to one. : With sincere feeling. : show pity or have courage. : Cruel person. : To show love for someone.

Question V: Contracted Forms

When we speak, we use 'contracted forms' or short forms such as these:

Can’t (for cannot or cannot)      I'd (for I would or I had)  she's (for she is)

Notice that contracted forms are also written with an apostrophe to show a shortening of the spelling of not, would, or is as in the above example.

Writing a diary is like speaking to oneself. Plays (and often, novels) also have speech in written form. So we usually come across contracted forms in diaries, plays and novels.

1.       Make a list of the contracted forms in the text. Rewrite them as full forms of two words.

For example:

I've = I have

2.       We have seen that some contracted forms can stand for two different full forms:

I'd = I had or I would

Find in the text the contracted forms that stand for two different full forms, and say what these are.

Answer V:

1.

·        I'm     -        I am.

·        Don’t -         do not.

·        Won’t -        would not.

·        We'll  -        we will.

·        Who'll -       who will.

2.

Its      it is,   it has.

I'd      I would,      I had.

 Who's         who is,        who has.

Speaking

Question 1: Here is an extract adapted from a one-act play. In this extract, angry neighbors who think Joe the Inventor’s new spinning machine will make them lose their jobs come to destroy Joe's model of the machine.

You've just seen how contracted forms can make a written text sound like actual speech. Try to make this extract sound more like a real conversation by changing some of the verbs back into contracted forms. Then speak out the lines.

[The door is flung  open, and several men tramp in. They carry sticks, and one of them, HO B, has a hammer.]

MOB: Now where is your husband, mistress?

MARY: In his bed. He is sick, and weary. You would not harm him!

HOB: We are going to smash his evil work to pieces. Where is the machine? SECOND MAN: On the table yonder.

HOB: Then here is the end of it!

[HOB smashes the model. MARY screams.]

HOB: And now for your husband!

MARY: Neighbor, he is a sick man and d almost a cripple. You would not hurt him!

HOB: He is planning to take away our daily bread ... We will show him what we think of him and his ways!

MARY: You have broken his machine ... You have done enough...

Answer 1:

MOB: Now where's your husband, mistress?

MARY: In his bed. He's sick, and weary. You won't harm him!

HOB: We're going to smash his evil work to pieces. Where's the machine? SECON D MAN: On the table yonder.

HOB: Then here's the end of it!

[HOB smashes the model. MARY screams.] HOB: And now for your husband!

MARY: Neighbors, he's a sick man and almost a cripple. You won't hurt him!

HOB: He's planning to take away our daily bread ... We'll show him what we think of him and his ways!

MARY: You've broken his machine ... You've done enough...

Writing

Question 1: Now you know what a diary is and how to keep one. Can you keep a diary for a week record ng the events that occur? You may share your diary with your class, if you wish to. Use the following hints to write your diary.

•        Though your diary is very private, write as if you are writing for someone else.

•        Present your thoughts in a convincing manner.

•        Use words that convey your feelings, and words that 'paint pictures' for the reader. Be brief.

'Diary language' has some typical features such as subject less sentences (Got up late in the morning), sentence fragments without subjects or verbs (...too bad, boring, not good), contracted forms (they're, I've, can't, didn't, etc.), and everyday expressions which people use in speech. Remember not to use such language in more formal kinds of writing.

Answer: 1

This is an activity, so do yourself.

Listening

Question 1: Your teacher will read out an extract from The Diary of Samuel Pepys (given on the next page) about the great fire of London. As you listen complete this summary of the happenings.

Summary

This entry in the diary has been made on by. The     person who told Pepys about the fire was called . She called at in the morning. Pepys went back to sleep because . Pepys rose again at                   in the morning. By then about   houses had been burned down. The fire had spread to     by

London Bridge. Pepys then walked to the along with Sir J. Robinson's _

Answer 1:

This entry in the diary has been made on 2nd September by Samuel Pepys. The person who told Pepys about the fire was called Jane. She called at three in the morning. Pepys went back to sleep because it was too early. Pepys rose again at seven in the morning. By then about three hundred houses had been burned down. The fire ha d spread to all fish street by Lon don Bridge. Pepys then walked to the tower along with Sir J. Robinson's little son.

Thinking about the Poem

Question 1: How old do you think Amanda is? How do youkan ow this?

Answer 1:

Amanda must have been about 9-10 years old. We can know this because she is a school going girl and her mother scolds her and gives her all usual instructions which are given to a 9 or l0 year old girl.

Question 2: Who do you think is speaking to her?

Answer 2:

Her mother is speaking to her.

Question 3: Why are Stanzas 2, 4 and 6 given in parenthesis?

Answer 3:

Stanzas 2, 4 and 6 are given in parenthesis because they are the feelings of a young child about the advice that she is being given by her mother, which are given in stanzas 1, 3 and 5. The scolding of her m other and the child's thoughts are placed in alternate stanzas by the poet.

Question 4: Who is the speaker in Stanzas 2, 4 and 6? Do you think this speaker is listening to the speaker in Stanzas l, 3, 5, and 7?

Answer 4:

In stanzas 2, 4 and 6, the speaker is the child, Amanda. No, she is not listening to her mother who is the speaker in stanzas 1, 3 and 5.She is lost in her own thoughts and dreams and doesn't listen to what is being told to her.

Question 5: What could Amanda do if she were a mermaid?

Answer 5:

If Amanda were a mermaid, then she would glide leisurely on a languid emerald sea. She would be the only occupant of the relaxed green sea and would move slowly on it.

Question 6: Is Amanda an orphan? Why does she say so?

Answer 6:

No, Amanda is not an orphan. She says so because she wants to be all alone. She wants to move around in the street alone and play with dust with her bare feet. She finds silence 'golden' and freedom 'sweet'. That is why, she calls herself an orphan.

Question 7: Do you know the story of Rapunzel? Why does she want to be Rapunzel?

Answer 7:

She wants to be Rapunzel because she wanted to live by herself. Rapunzel used to live all alone in a tall tower and had long, beautiful hair. She was imprisoned by her grandmother. The girl also wanted to live alone in a tower as she didn't want to care about anything as life in a tower would be calm, undisturbed and unusual. She also decided that she would never throw her hair down for anyone to come up as she wanted to live alone always.

Question 8: What does the girl yearn for? What does this poem tell you about Amanda?

Answer 8:

The girl yearns for a life of freedom. The poem tells us that she is a creative girl who is continuously nagged by her boring and dull parent.

Question 9: Read the last stanza. Do you think Amanda is sulking and is moody?

Answer 9:

No, Amanda is neither sulking, nor is she moody .She simply longs for her freedom. She wants to go out and play where she likes.

Chapter 4: From the Diary of Anne Frank

A ne frank was a girl who belonged to the Frank family. She had experienced the hardships and brutalities of Hitler. Her dairy's name was kitty and was a gift from her relative on her birthday. She noted her opinion, judgment and facts in her diary. She considered kitty as her cherished friend. She noted her heart breaking situations in that diary. After her death, many of Otto frank's friends (father of Anne Frank) read it and they recommended to publish it at first he refused but later agreed to publish it. When it got published, there were so many complaints about that dairy because everyone said that a small, young 15 year old girl could not write like that. But the court rejected that complaint.

Her diary described openly and in details her thoughts and feeling about how she was restricted with seven other people which she called the "Secret Annex." Ultimately, they were all arrested, and Anne, her sister, and her mother perished in German concentration camps. After the war, Anne's father abridged and published an edited version of her diary which omitted the comments about her growing sexual awareness, as well as her crucial remarks about her mother and others who shared her hiding place. This version was also modified to a popular play and a film. Although Anne's diary has time and again been suggested on high school reading lists, parents have complained to school boards in such states as West Virginia in 1982 and in Alabama in 1983, accusing the contents as excessively sexually open or disheartening.

Chapter 4: Poem: Amanda!

The poem describes a girl named Amanda and her mother who is harassing her for her mistakes. She is first scolded by her mother for biting her nails and not sitting in the right position. The mother also feels that Amanda sits in a very sluggish manner. At the same time, Amanda thinks herself to be a mermaid who lives a peaceful and soothing life in the beautiful green sea. Then she gets nagged for keeping her room and shoes untidy and for not doing her homework. She imagines that she was an orphan. She is fed up of being watched by her parents constantly. She wants to enjoy her freedom, by making the patterns of her bare feet on the sand and live a peaceful life. Amanda is then scolded for eating too many chocolates as they are a source of pimples. She is also scolded for not listening to her mother. So, she thinks of being Rapunzel, a character from the fairy tale and wants to live in a huge tower like her. In the tower she would be alone and will live a peaceful life and will never allow anyone to come in. Finally, the mother asks her to stop being temperamental because she did not want anyone to blame her for distressing her daughter. The poet does not write any response from Amanda's side. This habitual nagging had made her so gloomy that she had even stopped imagining herself as someone else. She wanted to escape the nonstop irritation and authority of her parents.