Most of us read Anne Frank's The Diary of a Young Girl in school, or at least on our own - it holds an important place in our literary canon. With the 65-year anniversary of the Franks' capture this August, this morning Midmorning examines its persisting importance. From the Midmorning page:
The importance of Anne Frank
Sixty-five years ago this August, Anne Frank and her family were discovered hiding in an annex in Amsterdam and sent to concentration camps. Though she perished, her diary became one of the most compelling and poignant stories to come out of the holocaust. Midmorning examines the lingering power of Anne Frank's "Diary of a Young Girl."
You've read it - what do you believe it's legacy is today? What gives the book its lingering power? Why does it remain important in our 21st century lives? Listen in at 10 a.m. CDT, and add your comments here.
This is an open discussion, so you're welcome to link to your related Gather articles or other online resources. Your comments & articles may be quoted on http://minnesota.publicradio.org/your_voice/ or on mpr.org.
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Eliza Hartley
Digital Media Intern
Minnesota Public Radio
American Public Media
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Comments: 13
I think it's also a lesson to us all that we will prevail, even with the powerful hatred and violence around us.
That's so great that your students find such inspiration from Anne's diary, Joanne. I've always believed in the applicability of history to our modern lives and the idea of "usable" pasts, but your experience makes that all the more real. Does your students' perspective affect the way you think about the book? What does it mean to you?
It's true, Elizabeth - most of us read this book as young children. Thanks for taking the time to stop by, anyway. Do you have any grandchildren or younger family members? If they've read the book, any idea what it meant to them?
In high school, I stood arm-in-arm with black and white students who were petitioning for black studies and getting no where. We finally had a sit in. Some of the Archie Bunker types couldn't understand why the white kids wanted to learn black history. We told them that if our history was distorted if we didn't learn about everyone - African Americans, Native Americans, etc.
My brother was homeless on and off for over 20 years, so that has also been one of my causes. People misunderstand the homeless, or totally ignore them.
Oh, Eliza, my family and I are going on a cruise at Christmas......we go to Miami, and plan to spend a couple days there after the cruise.....one very important place we WILL visit is the Holocaust Museum in Miami........I guess it is very powerful and extremely emotional as well.
I have always been very interested in Anne Frank, her life and death.