The book, Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl is the Diary of a young Jewish girl that was alive during the Holocaust. Anne kept a journal about what went on during this terrible time in history. This book has been challenged and banned because readers find it to be a “downer” and because of some sexual content. My opinion on the matter is that this book should not be banned. It gives our kids a real view on an important time in history, it helps us understand what Jews back then went through, and it gives us a taste of the knowledge they had back then.
This book gives us a view of what really happened during the Holocaust and what went on during that horrific time period. Throughout the book, Anne talks about what is going on during the war and how she feels about the whole thing. This book gives us a view on no only and important time in history, but it also shows us what Jews in that time went through and how terrifying it was to be a Jew at that time. In her diary, Anne says: "I could go on for hours about all the suffering the war has brought, but then I would only make myself more dejected. There is nothing we can do but wait as calmly as we can till the misery comes to an end. Jews and Christians wait, the whole earth waits; and there are many who wait for death." Wednesday, 13 January 1943, pg. 48. The Holocaust is not an event we should take lightly or just hide away and make it seem like it never happened. It did happen and it was a horrible thing, we need to help our children understand that and understand that it was something we grieve and should know more about.
Like I mentioned in the paragraph above, it gives us a sense of what it was like to be a Jew during this time. She shares her feelings about the war and about her feelings towards others and about growing up. Every child has thoughts like this and wonders about their own bodies or others. One of the reasons why this book is banned is because of sexual content, Anne does talk about sexual things that she wonders about or thinks about, but that’s normal for a young girl. We all have wondered about this stuff and need to know about it sooner or later, and the sooner we learn it, the more we will understand it and understand what our parents think is right or wrong. Our kids also need to be taught that human suffering is a hard thing and when it’s a public event, where the whole world knows about the suffering, its wrong to put people through that. Reading Anne’s diary will give them a sense of what the Jews went through and it will give them a sense of Anne and they will get to know her on a personal level. Because we have her diary, we are more connected to the Holocaust because we have read her diary, we get a sense of what went on and who Anne Frank was, we come to understand her as a person and not just as a victim from the Holocaust.
When reading this book, I noticed that Anne is very smart for her age. She uses correct grammar, punctuation and even uses some big words in just her diary. I think that its good for kids to read this not only for the history, and to get a sense of what it was like to be a Jew at that time, but also to see how different it was back then from our world today. Now, don't get me wrong, we have a lot of smart people in our world and our children are very bright, but in Europe at that time period, it's amazing to see how children were. They would learn many languages; learn how to write correctly and how to speak correctly. Its good for our kids to contrast that time period and ours and learn about those things.
Now, those who think that the book should be banned have argued that the book contains sexual content and is also a "real downer." Now, I agree that the book can be sad and that the sexual parts in it are a bit surprising to read, but it was a sad time in history and it should be remembered and not forgotten. If we ban this book, the Holocaust won’t be forgotten, but Anne Frank might be, and we don't want to lose her. The other reason for banning the book is because of the sexual content. The thing about that is that, there's honestly not that much of it in there, and kids need to learn about this anyway and are probably already curious about it, just as Anne was. If you don't approve as a parent with the parts in the book that have sexual content, then you don't have to let your kids read those parts, but the book is a good read, along with a good teaching tool for your children.
In conclusion, I would just like to assure you that Anne Frank is a good book to read, it is informative, as well as interesting and I think that we should allow our kids to read it in their personal lives, as well as in school. Now, if parents disapprove of the book, then they can let the teacher know and the teacher will probably do something about it, but there's no need to take it away from every child. This book teaches us about a time in history that we need to be learning about and we need to be teaching our children about. We need to know about that terrible time and we need to get to know Anne Frank and the way she lived her life and died in the way that she did. Don't let Anne Franks Diary die as well, let it live on and enrich peoples lives like it has.
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