From the Diary of Anne Frank
From the Diary of Anne Frank
Activity (Page 2)
1. Match the terms under ‘A’ with their descriptions under ‘B’.
* (i) Journal: A full record of a journey, a period of time, or an event, written every day.
* (ii) Diary: A book with a separate space or page for each day, in which you write down your thoughts and feelings or what has happened on that day.
* (iii) Log: A written record of events with times and dates, usually official.
* (iv) Memoir(s): A record of a person’s own life and experiences (usually, a famous person).
2. Decide which of the entries might be from a diary, a journal, a log or a memoir.
* (i) I woke up very late today…
Ans: Diary (It records personal thoughts and feelings on a specific day).
* (ii) 10:30 am. Went to the office…
Ans: Log (It is an official, written record of events with times).
* (iii) The ride to Ooty was uneventful…
Ans: Journal (It is a record of a journey over a period of time).
* (iv) This is how Raj Kapoor found me…
Ans: Memoir (It is a record of a famous person’s own life and experiences).
Oral Comprehension Check (Page 4)
1. What makes writing in a diary a strange experience for Anne Frank?
Ans. It is a strange experience for two reasons: first, she has “never written anything before”, and second, “it seems to me that later on neither I nor anyone else will be interested in the musings of a thirteen-year-old schoolgirl”.
2. Why does Anne want to keep a diary?
Ans. Anne wants to keep a diary because she “feel[s] like writing” and has an “even greater need to get all kinds of things off my chest”. Her main reason is that she does not have a “one true friend” to confide in.
3. Why did Anne think she could confide more in her diary than in people?
Ans. Anne felt she could confide more in her diary because of the saying, “Paper has more patience than people”. She felt that she couldn’t “get any closer” to her friends and that they weren’t “liable to change”.
Oral Comprehension Check (Page 4, second set)
1. Why does Anne provide a brief sketch of her life?
Ans. Anne provides a brief sketch of her life because she feels “no one would understand a word of my stories to Kitty if I were to plunge right in”.
2. What tells you that Anne loved her grandmother?
Ans. After her grandmother’s death in January 1942, Anne writes, “No one knows how often I think of her and still love her”. Also, during her birthday celebration in 1942, “Grandma’s candle was lit along with the rest”.
Oral Comprehension Check (Page 7)
1. Why was Mr Keesing annoyed with Anne? What did he ask her to do?
Ans. Mr. Keesing was “annoyed with me for ages because I talked so much”. As a punishment, “he assigned me extra homework. An essay on the subject, ‘A Chatterbox'”.
2. How did Anne justify her being a chatterbox in her essay?
Ans. She justified it with two arguments: first, “that talking is a student’s trait”, and second, that it was an “inherited trait” because her “mother talked as much as I did”.
3. Do you think Mr Keesing was a strict teacher?
Ans. Yes, he was strict about discipline in his class, as he gave Anne “several warnings” and then assigned her extra homework three times as punishment for talking. However, he was not rigid, as he “had a good laugh” at her arguments and “took the joke the right way” in the end.
4. What made Mr Keesing allow Anne to talk in class?
Ans. Anne’s final essay, which she wrote in the form of a humorous poem, made him change his mind. “Mr Keesing took the joke the right way”, read the poem to several classes, and “since then I’ve been allowed to talk”.
Thinking about the Text (Page 7)
1. Was Anne right when she said that the world would not be interested in the musings of a thirteen-year-old girl?
Ans. No, she was not right. The “Before You Read” section states that her diary was “translated from its original Dutch into many languages and became one of the world’s most widely read books” and that “Anne Frank has become one of the most renowned and discussed of the Holocaust victims”.
2. …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?
Ans. The diary was originally written in Dutch.
* Anne’s diary is different from the other examples. The log is official, the journal records a journey, and the diary entry is a simple record. Anne’s diary is different because she did not “want to jot down the facts… the way most people would do”. Instead, she wanted the diary to be her “friend”, whom she called “Kitty”, and she confided her deepest feelings and thoughts to it.
3. Why does Anne need to give a brief sketch about her family? Does she treat ‘Kitty’ as an insider or an outsider?
Ans. She gives a sketch of her family because she believes “no one would understand a word of my stories to Kitty if I were to plunge right in”. She treats ‘Kitty’ as an insider, calling the diary her “long-awaited friend”.
4. How does Anne feel about her father, her grandmother, Mrs Kuperus and Mr Keesing? What do these tell you about her?
Ans. Her father: She adores him, calling him “the most adorable father I’ve ever seen”.
* Her grandmother: She loved her deeply, writing, “No one knows how often I think of her and still love her”.
* Mrs Kuperus: She had a close, emotional bond with her headmistress. “At the end of the year we were both in tears as we said a heartbreaking farewell”.
* Mr Keesing: She initially thought he was an “old fogey” but eventually developed a friendly, joking relationship with him.
* What this tells us: This shows that Anne is an affectionate and loving person who forms strong bonds with people. It also shows she is perceptive and has a good sense of humor.
5. What does Anne write in her first essay?
Ans. She wrote that “talking is a student’s trait” and that she would try to control it. But she also argued that she couldn’t cure herself because it was an “inherited trait” she got from her mother, who “talked as much as I did”.
6. Anne says teachers are most unpredictable. Is Mr Keesing unpredictable? How?
Ans. Yes, Mr. Keesing is unpredictable, just as Anne claims teachers are. Instead of getting angry at her clever arguments, he “had a good laugh”. Later, when she wrote a poem as her third assignment, he “took the joke the right way”, read it to other classes, and “since then I’ve been allowed to talk”. His complete change from a strict “old fogey” to a person who “always making jokes” is very unpredictable.
7. What do these statements tell you about Anne Frank as a person?
Ans. (i) …Maybe it’s my fault that we don’t confide in each other. This shows Anne is mature, introspective, and self-aware. She is willing to consider her own faults.
* (ii) I don’t want to jot down the facts… but I want the diary to be my friend. This shows she is imaginative, lonely, and longs for a true emotional connection rather than just a superficial one.
* (iii) …I was plunked down on the table as a birthday present for Margot. This shows she has a humorous and slightly self-deprecating way of looking at her own life story.
* (iv) …there are so many dummies… This shows she is opinionated, intelligent, and has the confidence (or perhaps arrogance) of a typical teenager.
* (v) …the trick was to come up with convincing arguments… This shows she is clever, creative, and enjoys a challenge. She doesn’t just want to complete the work; she wants to do it intelligently.
Thinking about Language (Pages 8-12)
I. Compound Words
Match the compound words under ‘A’ with their meanings under ‘B’. Use each in a sentence.
Heartbreaking – Producing great sadness.
Homesick – Missing home and family very much.
Blockhead – An informal word meaning a very stupid person.
Law-abiding – Obeying and respecting the law.
Overdo – Do something to an excessive degree.
Daydream – Think about pleasant things, forgetting about the present.
Breakdown – An occasion when vehicles or machines stop working.
Output – Something produced by a person, machine, or organisation.
Sentences:
* Heartbreaking: It was heartbreaking to see the families separated at the border.
* Homesick: The new college student felt homesick after a week away from her family.
* Blockhead: My brother called me a blockhead for forgetting the tickets.
* Law-abiding: He was a law-abiding citizen who had never even had a speeding ticket.
* Overdo: Don’t overdo the exercise on your first day, or you’ll be sore tomorrow.
* Daydream: She would often daydream in class, imagining she was on a beach.
* Breakdown: Our car had a breakdown on the highway.
* Output: The factory’s daily output of cars has doubled.
II. Phrasal Verbs
1. Meanings from a dictionary:
* (i) plunge (right) in: To start doing something quickly or enthusiastically.
* (ii) kept back: To be held back; not promoted to the next class.
* (iii) ramble on: To talk or write aimlessly for a long time.
* (iv) get along with: To have a friendly relationship with someone.
2. Match the phrasal verbs from the lesson with their meanings.
* (i) plunge in: go straight to the topic (Used in “…if I were to plunge right in”)
* (ii) kept back: not promoted (Used in “…who’ll be kept back.”)
* (iii) move up: go to the next grade (Used in “…who’ll move up to the next form…”)
* (iv) ramble on: speak or write without focus (Used in “Anyone could ramble on…”)
* (v) get along with: have a good relationship with (Used in “I get along pretty well with all my teachers.”)
* (vi) calm down: make (them) remain quiet (Used in “…can’t calm them down.”)
* (vii) stay in: stay indoors (Used in “…wondering whether to stay in or go out.”)
* (viii) make up for: compensate (Used in “…was intended to make up for the other…”)
* (ix) hand in: give an assignment… to a person in authority (Used in “I handed it in…”)
III. Idioms
1. Meanings of idiomatic expressions from the text:
* (i) Our entire class is quaking in its boots.
Meaning: Shaking with fear and nervousness.
* (ii) Until then, we keep telling each other not to lose heart.
Meaning: Not to become discouraged or lose hope.
* (iii) Mr Keesing was annoyed with me for ages…
Meaning: For a very long time.
* (iv) …I’d make sure the joke was on him.
Meaning: I would turn the situation around so that he (Mr. Keesing) looked foolish, not me.
2. Use these idiomatic expressions in sentences:
* (i) caught my eye: The bright red scarf in the window caught my eye.
* (ii) he’d had enough: After the third interruption, the principal decided he’d had enough.
* (iii) laugh ourselves silly: The comedian was so funny that we laugh ourselves silly.
* (iv) can’t bring myself to: I can’t bring myself to throw away my old childhood toys.
IV. Idioms with ‘heart’
Meanings and sentences:
* 1. break somebody’s heart: To cause someone great emotional pain.
* Sentence: It will break his mother’s heart when she finds out he failed.
* 2. close/dear to heart: Something or someone that is very important and special to you.
* Sentence: Her grandmother’s advice was always close to her heart.
* 3. from the (bottom of your) heart: With deep and sincere feeling.
* Sentence: I thank you from the bottom of my heart for your kindness.
* 4. have a heart: To be compassionate or merciful.
* Sentence: Have a heart! Don’t make them go out in this terrible rain.
* 5. have a heart of stone: To be unkind, cruel, or unfeeling.
* Sentence: You would need to have a heart of stone not to cry at that sad movie.
* 6. your heart goes out to somebody: To feel great sympathy for someone.
* Sentence: My heart goes out to all the families affected by the flood.
V. Contracted Forms
1. List of contracted forms in the text and their full forms:
* I’ve = I have
* doesn’t = does not
* I’m = I am
* don’t = do not
* that’s = that is
* they’re = they are
* I’d = I would
* who’ll = who will
* it’s = it is
* You’re = You are
* who’s = who is
* haven’t = have not
2. Contracted forms that stand for two different full forms:
* I’d can stand for I had (as in, “After I’d finished…”) or I would (as in, “I’d worry about that later…”).
* he’d can stand for he had (as in, “he’d finally had enough”) or he would.
Speaking (Page 11-12)
Rewriting the extract with contracted forms:
[The door is flung open, and several men tramp in. They carry sticks, and one of them, Hов, has a hammer.]
Hob: Now where is your husband, mistress?
Mary: In his bed. He’s sick, and weary. You wouldn’t harm him!
Hob: We’re going to smash his evil work to pieces. Where’s the machine?
Second 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: Neighbours, he’s a sick man and almost a cripple. You wouldn’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 You’ve broken his machine… You You’ve done enough…
Listening (Page 12)
Summary of Samuel Pepys’s diary entry:
This entry in the diary has been made on September 2nd (Lord’s Day). The person who told Pepys about the fire was called Jane. She called at three in the morning. Pepys went back to sleep because he thought it far enough off. Pepys rose again at seven in the morning. By then about 300 houses had been burned down. The fire had spread to all Fish Street by London Bridge. Pepys then walked to the Tower, along with Sir J. Robinson’s little son.
Amanda!
Thinking about the Poem (Page 15)
1. How old do you think Amanda is? How do you know this?
Ans. Amanda is likely a young teenager (around 10-13 years old). We know this because she is asked about her “homework”, which implies she is in school, and she is reminded about “acne”, which is common during puberty.
2. Who do you think is speaking to her?
Ans. One of her parents is speaking to her, most likely her mother. The speaker is “nagged” at her for various behaviors like biting nails, slouching, not doing homework, and “sulking”.
3. Why are Stanzas 2, 4 and 6 given in parenthesis?
Ans. They are given in parenthesis because they represent Amanda’s internal thoughts and daydreams. They are her silent, imaginative escapes from the scolding she is receiving.
4. Who is the speaker in Stanzas 2, 4 and 6? Do you think this speaker is listening to the speaker in Stanzas 1, 3, 5, and 7?
Ans. Amanda is the speaker in Stanzas 2, 4, and 6.
* No, she is clearly not listening. While the parent is nagging, Amanda is busy imagining herself “drifting blissfully” as a mermaid, “roaming the street” as an orphan, and living “tranquil” in a tower as Rapunzel.
5. What could Amanda do if she were a mermaid?
Ans. She would be the “sole inhabitant” of a “languid, emerald sea” and would be “drifting blissfully” (moving slowly and peacefully).
6. Is Amanda an orphan? Why does she say so?
Ans. No, Amanda is not an orphan (the parent speaking to her proves this). She says she is an orphan because she imagines “roaming the street” and finds this idea of having no one to control her appealing. To her, “The silence is golden, the freedom is sweet”.
7. Do you know the story of Rapunzel? Why does she want to be Rapunzel?
Ans. * (Rapunzel is a fairy tale character locked in a tower.)
* Amanda wants to be Rapunzel to live a “tranquil and rare” life in a tower, away from the constant nagging. She specifically adds that she’ll “certainly never let down my bright hair”, meaning she wants to be alone and doesn’t want to be rescued or bothered by anyone.
8. What does the girl yearn for? What does this poem tell you about Amanda?
Ans. The girl yearns for freedom and peace (“tranquil”). She wants to be free from constant instructions and control.
* The poem tells us that Amanda is a creative, imaginative girl who feels stifled by the rules imposed on her. She escapes into a rich fantasy world to find the peace she lacks in her real life.
9. Read the last stanza. Do you think Amanda is sulking and is moody?
Ans. The speaker (the parent) thinks Amanda “is sulking” and “moody”. However, from Amanda’s point of view (the stanzas in parenthesis), she is not sulking. She is simply lost in her imagination, dreaming of being Rapunzel. Her parent misinterprets her silent, internal escape as “sulking.”