Question

What changes were brought by Anne to Secret Annexe?

Answer 1

Living in hiding, in the secret annex, was twice as hard for the children than the adults because they were being told to hold on to their opinions at a time when their ideals were being shattered by the mayhem of war. As a young girl growing up during the time of the most destructive war in history, seeing the worst side of human nature brought to the fore, it was next to impossible to believe that there could be such things as truth. justice or god. The children were much too young to deal with these problems, ideals, dreams and cherished hopes would rise within them, only to be crushed brutally by the grim reality. However, Anne serves as a role model for the youth of today because she offers a lesson in grace and courage in the face of unforeseen adversities. Her writing has a transformative power which takes every day mundane activities and makes it into amusing anecdotes, showing us how a claustrophobic space such as the secret annex can also be fertile ground for creativity and imagination. Anne deftly navigates her inner and outer world, weaving them together through her contemplative stance on life which is often undercut by her ironic interjections. She not only captures her personal journey but also gives us a commentary on the sociocultural atmosphere and especially, the experience of the war from the perspective of lived reality. In doing so, we come to meet a young girl, full of potential and dreams, but lived under the palpably real threat of death and destruction and yet managed to see the positive side of life hold on to her optimism. That is a lesson that not just the youth but also the grown up adults can take in life.

Answer 2

Anne matured physically, mentally and even spiritually during the 26 months of stay in the secret Annexe. She had grown wise.She was just 13 or so when her family shifted there. Now after 2 years she was no longer just boisterous little Anne wanted to have fun. Now she was a completely different girl from what she used to be. Now she wanted friends not admirers, boyfriend not girlfriends. She would review all of her growth in the past 2 years. She would think that there was so much beauty left in the world. Everyone can go to the beautiful world of nature and be happy. In this 2 years Anne had learnt self control. She has attained a degree of objectivity which is something rare in a girl of her age. She was blessed with a rare quality of self knowledge. This quality made Anne realise her own weakness and shortcomings.Though she remain outwardly cheerful and flippant, she was inwardly more serious and deep. The outer side showed the ordinary Anne who was joyous, happy ,gay and reckless but her inner side showed the nobel Anne who was gentle and loving. This inner side was Anne’s true self.