ANNE FRANK’S MOTIVATION IN GIVING RESPONSES
TO THE CONFLICTS APPEARING DURING HER HIDING
AS SEEN IN ANNE FRANK’S THE DIARY OF A YOUNG GIRL
A THESIS
Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements
to Obtain the
Sarjana Pendidikan
Degree
in English Language Education
By
Maria Victori Setyastuti
Student Number: 051214058
ENGLISH LANGUAGE EDUCATION STUDY PROGRAM
DEPARTMENT OF LANGUAGE AND ARTS EDUCATION
FACULTY OF TEACHERS TRAINING AND EDUCATION
SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY
YOGYAKARTA
i
ANNE FRANK’S MOTIVATION IN GIVING RESPONSES
TO THE CONFLICTS APPEARING DURING HER HIDING
AS SEEN IN ANNE FRANK’S THE DIARY OF A YOUNG GIRL
A THESIS
Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements
to Obtain the
Sarjana Pendidikan
Degree
in English Language Education
By
Maria Victori Setyastuti
Student Number: 051214058
ENGLISH LANGUAGE EDUCATION STUDY PROGRAM
DEPARTMENT OF LANGUAGE AND ARTS EDUCATION
FACULTY OF TEACHERS TRAINING AND EDUCATION
SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY
YOGYAKARTA
v
How wonderful it is that nobody needs to
wait a single moment before starting to
improve the world.
(Anne Frank)
This Thesis is dedicated with love and gratitude to:
My greatest
father
, my wonderful
mother
,
vii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
First of all, I would like to express my deepest praise and gratitude to my
Lord Jesus Christ and Mother Mary who always guide and strengthen me so that I
am able to finish my thesis. I can do nothing without Their Bless, love and
guidance.
My deepest gratitude goes to my sponsor,
Drs. Antonius Herujiyanto,
M.A., Ph.D.
for his patience in guiding and giving beneficial suggestions. I thank
him for his support and encouragement so that I can accomplish my thesis. I
would also thank to all lectures of English Language Education Study Program for
guiding me and sharing their knowledge during my study in Sanata Dharma
University. I also thank English Language Education Study Program secretaries,
Ms. Tari and Ms. Dani for being helpful and I thank the library staffs for their
help in the process of doing this thesis.
My deepest and endless gratitude goes to my beloved parents,
Albertus
Dwi Semiyanto
and
Catharina Tinte Budi Astuti, S.Pd.
for their endless love,
prayer and support. I also thank all members of Harjono and Supomo family for
giving me support, accommodation and encouragement. My deepest and purest
love and gratitude goes to
Dudy Virnandi, S.Pd.
and family for always
supporting and loving me in good times and bad times.
I would like to thank Vebri, Gendruw, Adi, Evi, Andre, Desi, Lara, Retno
Bere, Datia, Lusi and Ponsi for being my best friends, entertaining me and
viii
do both serving my Lord and finishing my thesis. Special thanks to Hieronimus
Indra for his help sending me Anne Frank’s The Diary of a Young Girl movie.
I would like to appreciate all my classmates,
The Chicken Coop China
Man
crew,
Elite English Club
members (Nana, Vega, Kanya, Sano, Varo and
Filus),
OMK Paroki Delanggu
, and my friends in
KKN
(especially Dita
and Putri)
and
PPL
. Thank you for laughter and tears we have shared together and for
making my life worthwhile.
I thank all of PBI 2005 students who have given me support in the process
of writing this thesis from the beginning until the end. I thank them for coloring
my life with wonderful friendship.
Finally, I would like to thank everyone who has given me support,
encouragement, and prayers I could not mention one by one. Wish the best comes
to us all.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
TITLE PAGE …………..……….………..……….
APPROVAL PAGES ……….….………...….
STATEMENT OF WORK’S ORIGINALITY ……….…….
DEDICATION PAGE ……….…...…..………….
LEMBAR PERNYATAAN
……….….………...…..
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ………...…………..
TABLE OF CONTENTS ……….………..
ABSTRACT ………..…...……..
ABSTRAK
………..…..……...
CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION
A.
Background of the Study ……….….…..……….
B.
Problem Formulation ………..……...……
C.
Objectives of the Study ………..…..………
D.
Benefits of the Study ………...….……...
E.
Definition of Terms ………...….….….
CHAPTER II. REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
A.
Review of Related Theories ……….……..…..……
1.
Theory of Critical Approaches ……….…….…………
2.
Theory of Character ………..……….…….………..
3.
Theory of Characterization ……….…..……....…
4.
Theory of Motivation ………...
a.
Definition of Motivation ……….………...…...…..
b.
Human Motives ………....….…....
B.
Theory of Conflict ……….……….
x
28
29
30
30
32
34
36
37
38
39
39
43
46
48
50
50
56
23
D.
Theoretical Framework ………...……
CHAPTER III. METHODOLOGY
A.
Object of the Study ……….…….…...……
B.
Approach of the Study ………...……...
C.
Method of the Study ………...…..…..
CHAPTER IV. ANALYSIS
A.
The Description of Anne Frank’s Character …………..…..…...…..
1.
Physical Description ……….…...……...…...
2.
Personality Description ………..…..…...…..
a.
Forthright ………..…….…….
b.
Introvert and Independent ………...……..…...
c.
Jealous ………...………...…………...
d.
More Introspective ……….…...…….
e.
Smart ……….……….…...….…..
B.
Anne Frank’s Responses to the Conflicts Appearing during Her
Hiding . ……….…...……….…..……..
1.
Anne’s Conflicts Appearing during Her Hiding ……….…...…
a.
Anne’s Conflict with Her Mother ………....…..…
b.
Anne’s Conflict with Her Father ………....…...
c.
Anne’s Conflict with The van Daan’s ………...…
d.
Anne’s Conflict with Mr. Dussel ………….………..….
C.
The Surface Meaning and Deeper Meaning of Anne Frank’s
Motivation in Giving Responses to the Conflicts during Her
Hiding………...…..
1.
The Surface Meaning of Anne Frank’s Motivation in Giving
Responses to the Conflicts during Her Hiding ………..………...
2.
The Deeper Meaning of Anne Frank’s Motivation in Giving
Responses to the Conflicts during Her Hiding ……….….…...…
24
25
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CHAPTER V. CONCLUSIONS AND SUGGESTIONS
A.
Conclusions ………..….…………
B.
Suggestions ………...………
1.
Suggestions for Future Researchers ………...…...
2.
Suggestion for Using Literature in Teaching English ……...…...
REFERENCES
………...……...
APPENDICES
………..……….
A.
Summary of The Diary of a Young Girl …………...….
B.
Biography of Anne Frank ……….…………..…...…..
C.
Lesson Plan for Teaching Intensive Reading 2 ….…………..…...
D.
Materials ………..……….
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xii
ABSTRACT
Setyastuti, Maria Victori. 2010.
Anne Frank’s Motivation in Giving Responses
to the Conflicts Appearing during Her Hiding as Seen in Anne Frank’s The
Diary of a Young Girl
.
Yogyakarta: Faculty of Teachers Training and Education,
Department of Language and Arts Education, English Language Education Study
Program, Sanata Dharma University.
This study is entitled
Anne Frank’s Motivation in Giving Responses to
the Conflicts Appearing during Her Hiding as Seen in Anne Frank’s The
Diary of a Young Girl
.
It deals with Anne Frank’s literary work which describes
a family who was hiding from Nazi’s occupation in the Netherlands. Anne
Frank’s literary work tells about the life-experience of the author herself, Anne
Frank, who was a Jewish girl that was forced to go into a hiding place with her
family in searching for safety in order to avoid being chased by Nazi. The aim of
the study is to see one’s responses to the conflicts taking place during a certain
period of time as seen in Anne Frank, one of the main characters in Anne Frank’s
The Diary of a Young Girl, who lived in a hiding place.
There are two problems discussed in this study. They are: (1) how Anne
Frank is described in Anne Frank’s The Diary of a Young Girl, (2) how Anne
Frank gave responses to the conflicts appearing during her hiding.
The method of this study was library study. The primary source of this
study was Anne Frank’s The Diary of a Young Girl.
The secondary sources were
books and articles on the theory of Character and Characterization, theory of
Critical Approaches and theory of Motivation in order to achieve the objectives.
Since this study focuses on Anne Frank’s motivation, therefore psychological
approach was employed as the approach of this study.
The first findings in this study reveal that Anne Frank is classified into a
protagonist, round, and dynamic character. She also described as a
thirteen-year-old Jewish girl with pretty face and dimples in her face. She was forthright,
introvert and independent, jealous, smart, and she became more introspective
during her hiding. The second findings reveal that the surface meaning of Anne
Frank’s motivation in giving responses to the conflicts appearing during her
hiding was her affiliation motives and achievement motives, while the deeper
meaning of Anne Frank’s motivation in giving responses to the conflicts
appearing during her hiding was her motivation to survive in the world.
xiii
ABSTRAK
Setyastuti, Maria Victori. 2010.
Anne Frank’s Motivation in Giving Responses
to the Conflicts Appearing during Her Hiding as Seen in Anne Frank’s The
Diary of a Young Girl
.
Yogyakarta: Program Studi Pendidikan Bahasa Inggris,
Jurusan Pendidikan Bahasa dan Seni, Fakultas Keguruan dan Ilmu Pendidikan,
Universitas Sanata Dharma.
Penelitian ini berjudul
Anne Frank’s Motivation in Giving Responses to
the Conflicts Appearing during Her Hiding as Seen in Anne Frank’s The
Diary of a Young Girl
.
Penelitian ini berhubungan dengan karya sastra yang
ditulis oleh Anne Frank yang menggambarkan sebuah keluarga yang bersembunyi
dari pendudukan Nazi di negeri Belanda. Karya ini menceritakan tentang
pengalaman hidup sang penulis, Anne Frank yang merupakan seorang gadis
Yahudi yang terpaksa bersembunyi dengan keluarganya demi mencari
keselamatan dari kejaran Nazi. Tujuan dari penelitian ini adalah untuk melihat
reaksi seseorang terhadap konflik yang terjadi pada kurun waktu tertentu
sebagaimana terlihat pada Anne Frank, salah satu tokoh utama dalam buku The
Diary of a Young Girl yang ditulisnya sendiri, yang hidup di persembunyian.
Ada dua permasalahan yang dibahas dalam penelitian ini, yaitu: (1)
bagaimana Anne Frank digambarkan di dalam The Diary of a Young Girl yang
ditulis oleh Anne Frank, (2) bagaimana Anne Frank menanggapi konflik-konflik
yang muncul selama persembunyiannya.
Metode penelitian ini adalah studi kepustakaan. Sumber utama dari
penelitian ini adalah buku yang berjudul The Diary of a Young Girl yang ditulis
oleh Anne Frank. Sumber sekunder adalah buku-buku tentang teori Karakter dan
Karakterisasi, teori Pendekatan Tinjauan Kritis dan teori Motivasi untuk mencapai
tujuan penelitian ini. Karena penelitian ini berfokus pada motivasi Anne Frank,
maka pendekatan yang digunakan adalah pendekatan psikologis.
Penemuan pertama dalam penelitian ini mengungkapkan bahwa Anne
Frank digolongkan sebagai karakter protagonis, dinamis, dan komplek. Ia juga
digambarkan sebagai remaja Yahudi berumur tigabelas tahun yang cantik dan
memiliki lesung pipit di wajahnya. Ia seorang yang terus-terang, tertutup dan
mandiri, pencemburu, pandai, dan lebih introspektif selama berada di
persembunyiannya. Penemuan kedua mengungkapkan bahwa makna tersurat dari
motivasi Anne Frank dalam merespon setiap konflik yang muncul selama
persembunyiannya adalah pengaruh dari motivasi mendekat dan motivasi
pencapaian, sedangkan makna tersirat dari motivasi Anne Frank dalam merespon
setiap konflik yang muncul selama persembunyiannya adalah keinginannya untuk
bertahan hidup di dunia.
1
CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION
This chapter consists of five parts. The first part is the Background of the
Study, stating the reason of choosing the book as the primary data of this study.
The second part is the Problem Formulation that contains questions to be
answered as the focus of this study. The third is Objectives of the Study which
elaborates the main purpose of this study. The fourth is Benefits of the Study that
contains the advantages of this study and the last part is Definition of Terms that
will help readers to understand this thesis better.
A. Background of the study
Literature as one of special written art works involves social phenomena,
thoughts, feeling, attitude, and even the society itself in it. As a unique art, it
offers special way to provide us with a very clear reflection of our living.
Therefore, we can understand ourselves, people around us, even our society by
reading literature. Moreover, people can learn the life values through literature
without experiencing by themselves. In other words, literature is the best teacher
in our life since it is a mean that provides us with chances to reflect. Literature lets
us stand as an observer so that we can see life and its aspects clearly. We do not
According to Hudson (10), literature is a vital record of what men have
seen about life; what they have experienced of it, what they have thought, and felt
about those aspects of which have the most immediate and enduring human
interest. Literature also plays an important role in language learning. We can
enrich our vocabularies and improve our reading skills by reading literary works.
Anne Frank’s The Diary of a Young Girl is one example of literary works.
Literary works in the form of diaries are not common or popular to be read by
Indonesian people. Since, our people are socialized who like to share their feeling
to others better than to write it in a diary. In contrast, Western people are more
introvert and independent, so that it is common to write everything in a diary.
Therefore, many art works in the form of diaries are more popular in Western
countries rather than in our country.
Anne Frank’s The Diary of a Young Girl contains many life-lessons which
can also improve our reading skills and enrich our vocabularies, since it has varied
diction. Anne Frank used a simple language which was easy to follow in her
diary. Moreover, she told her experiences, her thoughts and feelings clearly which
makes the readers can feel that they are involved in the story. Anne Frank’s The
Diary of a Young Girl has won several literary awards which prove that it is worth
reading. Because of its strengths, I choose Anne Frank’s literary work as the
primary source of my study.
I am interested in studying Anne Frank’s motivation in giving response to
conflict and difficulty in her life. Anne Frank’s The Diary of a Young Girl tells
about a life of a young Jewish girl who was forced to go into hiding in order to
avoid Nazi’s execution. Anne Frank was not a great author. She was only a little
girl who liked to write on her diary. She wrote everything about her life, her
thoughts, her feelings and her comments in her diary that she called Kitty. Despite
the fact that she was not a great author, her literary work is so inspiring as it
contains so many lessons of life. The readers can see how a young girl overcame
every problem, how tough she was, how critical and sensitive her thoughts were,
and how the situation in the hiding caused a little girl grew up much wiser than
other girls in her age.
The central of the character in this literary work is the author herself, Anne
Frank who was a young Jewish girl who lived during the World War II. She was
born in Frankfurt am Main, Germany in 1929. In 1933, she and her family moved
to Amsterdam in search of safety. German invasion of Holland began on May 10th
1940. The Jews, whose freedom was restricted by a series of anti-Jewish decrees,
lived under severe discrimination during the Nazi’s authority. Some of those
decrees were: Jews were required to wear a yellow star to show that they were
Jews, Jews were forbidden to use trams, swimming pools, tennis court and other
public places. They were forbidden to go to cinemas, theaters, and any other
forms of entertainment, Jews were forbidden to ride car even their own, Jews were
required to do their shopping between 3.00 and 5.00 p.m., Jews were required to
were also forbidden to be out on the street between 8.00 p.m. and 6.00 a.m. Jews
were forbidden to sit in their gardens or in their friends’ gardens after 8.00 p.m.,
Jews were forbidden to visit Christians in their homes, and last but not least Jews
were required to attend Jewish school.
One day, her sister, Margot, was called by Nazi to go to the concentration
camp. Franks family decided to go into hiding sooner than what had been planned
in order not to let Margot taken by Nazi. Living in the small hiding place with
some other people was not easy. There were many conflicts that aroused there.
However, those conflicts brought some development toward the major character,
Anne Frank. A young girl was growing older and more mature in emotion after
experiencing some conflicts in which most of those came from other people’s bad
treatments and behaviors toward her.
At first, Anne Frank was a reactive girl who always got angry easily
whenever she felt bothered by others. However, she grew wiser, more
introspective and more mature. Anne Frank’s maturity in thinking and attitudes
were not without crossing a long process. She faced many troubles and conflicts
in her life. She had her own motivation in solving every problem.
Anne Frank’s The Diary of a Young Girl is a good literary work for all
ages. The readers can learn how cruel the war is and how it is important for people
in this world to respect each other’s rights and respect other persons as unique
characters from it. The readers can see how difficult to live in the hiding with
Anne and her family faced many troubles and conflicts in the hiding. They lived
in fears and anxiousness and lived without freedom for about two years. This
literary work also shows the readers Anne’s relationship with her mother which
was not going well and how she gave response to it.
This is a unique literary work which teaches us how to dream and conquer
every problem to be stronger and more independent through a story of a young
girl. Through the main character people can learn how to be ambassadors of peace
for the entire world, how to be sensitive and emphatic. They will never think
about promoting war to gain their goals. Someone will not promote war if he/she
knows exactly that war will not bring anything except grief, pain and suffering of
thousands innocent people.
B. Problem Formulation
In order to facilitate the analysis, I formulate the following problems:
1. How is Anne Frank described in The Diary of a Young Girl?
2. How did Anne Frank give responses to the conflicts appearing during her
hiding?
3. What are the surface and deeper meanings of Anne Frank’s motivation in
C. Objectives of the Study
The aim of the study is to see one’s responses to the conflicts taking place
during a certain period of time as seen in Anne Frank, one of the main characters
in Anne Frank’s The Diary of a Young Girl who lived in a hiding place.
D. Benefit of the Study
The benefit of the study is to investigate the motivation of Anne Frank to
live in and conquer every problem during her life in the hiding. By reading this
thesis, the readers and the English Education students may know how Anne Frank
gives responses to the conflicts appearing during her hiding. Therefore, they can
also realize that war will only bring misery and suffering in our life. Besides, the
students who want to analyze the same literary work can use this study as a
reference to have a different perspective of it.
E. Definition of Terms
There are some terms which need to be clarified in order to avoid
misunderstanding, as follows:
1. Motivation
Huffman, Vernoy and Vernoy (392) describe motivation as factors within
an individual (such as needs, desires, and interests) that activate, maintain, and
direct behavior toward a goal. This indicates that the way a person behaves is
needs. Huffman, Vernoy and Vernoy (392) also state that research in motivation
attempts to answer ‘why’ questions about human and animal behavior. That is
why to answer the question of why people behave as they do. Moreover Abrams
(23) defines motivation as the ground in the characters’ temperament, desires, and
moral nature for their speech and actions. Motivation in this study refers to Anne
Frank’s motivation in giving responses to the conflict appearing during her hiding.
2. Conflict
Conflict is the essence of all stories. According to Holman (107), conflict
is the struggle that grows out of the interplay of the two opposing forces in a plot.
It provides interest, suspense, and tension. Holman (107) adds that a character
might be involved in conflicts of four different kinds: a struggle against nature, a
struggle against another person, a struggle against society, a struggle of mastery
by two elements within a person. The conflict may be simple (single) or complex.
Nevertheless, it is hardly to find a simple conflict taking part in someone’s life,
generally a complex one partaking of two or even all of the preceding elements.
Conflict not only implies the struggle of a protagonist against someone or
something, it also implies the existence of some motivation for the conflict or
some goal to be achieved thereby (108).The conflict used in this study refers to a
3. Diary
According to Hornby in Oxford Advanced Learners Dictionary (331),
Diary is “(a book used for a) daily record of events, thoughts, appointments, etc”.
While the term “Diarist” refers to “person who writes diary, especially one that is
later published”. Diarist in this novel refers to Anne Frank herself. In this study,
diary refers to Anne Frank’s notebook which records her life-story during the
hiding and a little part tells her life before going into hiding.
4. Response
According to Hornby in Oxford Advanced Learners Dictionary (1000),
response is an action or feeling produced in answer to something, a reaction. In
other words, when you are facing problem then you take an action, evaluate and
learn from your faults that cause problem so that you can be a better person.
Response in this study refers to Anne’s actions and reactions to the conflicts
appearing during her hiding.
5. Personality
Kalish (53) determines personality as someone’s nature and development,
the way it adjusts to the world, its feeling, its value, its problems, and the ways in
which it deals with these problems. From this statement it can be concluded that
personality is someone’s quality in adjusting everything that happens in his/her
life. Personality in this study refers to Anne Frank’s quality in adjusting
9
CHAPTER II
THEORITICAL FRAMEWORK
It is necessary to take account of some theories which can support the
answers of the questions in the problem formulation. This chapter consists of three
main parts. The first one is review of related theories. The second one is context
of the book and the third is Theoretical Framework. In the review of related
theory, I give a brief explanation of the theories that support my study. Context of
the book gives the description of the setting in Anne Frank’s The Diary of a
Young Girl, while Theoretical framework gives a brief summary about the
theories that is used in my study.
A. Review of Related Theories
This section presents some theories and reviews which can be used in
analyzing a literary work. I have two problem formulations in this study.
Psychological approach will be used in answering the two problems. Besides that,
theory of character and characterization are used to find out a clear description of
Anne Frank as the main character to support the answer. To support the answer of
the second problem, theories of motivation are used to find out Anne Frank
motivation in giving responses to the conflicts appearing during her hiding.
1. Theory of Critical Approaches
A standard preference which is called critical approaches is crucial in
analyzing a literary work, since individual prejudice will naturally lead to be
subjective. An approach will guide us to understand the nature, function and the
possible value of literary work. According to Rohrberger and Woods (13-17) in
Reading and Writing about Literature, there are five critical approaches which can
be implemented in analyzing a literary work. The first is formalist approach that
emphasizes the derivation of meaning from the structure and the consideration of
technique towards the structure for the sake of the integrity. Therefore, this
approach is said to be concentrated on esthetic value.
The second is biographical approach that considers the author’s
personality development and life as a guidance to understand his or her literary
work. It is correlated with a belief that the author’s ideas and personality might be
reflected into his work of art. The third is sociocultural-historical approach that is
used to analyze the literary works by referring to the social, cultural, and historical
environment in the literary work.
Mythopoeic approach, as the fourth approach uses a particular recurrent
pattern of human thoughts such as myths and folk rites in order to understand the
literary works. It also concerns with the concept of death and rebirth, guilt, and
sacrifices, primitive rites and theological aspect of Christian doctrine.
The last one is psychological approach that applies psychology to explain
analyzing the literary works (13-17). From those approaches, the psychological
approach is chosen and implemented in analyzing Anne’s motivation in giving
responses to the conflicts taking place during her hiding. I choose this approach
because this study deals with Anne Frank’s motivation and personality. Therefore,
psychological approach is the most suitable approach to be implemented in this
study. Using this approach enables me to have better understanding the main
character behavior. Psychological approach also helps me to dig out some
psychological characteristics influenced by the moral values in the main character.
According to Lester D. Crow and Alice Crow in Reading In General
Psychology (228-231), psychology is often said as the study of human behavior
and the progress of man’s self development. Human behavior and development
are influenced by the environment and the potential that man have. That is why
psychology can be said as the study of personality.
In this book, the most famous work of personality is Sigmund Freud’s
theory of personality. As the first psychoanalyst he states three elements, namely
the id, the ego, and the superego, can affect human personality. Those three
elements have their own function.
The first component is the id. The id is that aspect of self that encourages
the fulfillment of personal needs and urges, possibly through personally and
socially harmful behavior (229). This component is the only one component that
every human has since he or she is born. The second is the ego. The ego
represents conscious states and acts (229). Human will have this ego if they are
can act appropriately in society. This component deals with the reality. The third
is the superego. The superego was one of personality trait that controls
participation in selfish or self-centered activities (229). As the last component of
personality, superego holds very important part. This component of personality
provides human being to be able to make judgment, build a sense of right or
wrong. Since the id gives impulses to the ego then the superego acts what the ego
has decided to act.
2. Theory of Character
Story in Anne Frank’s literary work has the elements which help readers to
understand the idea of the story. They are plot, characters, dialogue, time and
place. This part will elaborate further the theory of character and characterization
in order to get a better understanding of the character in the literary work. The
theory of character and characterization is used to examine Anne Frank’s
character as the main character in Anne Frank’s The Diary of a Young Girl. I
apply this theory by relating the theory with her behavior and action.
Based on M.H. Abrams’ A Glossary of Literary Terms (23), characters are
the person’s described in a literary work, who have the moral and natural qualities
that can be identified by seeing what they say as in the dialogue and what they do
as in the action. Characters have emotion, temperament, moral, and social values
that become the basic motivation of his or her speech and actions. During the
happened to the character can affect their thoughts, ideas, or their environment or
society.
According to Graham Little (89), character is a very important feature of
the narrative forms of literature. Graham also states the importance of
relationships between characters, and depth of portrayal of character. Characters
have different ideas about another character, or false ideas about themselves. He
adds further that the contrasts and misunderstanding is obviously has relationships
between characters. Depth of portrayal of character is a complex of human
personality of character, many motives and desires, some in conflict with one
another.
Milligan (195) defines two kinds of character; major characters are those
who appear more often in the story than the other characters, while secondary
characters are those who appear less in the story. While, Abrams (89) explains
character can be divided into protagonist and antagonist. Protagonist character is
the essential figure in the story and usually becomes the main character of the
story. However, according to him, antagonist character which refers to human,
situation or condition may as well create some conflicts in the story.
Based on E.M Forster (46), there are two kinds of character; they are
flat and round character. Flat or simple character, which is defined as a single idea
or quality, is presented in outline without individualizing detail. Therefore, it can
be summed up as a single phrase or sentence. A flat character usually possesses
to one another. Furthermore, there are two benefits in using flat character (Forster
47). First, the reader can recognize the character in the story easily. In other
words, the reader can get the description of the whole character only by seeing a
part of the character. The second benefit is that the character does not have many
changes from the beginning until the end of the story. Thus, the reader can
remember the character unalterable since he or she is not changed by the
situations.
According to Abrams (24), the character is called round or complex
because he or she is complex in temperament and motivation and is represented
with subtle particularity. Round characters are artistically speaking and have a
higher achievement. Laar and Sshoonderwoerd (170-171) determine that there is
always a surprise element in round character and the action is clear to reader
because that action is quite suited. The round character is more lifelike than flat
character because it represents human character which does not only have a single
attitude. Someone’s character always changes.
Based on Perrine (71), there are two kinds of character; static character is a
character that does not undergo the process of development as result of all things
which happen to the person, whereas dynamic character changes when things
happen. It also undergoes an important, basic, and permanent change in character,
3. Theory of Characterization
In analyzing characters in literary work, it is important to know how the
author presents the character. It is called characterization. According to
Rohrberger and Wood (20), they define characterization as the process by which
an author creates character, the devices by which he makes us believe a character
is the particular type of person he is.
I use Murphy’s theory of characterization in his book Understanding
Unseen: An Introduction to English Poetry and the English Novel for Overseas
Students to support my idea in analyzing Anne Frank’s The Diary of a Young
Girl. Murphy points out nine techniques of characterization that can be used to
understand characters in a literary work. The first way is from personal
description. The author directly describes the characters’ appearance and clothes
(161), what the character looks like and what social class they belong to. The
readers have the imagination from the descriptions given about how the character
looks like.
The second way is character as seen by another. Differs from the personal
description which tells the readers directly about the character, the author can also
describe him through the eyes and opinions of another (162). Thus, the readers get
a reflected image of the character through others characters’ thought and
perception. The third way is speech. The author can give the readers insight of the
character through what the character says, whenever he speaks, whenever he is in
The fourth is past life. The author can give the readers a clue to events that
have helped to shape a person’s character by telling his past life. This can be
showed by the direct comment of the author, through a person’s thoughts, by his
conversation or by a medium of another person (166). The fifth is conversation of
others. The author can describe a character through the conversations of other
people and the things they say about him. People are talking about other people
and the things they say often give us a clue to the character of the person being
spoken about (167).
The sixth way is reactions. The author also gives a clue to a person’s
character by letting the readers know how the character reacts to various situations
and events (168). The seventh way is direct comment. The author describes or
comments on a person’s character directly (170). The eighth way is thoughts. The
author gives the readers direct knowledge of what the person is thinking about
(171).
The last way of characterization is Mannerism that describes a character’s
mannerisms, habits, or idiosyncrasies that may also tell the readers something
about his character (173).
4. Theory of Motivation
There are many types of motivation stated by theorists. However, this
study only focuses on achievement and affiliative motive proposed by David
McClelland.
a. Definition of Motivation
According to McConnell (259), motivation originally comes from the
Latin word “motivate” meaning “to move”-is defined in many different ways, the
most common one is a series of questions that you ask about why people think,
feel, and behave as they do. Murray (7) distinguishes motivation from the other
factors that also influence behavior, such as the past experience of a person, the
physical capabilities, and the environmental situation in which a person finds
himself.
When we are talking about motivation it assumes that there is a cause in
every behavior (Franken 3). Robert Beck (24) states that motivation is broadly
concerned with the contemporary determinants of choice (direction), persistence,
and vigor of goal-directed behavior.
According to Huffman, et al (392), motivation refers to factors within an
individual (such as needs, desires, and interests) that activate, maintain, and direct
behavior toward a goal. This indicates that the way a person does some behaviors
is guided by some purposes and goals or satisfaction of some needs. Research in
motivation attempts to answer ‘why’ questions about human and animal behavior
(Huffman, Vernoy and Vernoy 392). That is why to answer the question of why
people behave as they do.
The ground in the characters’ temperament, desires, and moral nature for
applied in literary terms meaning motivation in literary works can be analyzed
from the characters’ speech and actions. While, Petri (4) proposes,
Some motivation theories emphasize that the basic motive of all humans is to become as personally fulfilled as we can. Every human has socially motivated, it deals their interaction with others, and this interaction both generates and directs behavior.
Therefore, it can be concluded that motivation is any factors (such as
needs, desires, and interests) that activate and maintain on why one thinks, feels
and behaves and the other factors that influence behavior, such as her past
experience, her physical capabilities and the environmental situation. Motivation
can be determined by answering ‘why’ people behave as they do to reach their
goal.
b. Human Motives
Based on David C. McClelland’s theory (224), there are four human
motives including achievement motive, power motive, affiliative motive and
avoidance motive. However, I only discuss achievement and affiliative motive
since these two motives are appropriate to this research.
“Rewarding the achievement motive is doing something better” is the natural incentive for the achievement motive. It now is time to become more precise, for people can do better for all sorts of reasons – to please the teacher, to avoid criticism, to gain the approval of a loved one, or simply to get some time off from work. What should be involved in the achievement motive is doing something better for its own sake, for the intrinsic satisfaction of doing something better. (227)
From the statement above, achievement motivation can be concluded as a better
work. Thus, people who have high achievement are attracted primarily to the
situations where they are possible to make an improvement.
According to Murray in Huffman, Vernoy and Vernoy’s Psychology in
Action (399) identify “achievement motivation as the need for success, for doing
better than others, and for mastering challenging tasks”. In McClelland’s Human
Motivation, Murray states his Illustrative List of Need, in which one of them is
achievement motives. He defines achievement as follows:
To accomplish something difficult. To master, manipulate, or organize physical objects, human beings, or ideas. To do this as rapidly and as independently as possible. To overcome obstacles and attain a high standard. To excel oneself. To rival and surpass others. To increase self-regard by the successful exercise of talent. (46)
While in Beck’s Motivation (317), Murray defines “need for achievement
as a desire or tendency ‘to overcome obstacles, to exercise power, to strive to do
something difficult as well and as quickly as possible’. Though it seems there are
different definitions of achievement motivation, they have the same meaning. In
this study, achievement motivation can be defined as motives to overcome
obstacles and make improvement; to strive to do something difficult as well, as
rapidly as and independently as possible.
The term ‘affiliations’ refers just to associate with others, apart from the
question liking them or loving them ( Beck 354). It indicates that affiliation
consists of all kinds of relationship, not only because of liking or loving someone
but also hating or confronting someone. According to Illustrative List of Murray’s
To draw near and enjoyable cooperate or reciprocate with an allied other (an other who resembles the subject or who likes the subject). To please and win affection of a cathected object. To adhere and remain loyal to a friend. (46)
This definition shows that affiliation motives have something to do with human
relationship. McClelland (346-347) states “whether or not it is exactly what
people seek in interacting with others, certainly depriving individuals of the
opportunity for interaction arouses in them what has been called the need for
affiliation or the need to be with people”. Everybody needs others in their life; it
cannot be avoided by human.
There is considerable evidence that when people are fearful they prefer to
be with others as it can provide comfort (Beck 356). It clarifies that individual
needs others in their life. Epley in Beck’s Motivation (356) suggests three ways
by which the presence of others may reduce responses:
Epley suggests three ways by which the presence of others may reduce responses to aversive stimuli (or conditioned aversive stimuli). First, the other person may serve as a ‘calm’ model for the anxious person to imitate. Second, the companion may do something to distract the subject. Third, the mere physical presence of another might be fear reducing, even though the other person does nothing.
The presence of others may have good and bad side. When it can calm down the
other, it can be said that it is good. However, if it distracts one’s concentration
then that must be the bad one. While due to the presence of others can reduce fear,
it can also be very helpful.
Based on the above definition, affiliative motive is summarized as loyalty
with other people. The need for affiliation is also called the need to be with
people. The presence of others can either calm an individual and reduce his/her
fear, or distract the human being.
5. Theory of Conflict
Theory of conflict is applied to dig out second problem formulation of this
study. Conflict is the essence of all stories. According to Holman (107), conflict is
the struggle that grows out of the interplay of the two opposing forces in a plot. It
provides interest, suspense, and tension. There are two kinds of conflict. An
external conflict is a struggle between a character and an outside force. While, a
struggle that takes place in a character's mind is called internal conflict.
Holman
(107) adds that a character might be involved in conflicts of four different kinds: a
struggle against nature, a struggle against another person, a struggle against
society, a struggle of mastery by two elements within a person.
The conflict may be simple (single) or complex. Nevertheless, it is hardly
to find a simple conflict taking part in someone’s life, generally a complex one
partaking of two or even all of the preceding elements. Conflict not only implies
the struggle of a protagonist against someone or something, it also implies the
existence of some motivation for the conflict or some goal to be achieved thereby
B. Context of the Book: Amsterdam during the World War II
Anne Frank’s story which was written in her diary was taken place in
Amsterdam during the World War II. She started her diary on June 12, 1942 and
she was forced to stop on August 1, 1944. The German invasion began on May
10, 1940. Holland was forced to surrender after the fierce fighting near Arnhem
and the bombing of Rotterdam.
Nazi rule in Holland brought many changes which mean difficulties for the
Dutch especially the Jews. The identity cards were introduced and food rationing
was begun. The Dutch Jews began to suffer persecution. Between 1940 and 1941
there was a regular removal of Jews from public life. Jews were excluded from
hotels and restaurants, they had to register with the Nazi authorities, and
Jewish-owned land was appropriated and sold to non-Jews.
The Jewish population in Holland in 1940 was about 140.000, 24.000 of
them were refugees. Amsterdam had the largest Jewish community of 90.000. The
first mass of Jews began to be arrested on February 1941. On February 22, 1941,
Jews boys and men were grabbed, beaten and taken away from their homes, the
streets and cafes. They never came back after that and no one knew where they
were taken to. Another 230 Jews who were mainly refugees suddenly disappeared
in June 1941. Young Jews were excluded from state schools and universities.
Then, by April 1942, all Jews had to wear a yellow star so that everyone could see
C. Theoretical Framework
This part mentions the theories required in this study and the function of
each theory. Theory of character and characterization is attached in order to
answer the first research problem in this study. Theory of critical approach
supports this study as it focuses on the psychological aspects of the character.
Theory of conflict investigates Anne Frank’s conflicts appearing during her
hiding. Theory of motivation investigates surface and deeper meaning of Anne
24
CHAPTER III
METHODOLOGY
This chapter consists of three parts; the first part is Object of the Study
which explains what the literary work is generally about. The second part is
Approach of the Study that discusses the approach which is used to analyze this
literary work. The last part is Method of the Study which explains about the
method that is applied in conducting this study.
A. Object of the Study
The object of the study is Anne Frank’s The Diary of a Young Girl which
consists of 427 pages. This literary work is an English version which was originally entitled Het Achterhuis. This literary work was originally written by
Anne Frank but then edited by Otto Frank (Anne’s father) and Mirjam Pressler.
This literary work was published in London, England by Puffin Modern Classic in
2002 (first published in 1947). The date of the diary started from 12 June 1942
and ended on 1 August 1944.
Anne Frank’s The Diary of a Young Girl portrays the life of a young
Jewish girl in the hiding place including its conflicts and problems. This girl
named Anne Frank was born in Frankfurt am Main, Germany, in 1929. In 1933,
measures created by Adolf Hitler. Then, on 6 July 1942 they had to go into hiding
place in order not to be sent to the concentration camps.
The life of Annexe’s residents changed dramatically in the hiding place.
They had no freedom, enough foods, money, water and even spaces during their
hiding. Living with some people in one small place for years aroused many
problems and conflicts. However, those conflicts could form one’s character, in
this case Anne’s characters. She had some conflicts not only with her mother but
also Mr. Dussel and the Van Daans. The motivation in facing and solving
problems determined her response towards the conflicts. Anne used to be a critical
and forthright girl. Therefore, people around her see her as a bad-mannered and
bad-tempered girl. She was very close to her father and she loved him very much.
He used to be on her side, except once when she had quarrels with her mother and
her sister. Then she realized that she could not count on anyone else. She had no
shoulders to cry on whenever she needed someone to talk with. This fact hurt her
and encouraged her to be an independent person because she could not always
depend on someone to help her.
As time went by, she grew as a wise young girl with broader thinking
compared to the girls in her age and to those people in Secret Annexe.
B. Approach of the Study
Due to obtain the answers to the problem formulation, a certain approach
discussed. The psychological approach is applied in analyzing Anne Frank’s The
Diary of a Young Girl. Psychological approach is an approach which is used to
analyze character’s behavior and personality.
The character being analyzed in this study is Anne Frank as she is the
central of the story. Anne’s psychological condition is interpreted both implicitly
and explicitly in Anne Frank’s The Diary of a Young Girl. Thus, Anne’s character
can be analyzed through her words, minds and attitudes stated in her literary work.
C. Method of the Study
I used the library study to analyze Anne Frank’s The Diary of a Young
Girl. There were several steps that I took in order to analyze the study well. The
first step was choosing a literary work to be discussed. Anne Frank’s The Diary of
a Young Girl was chosen as the main reference. Then, I started to read it several
times to understand the story thoroughly. I underlined important sentences in the
literary work which related to my study. It was important to find the essential part
and take notes. Therefore, the aim and the problem of the study could be
formulated after the comprehensive reading.
Second, I decided to deal with the topic which was interesting and had not
been taken by other researcher. Anne’s responses to the conflicts taking place
during her hiding were the most interesting part. Thus, her motivation in giving
Third, I collected some references from books or internet that could
support the study. They helped me to find some beneficial points about Anne
Frank and her literary work.
Fourth, I looked for the method and theory that could be used to analyze
Anne Frank’s The Diary of a Young Girl. In this phase, the problems in problem
formulation were answered by using the approaches and references related to the
study.
Finally, I made a conclusion of the study. The conclusion was the findings
of the analysis. I gave conclusion together with some suggestions for further
researcher and for the implementation of teaching-learning activity using Anne
Frank’s The Diary of a Young Girl. I also gave the appendices containing the
summary of it, the biography of the author, and the lesson plan of
28
CHAPTER IV
ANALYSIS
Three research problems have been further analyzed in this chapter; first,
how Anne Frank is described in The Diary of a Young Girl, both before and after
she goes to the hiding. Second, how Anne Frank gave responses to the conflicts
during her hiding and third, the surface and deeper meanings of Anne Frank’s
motivation in giving responses to the conflicts appearing during her hiding.
A. The Description of Anne Frank’s Character
This part discusses how the major character is described in The Diary of a
Young Girl. Anne Frank is the major character in The Diary of a Young Girl for
she always appears in the entire story. This part consists of two sub parts. The first part describes Anne’s physical description and the second part describes Anne’s
personality description. Anne has some personality traits which can be analyzed
by using Murphy’s theory of Characterization.
Anne, as the major character in The Diary of a Young Girl, can also be determined as a protagonist, round, and dynamic character. Anne is classified into
a protagonist character because she becomes the central figure of the story. Anne
Frank’s The Diary of a Young Girl focuses on Anne’s story and how she struggles
narrative. Anne is regarded as a round character since she tends to grow, develop
and change. She is also classified as dynamic character who undergoes personality
and perspective changes.
It is earlier stated that the nine ways presented by Murphy (161-173)
include: personal description, character as seen by another, speech, past life,
conversation of others, reactions, direct comment, thoughts, and mannerism.
Some of those nine ways are applied to analyze Anne Frank’s character. The
direct comments of Anne Frank herself, her thoughts, her reactions and the
opinions of another are some of the nine ways to analyze Anne Frank’s
personality.
1. Anne’s Physical Description
This part describes Anne’s physical description. It helps the readers to
understand Peter van Daan’s reasons for being in love with Anne. Anne Frank
was a thirteen-year-old Jewish girl when she started writing the diary. When she
was fifteen, she was forced to stop writing her diary. As it is mentioned in her
diary:
Writing in a diary is a really strange experience for someone like me. Not only because I’ve never written anything before, but also because it seems to me that later or neither I nor anyone else will be interested in the musings of a thirteen-year-old schoolgirl. (12)
Anne’s personal description can be seen through the eyes and opinions of
Peter van Daan when they were having conversation in 28 March 1944.
‘Because you get dimples in your cheeks. How do you do that?’
‘I was born with them. There’s also one in my chin. It’s the only mark of beauty I possess.’
‘No, no, that’s not true!’
‘Yes, it is. I know I’m not beautiful. I never have been and I never will be.’ ‘I don’t agree. I think you’re pretty.’ (309)
It can be seen from Peter’s opinion that Anne had two dimples in her cheeks and
one in her chin; and according to Peter, she was a pretty girl. Anne also wrote
about her life before hiding,
I have a throng of admirers who can’t keep their adoring eyes off me and who sometimes have to resort a broken pocket mirror to try and catch a glimpse of me in the classroom. (13)
Therefore, it can be concluded that Anne was a pretty and attractive girl
since she had many admirers in school. She also had three dimples in her face;
two dimples in her cheeks and one in her chin. Peter van Daan finally fell in love
with Anne because of her dimples which made her even prettier.
2. Anne’s Personality Description
Anne Frank had some personality descriptions which built her character.
Those personality descriptions are as follow:
a. Forthright
We can see Anne’s character through her reactions, since it can also be
used to understand someone’s character. Anne always expressed what she liked
and disliked directly. On Friday, 2 April 1943, Anne’s mother offered listening to
Anne’s prayer because Anne’s father could not come to her room and listen to her
Last night I was lying in bed, waiting for father to tuck me in and say my prayers with me, when Mother came into the room, sat on my bed and asked very gently, ‘Anne, Daddy isn’t ready. What if I listen to your prayers tonight?’
‘No, Mumsie,’ I replied.
Mother got up, stood beside my bed for a moment and then slowly walked towards the door. Suddenly she turned, her face contorted with pain, and said, ‘I don’t want to be angry with you. I can’t make you love me!’ (125)
Anne’s reaction in rejecting her mother request to listen her prayers can
show that Anne’s was a forthright person. She directly rejected her mother
because she did not like to pray with someone whom she did not love to; someone
who had rejected her by telling tactless comments and cruel jokes about her.
She felt so bad and so cruel to have rejected her mother that way. She felt
sorry to her mother, but on the other hand, she could not lie to her innermost
feeling as she wrote, “I lay still, thinking how mean it was of me to reject her so
cruelly, but also I knew that I was incapable on answering her any other way. I
can’t be a hypocrite and pray with her when I don’t feel like it” (126). Her
statement shows that she was an honest person who would not do what she did not
want to do and she would say what she wanted to say.
Anne was always straightforward not only to her mother but also to
everyone around her. She was always forthright to Mrs. van Daan which gave an
advantage in her relation with Mrs. van Daan. At the first time, Anne had a bad
relation with Mrs. van Daan. However, their relation was getting better and better
because Anne knew exactly what she could do to get Mrs. van Daan’s attention.
talking openly to her and admitting when you’re wrong” (301-302). Anne
acknowledged herself as an honest person that it makes Mrs. van Daan had a
better sight of her, as she wrote:
I know all too well that she doesn’t think as badly of me as she did in the beginning. And that’s simply because I’m honest and tell people right to their faces what I think, even when it’s not very flattering. I want to be honest; I think it gets you further and also make you feel better about yourself. (302)
Mrs. van Daan no longer gave Anne offensive remarks whenever they had
different arguments. As the real example, one day Mrs. van Daan gave her
opinion about the rice they had given to Mr. Kleiman. Mrs. van Daan did not
agree if they gave their rice to Mr. Kleiman. According to her, they also needed
the rice as badly. Moreover, Mr. Kleiman could get the rice easily since he was a
free man. Anne frank’s reply was:
No Mrs. van Daan. I don’t agree with you. Mr. Kleiman may very well be able to get hold of a little rice, but he doesn’t like to worry about it. It’s not our place to criticize the people who are helping us. We should give them whatever they need if we can possibly spare it. One less plate of rice a week won’t make that much difference; we can always eat beans. (302)
Anne’s speech when she was in a conversation with Mrs. van Daan proved that
she was a forthright and honest person.
b. Introvert and Independent
Anne had a lot of friends before, but she could never share her deepest
feelings but ordinary things to them. She wrote about it in the beginning of her
I can’t bring myself to talk about anything but ordinary everyday things. 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. (13)
That direct comment proves that Anne was an introvert young girl who
always kept anything alone just as she said that she closed tighter than a drum
(280). She did not believe to anybody but herself. She did not believe in her
family even her father whom the one she loved most in this world. The evidence
is her writing, “But what affected me even more was the realization that I was
never going to be able to confide in father. I didn’t trust anyone but myself” (268).
She also did not believe to her sister, Margot. On March 12, 1944 she wrote,
“Margot is very kind and would like me to confide in her, but I can’t tell her
everything” (274).
Anne was an introvert girl who liked for being alone so that she can live in
her dreams and thoughts. “I have an intense need to be alone. Father has noticed
I’m not my usual self, but I can’t tell him what’s bothering me” (229). Anne
always kept every problem for herself. Then she would try to solve every problem
by herself too because she felt that she could not lay on somebody else. The proof
is her direct comment, “I knew I was on my own, that I couldn’t count on others
for support” (229).
That was the reason why then she became an independent girl. She never
sought for others’ help. She counted for herself whenever problems come to her.
She felt that she was completely independent of others (283). Anne was more
myself and realized that I’ve become an ‘independent person’ sooner than most
girls” (207). She also wrote:
You and I both know that I’m strong, that I can carry most burdens alone. I’ve never been used to sharing my worries with anyone, and I’ve never clung to a mother, but I’d love to lay my head on his shoulder and just sit there quietly. (313)
Anne also felt that she was more independent than the adults in Secret Annexe,
especially her parents. On Tuesday, 11 April 1944 she wrote:
I’m becoming more and more independent of my parents. Young as I am, I face life with more courage and have a better and truer sense of justice than mother. I know what I want, I have a goal, I have opinions, a religion and love. (332)
Anne was an introvert girl who could not share her problems and secrets to
anyone else because she did not trust others but herself. She used to stand on her
own feet. She becomes an independent girl because of her being introvert.
c. Jealous
The reader could analyze that Anne Frank’s character as a jealous young
girl through her direct comments “As you know, I’m quite the jealous type” (66).
She always felt jealous easily when someone was too close or trying to get closer
with someone she loved most, his father. Anne’s jealousy was shown clearly in
her diary on 1 October 1942, when Mrs. van Daan tried to flirt with Pim:
Anne felt a remarkable feeling of jealousy whenever Margot stayed close
with her father, as shown in her diary, “You know that I always used to be jealous
of Margot’s relationship with Father” (218) or when her father stood on Margot
side against her. On Saturday, 30 October 1943 she wrote about her quarrel with
Margot and her mother which happened the night before. At that night, Margot
was reading a book with a beautiful illustration inside. It caught Anne’s attention.
When Margot got up and put aside her book, Anne picked it up and started to read
it since she had nothing to do. When Margot got back to the room, she was very
angry to see that Anne read her book. Margot insisted Anne to give her book back
even she wasn’t reading it. Their mother who heard the quarrel between her
daughters butted in: “Margot was reading that book” (180). Suddenly, her father
came to defend Margot without asking what actually happened.
Father came in, and without even knowing what was going on, saw that Margot was being wronged and lashed out of me: ‘I’d like to see what you’d do if Margot was looking at one of your books!’. (180)
Anne was neither huffy nor cross, but she merely sad (180). She was sad for the
reason that her father made judgment without knowing what the issue was. She
used to be in a condition where her mother always stood on Margot side and her
father usually stood for her to help her except for that day. That hurt her as she
wrote:
It can be summarized that it did not matter if her mother always stood on
Margot’s side. On the contrary, it hurt her when her father stood on Margot’s side.
Anne’s statements proved that deep inside her heart she felt jealous. “He doesn’t
realize that he treats Margot differently from me: Margot just happens to be the
cleverest, the kindest, the prettiest and the best. But I have a right to be taken
seriously too” (181). That direct comment showed that Anne did not feel
comfortable when her father treated Margot well. In other words, she felt jealous
to her sister as she wanted to be treated the same way by her father and all that she
needed was her father’s attention.
d. More Introspective
Anne Frank learned how to build her self-knowledge. She regretted that
she had written bad impressions about her mom. She wondered how she filled
with so much anger and hate to her mother. She tried to understand herself during
last year and made apologies for her. Her bad moods allowed her to see things
only from her own perspective without considering what the others had hurt or
offended.
I was suffering then (and still do) from moods that kept my head under water (figuratively speaking) and allowed me to see things only from my own perspective, without calmly considering what the others – those whom I, with my mercurial temperament, had hurt or offended – had said, and then behaving as they would have done. (203)
Anne finally realized that the circumstances of the wartime and the
difficulties of living in the hiding with some people which caused the nerves of
the Annexe’s residents including her mother. She felt guilty for did not consider
However, she had been passing through the growing process into a woman. She
finally had an intense desire for self-understanding.
e. Smart
Anne Frank was a smart girl who became the favorite students of the
teachers in her school. Her teachers were amused and entertained by her clever
answers, witty remarks, smiling face and critical mind (265).
Before her hiding, Anne always talked too much in her Math class. Mr.
Keesing, who taught Math, had given her several warnings. Since Anne still
talked too much, he finally gave Anne extra homework. He wanted Anne to write
an essay on the subject ‘A Chatterbox’. At the beginning, she found it difficult to
write about that subject. Suddenly the trick came up to her mind. She wrote a
convincing argument to prove the necessity of talking. She argued that talking was
a female trait and that she would do her best to keep it under control, but that she
would never be able to cure herself since her mother talked as much as she did.
Moreover, there was not much we can do about inherited traits.
Mr. Keesing had a good laugh at her arguments, but he assigned her the
second essay when she proceeded to talk through the next lesson. This time it was
supposed to be on ‘An Incorrigible Chatterbox’. Mr. Keesing had nothing to
complain when Anne summited her second essay. However, in the third lesson
Mr. Keesing finally gave her punishment for talking too much in class. She had to
Anne felt tired on that subject then she thought she would be better to
come up with something else, something original. Finally, she made a poem about
a joke for Mr. Keesing in that subject. It was about a mother duck and a father
swan with three baby ducklings that were bitten by the father because they
quacked too much. Luckily, her teacher took the joke the right way. Since then
she had been allowed to talk and had not been assigned any extra homework. On
the contrary, Mr. Keesing always made jokes after it (19-20).
Based on the above Anne’s experience, it can be concluded that Anne, a
smart girl who was creative in expressing herself through writing convincing
argument about the necessity of talking.
When Anne gave comment toward her mother fault in raising children, it
also showed the reader how smart and critical she w
