Amsterdam, 1942. The German occupation of Holland has commenced. The Nazi Gestapo oversees the deportation of Dutch Jews to concentration camps continuing implementation of the Final Solution. Hidden in an office annex, behind a secret door, eight desperate individuals seek to avoid capture by the Nazis. One brave young girl, Anne, chronicles the details of their confinement in a diary.
The world will always remember Anne Frank and her diary as a story of hope during the dark days of the Nazi rule. Still, this story may have never been shared if it were not for the courageous actions of one woman, Miep Gies. Gies had worked for many years for Anne’s father, Otto Frank. When his eldest daughter, Margot, received orders to report to a force-labor camp, Frank appealed to Gies for help. He had plans to hide his family, but he needed someone who could be trusted to bring them food and give them news of the outside world. Without hesitation, Gies made the decision to help the Franks and fight against the racist Nazi regime.
In her own words, Gies agreed to help the Franks, because she “was extremely concerned about (Frank) and his family”. By this time during the war, the Nazi Anti-Semitic policies were being ruthlessly enforced in local communities. Additionally, most Europeans were aware that the Nazis had established labor camps for prisoners of war across Europe. Within the occupied territories, there were whispers that the Nazi labor camps were in fact extermination camps as people who were deported simply disappeared. Geis recalled that, “Every day (she) saw trucks heading for the railway station, from where the train left for the camps. Nobody ever heard from them again…” Despite the oppressive nature of the Nazi regime, some sought ways to resist. Some, like Gies, made a decision to fight. Gies simply could not allow the Franks to disappear without a trace.
Gies risked helping the Franks, because it was the right thing to do and because she “saw no alternative”. At the time, she claimed she could “foresee many sleepless nights and an unhappy life” if she refused to act. For her, such a refusal would have led to “permanent remorse” having “fail(ed) to do (her) human duty”. Moreover, she believed this failure would have been “worse than losing her life”. Beyond solely helping her fellow man, Gies’s selfless decision to aid the Franks saved her from a lifetime of regret.
Ultimately, Gies was unable to save the Franks from the Nazis as their hiding place was discovered. The Gestapo ransacked the secret annex, and all of its inhabitants were sent to the labor camps. When Gies returned to the annex to assess what remained, she collected the pages of Anne’s diary. She kept the diary safe throughout the remainder of the war. At the war’s end, Otto Frank, the only surviving member of the Frank family, returned to Amsterdam. Upon being reunited with Gies, she shared with him his daughter’s diary. Frank made the decision to publish it contents, and the diary continues to be a source of inspiration for millions. Without Gies's heroic actions, Anne’s story may have never been told.
Gies serves as a role model for us all. Through her actions, she taught us the importance of standing up for others. She taught us that one cannot live in fear. She taught us that we must always strive to do that which we know to be right. People are worth fighting for. Justice is worth fighting for. Honor is worth fighting for.
Miep Gies died in January 2010 having lived 100 years.
It is clear, that your essay is about Ann Frank and her diary. You are saying that Ann Frank and her diary was important and she taught people that we can't live in fear. I agree to what you wrote people as a human being can not live in fear or get racist. I also learned about Ann Frank and her diary and why it was important.
ReplyDeleteI also don't understand when she had his father to get her food and news from outside, why didn't she follow him? I think Ann Frank and her diary can be related to “What was worth fighting for?” since she fought for the racism against the Nazis. You also chose lots of different vocabularies too!
-Jeong Min-
Jeong Min, Thank you for your comment. To answer your question, Anne's father did not go and get Anne news and food. He was in hiding from the Nazis with Anne in the secret room. Rather, Miep Gies went to get the food and news for the entire Frank family. Also, I am glad you enjoyed my vocabulary - Word Choice is our six traits focus this month!
ReplyDeleteOverall I loved your blog! It was interesting and heartfelt and very factual. I felt for Miep Gies and I want to be more like her. It was interesting all the way through, your hook made me want to read more, your body paragraphs were factual and I could tell that you did your research and were enthusiastic about your topic. Also your concluding sentences wrapped it all up in a paragraph that restated your main topic and concluded the story. My only suggestion would be to use vocabulary that was easier to understand. As a student it was interesting to read but the word choice was rather mature. Other then that it was an incredible blog post and I cant wait to read more!
ReplyDeleteSahran, Thank you for your kind words. I am glad you enjoyed the post. I truly believe Gies is one of history's unsung heroes. Most focus on the Franks story and Anne's diary, but, without Gies's efforts, it is more than likely that neither the family's story nor Anne's diary would have ever been shared. I appreciate your comment that the word choice is fairly mature. I was trying to model good word choice as that is our six-traits focus this month. Still, my main objective is to share Gies's story with you, my students. Thus, if you cannot access language, I am not fully realizing this objective. I will make an effort to keep this in mind when crafting my next post.
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