Learning Log 5

Date: 1/30-31

Part: Page78-106

Reflection:

Today I read nearly seven months of Anne’s diary, and Anne had her first birthday celebration in the Secret Annex. Hiding in a hermetical place was boring. Things Anne did in her pastime were reading books, chatting or arguing with other members, and observing people outside (peeking through the curtains) and the other seven people inside; I think the last item is the most interesting, and Anne really did well at describing what she saw. Provided she was a novelist, she must be a fantastic one. I like to observe people as well, especially on the train. I can see men from all walks of life and analyze them on the quiet. That’s really a lot of fun for me while traveling. The only a fly in the ointment is that I’m bad at writing it down. Anne could always give a vivid description, and I should take her as a model. 

“The end (of the war) is nowhere in sight…We’re so selfish that we talk about ‘after the war’.” I think Anne felt guilty about actualities: poor people suffered outside, yet they hid in a comfy place and even could still use their own money. From then on, she thought not only herself but also the whole world. Wars bought despots power; nevertheless, only brought the masses sufferings: torment, separation, and death. I wonder why those rulers would rather occupy a war broken neighbouring country than rule their own unbroken lands. And I come up with a conclusion: an urge of greedy. Rulers all want to be the king of the world, so as to show off their power.

People in the Secret Annex learnt the war situation through the radio, and they were all waiting that Britain could defeat German. Battles happened around their hiding place recently. I have never been through a war before, and hope I will never have that kind of experience. I admire Anne for her graphic narration of the course of members’ reaction while the battle happening. Though her hands trembled when she wrote down those words, it’s amazing that she could remember what they had said during the scary, chaotic time. Maybe it’s her mission to take it all down in her diary.