From the Diary of Anne Frank: 10th Class English Chapter 4

From the Diary of Anne Frank: 10th Class NCERT CBSE English ‘First Flight’ Chapter 04

Question: Do you keep a diary? Given below under ‘A’ are some terms we use to describe a written record of personal experience. Can you match them with their descriptions under ‘B’? (You may look up the terms in a dictionary if you wish.)

A	B
(i) Journal	– 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
(ii) Diary	– A full record of a journey, a period of time, or an event, written every day.
(iii) Log	– A record of a person’s own life and experiences (usually, a famous person)
(iv) Memoir(s)	– A written record of events with times and dates, usually official

Answer:

A	B
(i) Journal	A full record of a journey, a period of time, or an event, written everyday
(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)

Question: Here are some entries from personal records. Use the definitions above to decide which of the entries might be from a diary, a journal, a log or a memoir.

1. I woke up very late today and promptly got a scolding from Mum! I can’t help it − how can I miss the FIFA World Cup matches?
   Ans: __________
2. 10:30 a.m. Went to the office of the Director
   01:00 p.m. Had lunch with Chairman
   05:45 p.m. Received Rahul at the airport
   09:30 p.m. Dinner at home
   Ans: __________
3. The ride to Ooty was uneventful. We rested for a while every 50 km or so, and used the time to capture the magnificent landscape with my Handy Cam. From Ooty we went on to Bangalore.
   What a contrast! The noise and pollution of this once − beautiful city really broke my heart.
   Ans: __________
4. This is how Raj Kapoor found me − all wet and ragged outside R. K. Studios. He was then looking for just someone like this for a small role in Mera Naam Joker, and he cast me on the spot. The rest, as they say, is history?
   Ans: __________

Answer:

1. I woke up very late today and promptly got a scolding from Mum! I can’t help it − how can I miss the FIFA World Cup matches?
   Ans: Diary
2. 10:30 a.m. Went to the office of the Director
   01:00 p.m. Had lunch with Chairman
   05:45 p.m. Received Rahul at the airport
   09:30 p.m. Dinner at home
   Ans: Log
3. The ride to Ooty was uneventful. We rested for a while every 50 km or so, and used the time to capture the magnificent landscape with my Handy Cam. From Ooty we went on to Bangalore.
   What a contrast! The noise and pollution of this once − beautiful city really broke my heart.
   Ans: Journal
4. This is how Raj Kapoor found me − all wet and ragged outside R. K. Studios. He was then looking for just someone like this for a small role in Mera Naam Joker, and he cast me on the spot. The rest, as they say, is history?
   Ans: Memoir

Question: What makes writing in a diary a strange experience for Anne Frank?

Answer: Writing in a diary was a strange experience for Anne Frank not only because she had never written anything before, but also because it seemed to her that later on, neither she nor anyone else would be interested in the musings of a thirteen year old schoolgirl.

Question: Why does Anne provide a brief sketch of her life?

Answer: Even though she disliked doing so, Anne provides a brief sketch of her life since no one would understand a word of her musings if she were to jump right in.

Question: What tells you that Anne loved her grandmother?

Answer: Anne’s grandmother had fallen ill and had to be operated upon. Therefore, Anne’s birthday passed with little celebration. Her grandmother died the next year. Anne wrote in her diary that no one knew how often she thought of her grandmother and still loved her.

Question: Why does Anne want to keep a diary?

Answer: Anne wanted to keep a diary because she did not have a “real” friend. She thought that paper had more patience than people. She had loving parents, a sixteen year old sister and about thirty people whom she could call her friends. However, she did not have that one true friend. She did not confide in any of her friends. She knew the situation would never change. That is why she decided to keep a diary.

Question: Why did Anne think she could confide more in her diary than in people?

Answer: Anne did not have a true friend. She had many friends, but she only talked to them about ordinary everyday things. She did not seem to get any closer to them. She felt that maybe it was her fault that she could not confide in them. Knowing that the situation would not change and believing a paper to have more patience than people, she decided to write and confide in a diary.

Question: Was Anne right when she said that the world would not be interested in the musings of a thirteen-year-old girl?

Answer: No, Anne was not right when she said that the world would not be interested in the musings of a thirteen year old girl. Her diary was published under the name ‘The Diary of a young girl’. It was translated from its original Dutch into many languages and it became one of the world’s most widely read books. There have also been several films, television and theatrical productions, and even an opera based on the diary. It was described as the work of a mature and insightful mind. It provides an intimate examination of life under Nazi occupation. Anne Frank became one of the most renowned and discussed of the Holocaust victims.

Question: There are some examples of diary or journal entries in the ‘Before You Read’ section. Compare these with what Anne writes in her diary. What language was the diary originally written in? In what way is Anne’s dairy different?

Answer: Anne’s diary was originally written in Dutch. Her diary is different from the others in many aspects. She had named her diary ‘Kitty’. She thought of it as her only true friend whom she could confide in. She treated it as another person who was listening to her daily accounts. She wrote all her stories in it. She started by writing ‘Dearest kitty’ and ended the account by writing, ‘Yours, Anne’. Her diary was a lot more personal than other diaries.

Question: Why does Anne need to give a brief sketch about her family? Does she treat ‘Kitty’ as an insider or an outsider?

Answer: Anne gave a brief sketch of her life since no one would understand a word of her stories to her diary if she were to plunge right in. She, therefore, wrote a brief sketch of her life, even though she disliked doing so. She treated Kitty as an insider because she called it her best friend and was ready to confide in it.

Question: How does Anne feel about her father, her grandmother, Mrs Kuperus and Mr Keesing? What do these tell you about her?

Answer: Anne felt that her father was the most adorable father she had ever seen.

Anne remembered her grandmother even after her death. She wrote in her diary that no one knew how often she thought of her grandmother and still loved her.

In the sixth form at the Montessori nursery school, her teacher was Mrs Kuperus, who was also the headmistress. At the end of the year, they were both in tears as they said a heartbreaking farewell.

Mr Keesing was her Maths teacher. He was annoyed with her because she talked too much. However, Anne was able to justify her talkative nature every time she was punished by Mr. Keesing. On each occasion he was impressed by the manner in which she presented her arguments.

All these incidents show how lovable and smart Anne was. Everybody was attached to her, and even Mr Keesing could not help but laugh at her essays and acknowledge her smart mind.

Question: What does Anne write in her first essay?

Answer: In her first essay, titled ‘A Chatterbox’, Anne wanted to come up with convincing arguments to prove the necessity of talking. She began thinking about the subject. She wrote three pages and was satisfied. She argued that talking was a student’s trait and that she would do her best to keep it under control. She further wrote that she would never be able to cure herself of the habit since her mother talked as much as she did. There was not much that one could do about inherited traits. Mr Keesing too had a good laugh reading her arguments.

Question: Anne says teachers are most unpredictable. Is Mr Keesing unpredictable? How?

Answer: Anne felt that a quarter of her class was dumb, and should be kept back and not promoted to the next class. However, she also felt that teachers were the most unpredictable creatures on earth. Mr Keesing could be termed as unpredictable. The way Anne always talked while the class was going on, any teacher would lose his temper. However, after several warnings, all Mr Keesing did was to assign her extra homework. She had to write an essay on ‘A Chatterbox’. In this way, he tried to play a joke on her. Each time that he asked her to write such essays, she wrote very well. She kept countering his jokes. One could not have predicted that he would take all the jokes in the right spirit. Finally, he accepted her talkative nature and actually allowed her to talk in class. He did not even assign her any more extra homework. That is why it can be said that Mr Keesing was unpredictable.

Question: What do these statements tell you about Anne Frank as a person?

1. 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.
2. I don’t want to jot down the facts in this diary the way most people would, but I want the diary to be my friend.
3. Margot went to Holland in December, and I followed in February, when I was plunked down on the table as a birthday present for Margot.
4. If you ask me, there are so many dummies that about a quarter of the class should be kept back, but teachers are the most unpredictable creatures on earth.
5. Anyone could ramble on and leave big spaces between the words, but the trick was to come up with convincing arguments to prove the necessity of taking.

Answer:

1. These lines show that Anne had no true friend whom she could confide in. She even put the blame on herself that the fault might be hers.
2. This line shows that Anne really considered her diary as a friend whom she could trust and narrate all her stories to. She did not want just a diary in which she could write down the facts like others did. She considered it as her friend and named her Kitty.
3. This statement shows that Anne was a fun-loving person. She was witty and knew how to present things in a funny way. She narrated this incident with a lot of fun. The use of ‘plunked down’ shows her sense of humour.
4. This statement shows that she had an opinion on everything. She thought that a quarter of her class was full of dummies, signifying that she herself was intelligent enough to make it to the next class. She thought of teachers as the most unpredictable creatures on earth because nobody could say which students they would fail and which students would be passed on to the next class.
5. This statement shows that Anne knew a lot about writing. She was given the task of writing an essay as a punishment. She took it on with full vigour. She did not want to write it like others who merely left big spaces between the words to make the essay look voluminous. She knew that the trick was to come up with a convincing argument to prove the necessity of talking. She was different in her approach from everybody else.

Question: Why was Mr Keesing annoyed with Anne? What did he ask her to do?

Answer: Mr. Keesing was annoyed with Anne because she talked too much in the class. He assigned her extra homework, asking her to write an essay on the subject, ‘A Chatterbox’.

Question: How did Anne justify her being a chatterbox in her essay?

Answer: In her essay, Anne wanted to come up with convincing arguments to prove the necessity of talking. She argued that talking was a student’s trait and that she would do her best to keep it under control. She further wrote that she would never be able to cure herself of the habit since her mother talked as much as she did. There was not much that one could do about inherited traits. This was how she justified her being a chatterbox in the essay.

Question: Do you think Mr Keesing was a strict teacher?

Answer: Mr. Keesing was a strict teacher. However, he was not rigidly strict. He expected discipline and silence in his class while he was teaching, which is acceptable. He punished Anne by asking her to write an essay on ‘A Chatterbox’. When Anne wrote a convincing essay on it, he received it with a good laugh. However, when Anne continued with her talking, he punished her again by asking her to write another essay; this time the topic was ‘An Incorrigible Chatterbox’. Even after this when she kept talking, he asked her to write on the topic “Quack Quack Quack, said Mistress Chatterbox”. He was trying to play a joke on her. However, she came up with a brilliant poem, and he read this poem in the class, acknowledging its content. Therefore, in regard of these events, Mr. Keesing cannot be entirely labelled as a strict teacher. He was fun-loving too.

From the Diary of Anne Frank – Question: What made Mr Keesing allow Anne to talk in class?

Answer: Anne was able to justify her talkative nature every time she was punished by Mr. Keesing. On three occasions, as punishment, he gave her topics to write essays on. However, on each occasion he was impressed by the manner in which she presented her arguments. Finally, Mr. Keesing accepted the fact that Anne would always be that way. Hence, she was allowed to talk in class.

Question: Match the compound words under ‘A’ with their meanings under ‘B’. Use each in sentence.

A	B
1. Heartbreaking	– obeying and respecting the law
2. Homesick	– think about pleasant things, forgetting about the present
3. Blockhead	– something produced by a person, machine or organisation
4. Law-abiding	– producing great sadness
5. Overdo	– an occasion when vehicles/machines stop working
6. Daydream	– an informal word which means a very stupid person
7. Breakdown	– missing home and family very much
8. Output	– do something to an excessive degree

Answer:

A	B
1. Heartbreaking	– producing great sadness
2. Homesick	– missing home and family very much
3. Blockhead	– an informal word which means a very stupid person
4. Law-abiding	– obeying and respecting the law
5. Overdo	– do something to an excessive degree
6. Daydream	– think about pleasant things, forgetting about the present
7. Breakdown	– an occasion when vehicles / machines stop working
8. Output	– something produced by a person, machine or organisation

From the Diary of Anne Frank – Question: Phrasal Verbs

Find the sentences in the lesson that have the phrasal verbs given below. Match them with their meanings.

1. plunge in – speak or write without focus
2. kept back – stay indoors
3. move up – make (them) remain quiet
4. ramble on – have a good relationship with
5. get along with – give an assignment (home work) to a person authority (the teacher)
6. calm down – compensate
7. stay in – go straight to the topic
8. make up for – go to the next grade
9. hand in – not promoted

Answer:

1. plunge in − go straight to the topic
   Since no one would understand a word of my stories to Kitty if I were to plunge right in, I’d better provide a brief sketch of my life, much as I dislike doing so.
2. kept back − not promoted
   The reason, of course, is the forthcoming meeting in which the teachers decide who’ll move up to the next form and who’ll be kept back.
3. move up − go to the next grade
   The reason, of course, is the forthcoming meeting in which the teachers decide who’ll move up to the next form and who’ll be kept back.
4. ramble on − speak or write without focus
   Anyone could ramble on and leave big spaces between the words, but the trick was to come up with convincing arguments to prove the necessity of talking.
5. get along with − have a good relationship with
   I get along pretty well with all my teachers.
6. calm down − make (them) remain quite
   Even G.’s pleading advances and my angry outbursts can’t calm them down.
7. stay in − stay indoors
   I thought of this saying on one of those days when I was feeling a little depressed and was sitting at home with my chin in my hands, bored and listless, wondering whether to stay in or go out.
8. make up for − compensate
   This birthday celebration in 1942 was intended to make up for the other.
9. hand in − give an assignment (homework) to a person in authority (the teacher)
   I handed it in, and Mr Keesing had nothing to complain about for two whole lessons.

From the Diary of Anne Frank – Question: Idioms

1. Here are a few sentences from the text which have idiomatic expressions. Can you say what each means? (You might want to consult a dictionary first.)

Our entire class is quaking in its boots.
______________________________________________
Until then, we keep telling each other not to lose heart. ______________________________________________
Mr Keeping was annoyed with me for ages because I talked so much. ______________________________________________
Mr Keeping was trying to play a joke on me with this ridiculous subject, but I’d make sure the joke was on him.
______________________________________________

2. Here are a few more idiomatic expressions that occur in the text. Try to use them in sentences of your own.

(i) caught my eye (iii) laugh ourselves silly
(ii) he’d had enough (iv) can’t bring myself to

Answer:

1. (i) Our entire class is quaking in its boots. Shaking with fear and nervousness
   (ii) Until then, we keep telling each other not to lose heart. Not to lose hope
   (iii) Mr. Keeping was annoyed with me for ages because I talked so much. Since a long time
   (iv) Mr. Keeping was trying to play a joke on me with this ridiculous subject, but I’d make sure the joke was on him. He was outwitted by her
2. (i) caught my eye
   The beautiful diamond necklace placed in the shop caught my eye.
   (ii) he’d had enough
   He’d had enough of the bullying that he faced everyday.
   (iii) laugh ourselves silly
   John and I laugh ourselves silly at the new cartoon show.
   (iv) can’t bring myself to
   I can’t bring myself to eat anything but sweets.

Question: You have read the expression ‘not to lose heart’ in this text. Now find out the meanings of the following expressions using the word ‘heart’. Use each of them in a sentence of your own.

1. break somebody’ heart
2. close / dear to heart
3. from the (bottom of your) heart
4. have a heart
5. have a heart of stone
6. your heart goes out to somebody

Answer:

1. break somebody’s heart − to upset somebody deeply
   It has unfortunately become very easy these days to break somebody’s heart.
2. close / dear to heart − something or someone who is near and close to you
   The drawing given to me by my little daughter is very close to my heart.
3. from the (bottom of your) heart − genuinely meaning or feeling something
   He loved his son from the bottom of his heart.
4. have a heart − to evoke the feeling to help someone in distress
   The poor beggar asked the rich man to have a heart and give him something to eat.
5. have a heart of stone − to not feel anything or any sentiment
   The cruel landlady has a heart of stone as she beats up her children.
6. your heart goes out to somebody − to sympathize with someone else and understand his feelings and distress
   My heart goes out to the little girl who lost both her parents in a car accident.

Question: Contracted Forms

1. Make a list of the contracted forms in the text. Rewrite them as full forms of two words.
   For example:
   I’ve = I have
2. We have seen that some contracted forms can stand for two different full forms:
   I’d = I had or I would

Find in the text the contracted forms that stand for two different full forms, and say what these are.

Answer:

1. (i) I’ve − I have
   (ii) Doesn’t − does not
   (iii) Won’t − would not
   (iv) I’m − I am
   (v) Don’t − do not
   (vi) Can’t − cannot
   (vii) it’s − it is
   (viii) That’s − that is
   (ix) I’d − I would
   (x) Didn’t − did not
   (xi) Who’ll − who will
   (xii) You’re − You are
   (xiii) We’ll − We will
   (xiv) There’s − there is
   (xv) He’d − he had
   (xvi) Who’s − who is
   (xvii) Haven’t − have not
2. (i) I’d − I had or I would
   (ii) He’d − He had or he would