The Diary of Anne Frank

1. The Diary of Anne Frank A play written by Frances Goodrich & Albert Hackett.

2. Goodrich & Hackett • Goodrich & Hackett were both actors who began working together in 1927. • They were later married. • The play is based on the Diary written by Anne Frank and later published in her memory. • The drama won a Pulitzer Prize, the Drama Critics Circle award, & a Tony Award for the best play of the year (1955-1956). • Goodrich & Hackett ended their writing careers after completing the screen play for The Diary of Anne Frank.

3. Historical background • The Nazis (National Socialist) led by Adolf Hitler gain power of Germany. They blamed Jews and other minorities for Germany’s trouble including the loss in WWI and economic depression. As a punishment, the Nazis began limiting the rights of these people. • Hitler began invading other European countries including Austria, Czechoslovakia, Poland, Belgium, and France. Hitler also overtook his former ally, the Soviet Union. • As the countries were taken over, Hitler’s forces persecuted the Jews and other minorities.

4. Jews were forced to wear yellow stars and were sent to live in crowded, unsafe conditions. During this time, many Jews died of diseases and starvations. Those who survived were sent to concentration camps, where many more died in similar ways. Soon, the Germans were committing mass murders by using poisonous gasses to kill the people in the camps. • By the end of WWII, over six million Jews were killed by the Nazis (3/4 of Europe’s Jewish population). • Britain and France declared war on Germany in 1939, and the United States followed in 1941. • Germany surrendered to the Ally Forces in 1945. By the time the war ended, approximately 55 million people had died.

5. The Diary • Anne Frank was born in Frankfurt, Germany in 1929. • In 1933, Anne and her family escaped to the Netherlands. • Anne’s father opened a business in Amsterdam, and Anne and her sister began going to school. • In 1940, Germany invaded the Netherlands, and life began to change for the Jews. To avoid imprisonment, Anne and her family hid in the attic of an office building. • Anne received her diary for her 13th birthday and wrote in it almost every day that she was in hiding. Her words recount the events that she and her family faced during this time.

6. For over two years, Anne’s family remained hidden, but they were eventually found and taken to a concentration camp. Anne later died in Bergen-Belsen, a Nazi prison camp. • The diary was later recovered after the war ended, and Anne’s father, who had survived the prison camp, had it published in memory of her and her family members that died during the Holocaust. • Since then, the diary has been translated into more than 50 languages and is one of the most well-known books in the world.

7. Vocabulary- Act I • Belfry—the part of the tower that holds the bells • Carillon—a set of stationary bells, each producing one note on the scale • Rucksack—knapsack or backpack • Conspicuous—noticeable • Capitulation—surrender • Portly—large, heavy, and dignified • Plus fours—loose knickers worn for active sports • Green Police—Nazi police who wore green uniforms • Mercurial—quick or changeable in behavior • Ration books—books of stamps given to insure the even distribution of scarce items, especially in wartime. Stamps as well as money must be given to obtain an item that is scarce. • Coeducational—of or pertaining to the system in which boys and girls attend the same school and the same classes • Cognac–a fine brandy originally made in Cognac, a town in Western France

8. Vocabulary- Act I: continued • Black Market—illegal way of buying scarce items without ration stamps • Unabashed—unashamed • Insufferable—unbearable • Meticulous—extremely careful about details • Fatalist—one who believes that all events are determined by fate and cannot be changed • Ostentatiously—in a showy way • Gestapo—the secret police force of the German Nazi state, known for its terrorism and atrocities • Loathe—to regard with intense dislike; detest • Make-shift—serving as a temporary substitute • Reproachful—expressing blame or disapproval • Satchel—a small bag or piece of hand luggage, often having a shoulder strap, used to carry items such as clothes or books • Settee—a small sofa with a back and arms • Studious—devoted to study; earnest; purposeful; diligent