Compare and contrast the portrayal of war in Zlata’s Diary with The Diary of a Young Girl.
Read the excerpt below from Zlata’s Diary by Zlata Filipovic and answer the question that follows. I was almost positive the war would stop, but today . . . Today a shell fell on the park in front of my house, the park where I used to play with my girlfriends. A lot of people were hurt. . . . AND NINA IS DEAD. A piece of shrapnel lodged in her brain and she died. She was such a sweet, nice girl. We went to kindergarten together, and we used to play together in the park. Is it possible I’ll never see Nina again? Nina, an innocent eleven-year-old little girl—the victim of a stupid war. I feel sad. I cry and wonder why. She didn’t do anything. A disgusting war has destroyed a young child’s life. Nina, I’ll always remember you as a wonderful little girl. How does Filipovic view the Bosnian conflict?
Read the excerpt below from Zlata’s Diary by Zlata Filipovic and answer the question that follows. The new sections of town—Dobrinja, Mojmilo, Vojnicko Polje—are being badly shelled. Everything is being destroyed, burned, the people are in shelters. Here in the middle of town, where we live, it’s different. It’s quiet. People go out. It was a nice warm spring day today. We went out too. Vaso Miškin Street was full of people, children. It looked like a peace march. People came out to be together, they don’t want war. They want to live and enjoy themselves the way they used to. That’s only natural, isn’t it? Who likes or wants war, when it’s the worst thing in the world? I keep thinking about the march I joined today. It’s bigger and stronger than war. That’s why it will win. The people must be the ones to win, not the war, because war has nothing to do with humanity. War is something inhuman. How does Filipovic portray people’s reaction to war?
Read the excerpt below from The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank and answer the question that follows. It’s difficult in times like these: ideals, dreams and cherished hopes rise within us, only to be crushed by grim reality. It’s a wonder I haven’t abandoned all my ideals, they seem so absurd and impractical. Yet I cling to them because I still believe, in spite of everything, that people are truly good at heart. It’s utterly impossible for me to build my life on a foundation of chaos, suffering and death. I see the world being slowly transformed into a wilderness, I hear the approaching thunder that, one day, will destroy us too, I feel the suffering of millions. And yet, when I look up at the sky, I somehow feel that everything will change for the better, that this cruelty too will end, that peace and tranquility will return once more. In the meantime, I must hold on to my ideals. Perhaps the day will come when I’ll be able to realize them! What is Frank’s basic belief and perspective about the world?
Read the excerpt below from The Diary of a Young Girl and answer the question that follows. Furthermore, Hitler has been so kind as to announce to his loyal, devoted people that as of today all military personnel are under orders of the Gestapo, and that any soldier who knows that one of his superiors was involved in this cowardly attempt on the Führer’s life may shoot him on sight! What does Frank’s tone reveal about her perspective of German soldiers serving Hitler?
Identify and compare the basic beliefs and perspectives of Anne Frank and Zlata Filipovic.
Analyze the way in which The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank is related to the themes and issues of its historical period.
In the excerpt from The Diary of a Young Girl, Anne Frank portrays various groups in great detail. Choose one of the groups she writes about and analyze how she portrays that group in a short response.
Read the excerpt below from The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank and answer the question that follows. “Deep down, the young are lonelier than the old.” I read this in a book somewhere and it’s stuck in my mind. As far as I can tell, it’s true. So if you’re wondering whether it’s harder for the adults here than for the children, the answer is no, it’s certainly not. Older people have an opinion about everything and are sure of themselves and their actions. It’s twice as hard for us young people to hold on to our opinions at a time when ideals are being shattered and destroyed, when the worst side of human nature predominates, when everyone has come to doubt truth, justice and God. According to Frank, why is the war harder on children than adults?
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