From the Diary of Anne Frank Notes Chapter 4 English Class 10

Notes For All Chapters English First Flight Class 10 CBSE

1. About the Author & Diary

• Anneliese Marie “Anne” Frank (1929 – 1945)
  • Born in Germany, later lived in Amsterdam (Netherlands).
  • Jewish girl, went into hiding during Nazi occupation (1942-44).
  • Died in Bergen-Belsen concentration camp of typhus.
  • Only her father, Otto Frank, survived.
  • Her diary was published as The Diary of a Young Girl.
• Diary
  • Given to Anne on her 13th birthday (12 June 1942).
  • Written from 12 June 1942 – 1 August 1944.
  • Became one of the world’s most widely read books.
  • Translated into many languages and adapted into films, plays, and opera.

2. Why Anne Wrote a Diary

• Felt lonely and without a true friend, though she had many acquaintances.
• Could not confide in anyone deeply.
• Believed “Paper has more patience than people.”
• Treated her diary as a friend and named it Kitty.
• Wrote to express thoughts, feelings, and secrets.

3. Anne’s Family Background

• Father: Otto Frank – married mother at 36.
• Mother: Edith Hollander Frank – married at 25.
• Sister: Margot Frank – born 1926 in Frankfurt.
• Anne: born 12 June 1929, Frankfurt, Germany.
• In 1933, father emigrated to Holland; later family joined him.
• Anne and Margot stayed with grandmother in Aachen for some months.
• Schooling:
  • Montessori nursery → then to formal school.
  • Sixth form teacher: Mrs Kuperus (headmistress) – very emotional farewell.
• Grandmother:
  • Fell ill in 1941, died January 1942.
  • Anne loved her deeply and often remembered her.

4. School Life and Promotion Anxiety

• Diary entry: 20 June 1942.
• Entire class nervous about results → teachers to decide promotions.
• Some students even bet on who would pass or fail.
• Anne confident about most subjects, weak in Mathematics.
• Said teachers were “the most unpredictable creatures on earth.”

5. Relationship with Teachers (especially Mr. Keesing)

• Total: 9 teachers (7 men, 2 women).
• Mr. Keesing (Maths teacher):
  • Often annoyed with Anne for talking too much in class.
  • Gave her extra homework essays as punishment:
    1. “A Chatterbox”
       • Anne argued talking is a student’s trait.
       • Said she inherited it from her mother (an “inherited trait”).
    2. “An Incorrigible Chatterbox”
       • Submitted successfully; kept quiet for some time.
    3. “Quack, Quack, Quack, Said Mistress Chatterbox”
       • Helped by friend Sanne (good in poetry).
       • Wrote a poem about ducklings punished for quacking.
       • Made the class and teacher laugh.
• Result:
  • Mr. Keesing took it sportively.
  • Shared poem with other classes.
  • Stopped punishing Anne and became more humorous.

6. Important Themes & Ideas

• Loneliness and Friendship:
  • Anne’s diary became her closest companion.
• Family Love:
  • Deep affection for her grandmother and father.
• School Life:
  • Shows typical teenage worries about exams, teachers, and classmates.
• Creativity & Humour:
  • Used wit and imagination in essays and poem.
• Human Nature:
  • Describes teachers as unpredictable, friends as casual, and diary as trustworthy.