Courage
Barbara Makuch and Anne Frank fight against fear
"He who is not courageous enough to take risks will accomplish nothing in life"--Muhammad Ali
Courage is one of the leading themes in The Diary of Anne Frank.
Describe a situation in which you or someone you know have read about took a courageous stand. What happened? Who benefited? In a similar story on CNN News published another example of selfless courage in January 13, 2012. The story of courage was about a boy named Jordan Rice, age 13. He gave up his chance of being rescued from the Australian floods so his younger brother's life could be saved. He told rescuers to take his 10-year old brother,Blake, and their mother. They saved his brother in time, but tragically, Jordan and his mother were swept away in the car and died. He demonstrated great courage in putting the lives of others ahead of his.
In Anne Frank, Otto Frank's statement to the fellow residents of the annex: "We're lucky. We're really very lucky." Why does he say this and what impact does it have on residents of the annex? Otto Frank says that when he realizes that his family and the Van Daans are becoming uncomfortable in their living quarters and it reminds them that they should be appreciative of life and being able to hidden from the Nazis rather than be tortured at a concentration camp like many of their friends and family members. This is a reminder to always try to stay positive even in the worst of situations.
Why do the residents in the annex celebrate holidays and birthdays while they are in hiding? How do these events contribute to a sense of "normality" in an abnormal environment and why is it important? On Hanukkah, the Franks, Van Daans, and Mr.Dussel celebrated as they always had before they were annexed. Anne states,"theres a lot more songs and presents." Mr.Dussel asks,"Presents?" Mrs.Frank stating,"unfortunately not this year." Mrs.Van Daan states,"but always on Hanukkah everyone gives presents...everyone!" The residents of the annex celebrate holidays and birthdays while they are in the annex in order to bring a sense of normality to an abnormal environment. Every opportunity to celebrate and be together on a holiday, birthday, or any day since the Nazi invasion was a gift. It taught a valuable lesson because usually on these days there would be gifts, but it did not matter that they did not have gifts because life was the true gift.
Consider the decision to invite Mr.Dussel to share the annex with the Franks and Van Daans. What risks does this decision pose for those in hiding as well as their helpers?What would you have done if you were in this situation? There were a lot of things to consider when thinking about whether to invite Mr.Dussel to share the annex with The Franks and Van Daans. They went to the father Mr. Frank to make the final decision and and Mr.Van Daan thought about all of the impact to the family. Mr.Van Daan, "The only thing I feel...theres so little food as it is...and to take in another person..." In this same situation, I hope that I would have had the courage to risk my family to save another person or family because I would want someone to do it for me and my family if the tables were turned. My mind would tell me "NO" but my heart would tell me "YES".
Barbara Makuch demonstrated bravery from the Nazis.
What did Barbara have to overcome to be courageous? She had to overcome the fear of being caught by the Nazis when she relocated her niece to another city. In prison, she overcame the fear of dying. She began to tell herself, "the person most dangerous to me was myself."
Courage is a theme relevant to my personal life.
Current courageous acts that have been displayed on the news deal with the situation in Baltimore with the death of Freddie Gray. What started as a peaceful protest and demonstration ended up with some destruction and violence in the city. Rival gangs and Christians and Muslims with completely different views began joining hands and created a wall to keep the rioters separated from the police in an effort to keep the peace and still demonstrate. It takes courage to set aside your differences for a bigger goal.