An understanding of the impact of an author’s life on a text is another layer that I want my students to explore. The essential questions to be asked are, “Do any influences in the author’s life appear in the story? What personal experiences do you think led this author to become a writer? Why did the author write this story? and Do the author’s educational experiences, politics, economics, ethical beliefs, or religion play a role in his or her writing?” Using Anne Frank as a backdrop, I will ask my students to read selected excerpts from Lindwer’s
The Last Seven Months of Anne Frank.
Because we will have read
Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl,
earlier in the year, I believe reading these primary source accounts of survivors’ friendship and interaction with Anne will serve to augment our understanding of who Anne really was. Her diaries are written from her perspective. These survivors’ accounts will add more depth and appreciation as they provide us with others’ perceptions of Anne. These biographical glimpses should round out and enhance our picture of the real Anne Frank. Again we will confront the implications of the background knowledge as we struggle with the answers to the essential questions posed above.
