Anne Frank and the Secret Annex

"I don't want to have lived in vain like most people. . . I want to go on living even after my death!" -Anne Frank. When Anne, her father, mother, sister, the Van Pels, and Mr. Dussel were living in the Secret Annex, Anne still had hope. She believed that the world was going through a phase, and soon it will pass; maybe not for hundreds, or even thousands of years, but someday. In spite of every thing that has happened, she believed people are really good at heart. Because of the situation she was in, life was tough, yet she still managed to keep going, letting nothing stop her. In their living quarters, they were temporarily hidden and protected with a covert location. During their time in their small refuge, they had day and evening activities they pursued everyday of the week. Lastly, in order to be safe they had to make sacrifices; had to retrieve food, information, and necessary resources in order to survive.

The Secret Annex was located in Amsterdam, Netherlands in a warehouse where Mr. Frank used to work. The secret Annex was somewhat like a loft or a attic with separate rooms, because the building was tiny, everyone was congested and did not have any privacy what so ever.

To ensure safety, the door to their sanctuary was hidden by the outside world with a book case and had a dead bolt, therefore the only individuals that were inside could unbolt the concealed door. During the week days, the ménage had a limited schedule however they did not have to follow the schedule on weekends. They could not run the water, flush the toilet (W.C),. Furthermore, they had to burn their trash, take off their shoes and could talk no louder than a whisper during 5:30 am to 8:30 pm because of the work men down stairs. If they did not follow the schedule, the work men would hear everything that is going on from the pipes that carry sound, noise.

During their restricted schedule, the people in the Secret Annex would execute activities to keep them busy when the work men were in the warehouse. The children would be educated, learning algebra, foreign languages, and science during the day at different times. The adults would read, socialize, and bicker, amongst themselves.