The Diary of Anne Frank: A Play

Because of the popularity of the play, Anne Frank and her diary have become one of the most widely recognized symbols of the Holocaust, especially in the United States. Think about how you learn history from popular culture, and how that shapes your perceptions of history and the larger structures it represents. For instance, the musical Hamilton gives a particular understanding of historical events and people that might affect how viewers feel about national identity in the United States.

What did you learn about the Holocaust and World War II from the play? What questions did the play raise about history that it didn’t answer? Consider the play as an adaptation of a personal document, an example of what the Dutch Minister of Education was requesting on the radio. What purpose do personal documents serve in constructing narratives of history? What purposes don’t they serve?

Teaching Suggestion: You might divide students into small groups to discuss how the play teaches history, encouraging them to make a list of historical events and references. It may be useful to assign sections of the play to each group. Then, a group leader can add each list to the white board. You can use this as a starting point for a class discussion about the play’s depiction of and relationship to history.