Theme/Recurring theme Essay
2/23/10
Mrs. Stull
P.1
“Don’t take the small things for granted, because you never know when they will suddenly be taken away.” Theme, like the one stated above, is a deeper meaning in a story or play. Finding themes in stories poems, and plays that we read is so important because it’s how the author gets there message to the reader. In the play, “The Diary Of Anne Frank” ,Two dominant and recurring themes can be clearly seen in this fascinating and interesting story of a Jewish family trying to survive history’s biggest human disaster.
The first dominant theme in” The Diary Of Anne Frank” is “A positive attitude, even in bad circumstances, helps people maintain their passion for living and hope for the future.” We see this in the text when Anne says, “In spite of everything, I still believe people are really good at heart.” This theme helps us to understand that Anne is a very accepting person, with knowledge far greater than her age. This recurring theme shows That people are good at heart, but they don’t show it and do bad things that oppress others. An additional part of the text that shows this theme is when Mr. Frank says, “ You will never have to wear overshoes! Isn’t that good? And that coat you inherited from Margot, you wont have to wear that anymore.” We can observe that Mr. Frank is trying to make going into the annex an easier change by livening everyone up. This frequently used theme demonstrates that even in bad situations of oppression you can make things work with a good attitude. Clearly, this theme is a very important idea in this world, and is a part of how it still works.
The second dominant theme in “The Diary Of Anne Frank” is “Even in situations where oppression and evil dominate society, there are still good people willing to take great risks to help others.”. This becomes evident when Miep says,” Forgive me, I have got to go to the other side of town to get some ration books for you. This theme helps the reader to realize that not all people are self centered, some help others with nothing in it for them, at a risk of there own lives. This recurring theme reveals the real human hearts nature, and that people will always overcome evil. This dominant theme also becomes clear when Mr. Kraler says, “This is what we call the white market… Helping all of the hundreds and hundreds who are hiding in Amsterdam.” It is obvious that Mr. Kraler is a very selfless person, who is willing to die to stop oppression. This ageless theme demonstrates The importance of people not being greedy, and helping others. There is no doubt that this theme was the most important theme in the entire play, because without it Anne would have perished long before her diary took way.
As you can see the fascinating story of “The Diary Of Anne Frank” has two dominant themes, that both apply to the worst human acts in the worlds history. Analyzing recurring themes in stories, poems, or plays that we read is essential because it is the way we get the deeper meaning of the story, poem, or play. Themes, overall, help us to appreciate the message the author was trying to imply in the story.