"Anne Frank Remembered", the autobiography of Miep Gies

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Anne Frank Remembered is the autobiography of Miep Gies, the woman who helped the Frank family survive during their two years in hiding. Her book is a primary source or first hand account of the persecution of Jewish people in Nazi occupied Holland during the second world war. It is also the first hand account of the hiding of Jews such as the Frank family, the Van Daan family, and Dr. Albert Dussel during this time.

In regard to the book's autobiographical format, the author, Miep Gies, does not present the reader with a clear thesis statement. Instead, throughout the book the author discusses her main views toward the actions of the Nazis and their oppression of the Jewish people. Her disapproval of German Nazi actions is evident in the following quotation, when she was asked to join the Nazi Girls' Club:

' 'How can I join such a club?' I icily asked.

'Look at what the Germans are

doing to the Jews in Germany.' ...Let her take a good look at me and see

with her own eyes that some 'Aryan' woman was not to be swept in by

the Nazis.' (Gies, p. 41, 1987).

The main source of background to the author's viewpoint is her own story. In order to further discuss her main points and views, a summary of her story must be given.

The book began with a brief history of the childhood of Miep Gies. She was born in Vienna, Austria in 1909, where she lived with her parents until the age eleven year. She was then sent to Amsterdam by a program in the aid of undernourished and sick children and was to be adopted by a Dutch family. She became used to the Dutch way of life as she grew older and soon...