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Otto Frank Speech

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In The Diary of Anne Frank, Otto Frank is a reliable leader and caring father. From the beginning, readers see that he is the head of the annex. He responsibly gives rules and keeps the annex in order. Being kind and thoughtful, he is highly regarded by his daughter Anne. Mr. Frank improves the quality of life in the annex through his actions, morals and personality. Mr. Frank improves the quality of life in the annex through his actions. He is welcoming to the Van Daans and Dussel. He offers the Van Daans a place in the annex to repay the help he received from Mr. Van Daan when he first came to the Netherlands (I. ii). At the arrival of Dussel, Mr Frank is quick to welcome him with a drink (I. iii). He also benefits the members of the annex…show more content…
Frank improves the quality of life in the annex through his morals. When everyone in the annex is busy arguing, Mr. Frank says “We don’t need the Nazis to destroy us. We’re destroying ourselves (II. iii).” He points out that they did not need a larger force to tear them apart; by fighting they could do it themselves. He desires peace in the annex, which is shown throughout the play when he puts conflicts to an end. For example, when Anne refuses to stick her tongue out for her mother, Mr. Frank wants her to stop arguing with Mrs. Frank and tells Anne to listen to her (I. iii). Mr. Frank is also a man who believes in gratitude. When Margot says she wishes the end would come, he is shocked and says “Think how lucky we are! Think of the thousands dying in the war, every day. Think of the people in concentration camps (II. i).” In their circumstances he still wants her to be thankful for being alive and well. Another example of Mr. Frank’s sense of gratitude is when Miep brings a cake to the annex; there is an argument between Mr. Van Daan and Dussel (II. i). Mr. Frank feels ashamed because he does not want Miep to think they are not thankful to her for risking her life for them to stay in the…show more content…
Frank improves the quality of life in the annex through his personality. Anne prefers her father over her mother because he frequently supports and takes her side during family arguments. When Anne has a nightmare she calls for her father, which shows how understanding he is (I. iv). Unlike Mrs. Frank, he is not judgmental. Mrs. Frank often criticizes Anne for her actions. For example, when she steals Peter’s shoes and kept them from him Mrs. Frank immediately protests saying “Anne, dear, I don’t think you should play like that with Peter. It’s not dignified (I. iii).” Meanwhile, Mr. Frank does not scold her for her actions and instead tells her to give Peter time to get used to a girl around him. Also, Mr. Frank is considerate and selfless. Before Dussel arrives at the annex, he has to make the decision on whether or not Dussel should join them (I. iii). He allows Dussel to join them even though it means everyone in the annex will have less food, which shows he is willing to sacrifice his own needs for others. After Anne has a nightmare and she calls for Mr. Frank instead of her mother, he says “It’s fine to hear you tell me that you love me. But I’d be happier if you said you loved your mother as well (I. iv).” This quote shows that he is not selfish enough to want Anne all for himself. He wants Anne to respect and love her mother as much as
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