Stanza and Anne Frank
Anne Frank Huis - Andrew Motion
The poem Anne Frank Huis refers to Anneliese Marie who was born in 1929 in Frankfurt to Jewish parents. After the Nazi came to power in Germany Adolf Hitler became the chancellor and the Frank family fled to Amsterdam. The Nazis occupied in Netherlands in 1942 and Franks went into hiding. The poem reminds us one of the three years of fear and suspense undergone by Anne Frank and the family who took shelter in a narrow space in an upstairs building.
Andrew Motion in his poem tries his best to make the reader feels the actual tense, fear and suspicion towards Anne’s situation.
The first stanza begins with “Even now” signifies the narrator’s sense of amazement that he is in Amsterdam visiting Anne Frank’s house. He is unbelievable whether he is actually at Frank’s house. The remainder of the first line indicates that 30 years have passed since Anne Frank’s death, but still the world grieves for her. Next little by little the poet indicates and stresses the ferocity that we all feel at the tragedy of the Holocaust. The “very place” stresses once more exactly where the narrator is. The use of the words “whoever comes” highlights that anyone can visit this house now as there are no Nazis anymore. The use of “these narrow stairs” hints at the oppressive nature of this building. It emphasizes that the family was hidden away, out of sight. The use of “climb” and “narrow” also gives us an idea of the discomfort and effort that the narrator is going through as he visits this house and it hints at the strong emotions he is feeling. The last line of the first stanza suggests the dark atmosphere and the people’s inability to help the family.
The second stanza carries the sense of guilt towards the inability to help. The clock outside from the church is described as “the Westerkerk repeats itself”. The clock is still keeping time the same way it did fifty years ago – it is still there giving some hope. Furthermore the simile in
The poem Anne Frank Huis refers to Anneliese Marie who was born in 1929 in Frankfurt to Jewish parents. After the Nazi came to power in Germany Adolf Hitler became the chancellor and the Frank family fled to Amsterdam. The Nazis occupied in Netherlands in 1942 and Franks went into hiding. The poem reminds us one of the three years of fear and suspense undergone by Anne Frank and the family who took shelter in a narrow space in an upstairs building.
Andrew Motion in his poem tries his best to make the reader feels the actual tense, fear and suspicion towards Anne’s situation.
The first stanza begins with “Even now” signifies the narrator’s sense of amazement that he is in Amsterdam visiting Anne Frank’s house. He is unbelievable whether he is actually at Frank’s house. The remainder of the first line indicates that 30 years have passed since Anne Frank’s death, but still the world grieves for her. Next little by little the poet indicates and stresses the ferocity that we all feel at the tragedy of the Holocaust. The “very place” stresses once more exactly where the narrator is. The use of the words “whoever comes” highlights that anyone can visit this house now as there are no Nazis anymore. The use of “these narrow stairs” hints at the oppressive nature of this building. It emphasizes that the family was hidden away, out of sight. The use of “climb” and “narrow” also gives us an idea of the discomfort and effort that the narrator is going through as he visits this house and it hints at the strong emotions he is feeling. The last line of the first stanza suggests the dark atmosphere and the people’s inability to help the family.
The second stanza carries the sense of guilt towards the inability to help. The clock outside from the church is described as “the Westerkerk repeats itself”. The clock is still keeping time the same way it did fifty years ago – it is still there giving some hope. Furthermore the simile in