Anne Frank Huis

8/19/2019 Anne Frank Huis

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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 erman!

A"olf Hitler became the chancellor an" the Frank famil! #e" to Amster"am.

The Nazis occupie" in Netherlan"s in 19$2 an" Franks went into hi"in%. Thepoem remin"s us one of the three !ears of fear an" suspense un"er%one b!

Anne Frank an" the famil! who took shelter in a narrow space in an upstairs

buil"in%.

An"rew Motion in his poem tries his best to make the rea"er feels the

actual tense& fear an" suspicion towar"s Anne's situation.

The (rst stanza be%ins with )*+en now, si%ni(es the narrator's sense of

amazement that he is in Amster"am +isitin% Anne Frank's house. He is

unbelie+able whether he is actuall! at Frank's house. The remain"er of the

(rst line in"icates that - !ears ha+e passe" since Anne Frank's "eath& butstill the worl" %rie+es for her. Ne/t little b! little the poet in"icates an"

stresses the ferocit! that we all feel at the tra%e"! of the Holocaust. The

)+er! place, stresses once more e/actl! where the narrator is. The use of

the wor"s )whoe+er comes, hi%hli%hts that an!one can +isit this house now

as there are no Nazis an!more. The use of )these narrow stairs, hints at the

oppressi+e nature of this buil"in%. 0t emphasizes that the famil! was hi""en

awa!& out of si%ht. The use of )climb, an" )narrow, also %i+es us an i"ea of

the "iscomfort an" eort that the narrator is %oin% throu%h as he +isits this

house an" it hints at the stron% emotions he is feelin%. The last line of the

(rst stanza su%%ests the "ark atmosphere an" the people's inabilit! to helpthe famil!.

The secon" stanza carries the sense of %uilt towar"s the inabilit! to help.

The clock outsi"e from the church is "escribe" as )the esterkerk repeats

itself,. The clock is still keepin% time the same wa! it "i" (ft! !ears a%o 3 it

is still there %i+in% some hope. Furthermore the simile in this line hi%hli%hts

that the clock woul" ha+e been a constant remin"er to Anne Frank an" her

famil! of the time the! spent in hi"in%.

The thir" stanza su%%ests the len%th of time that the Frank famil! spent in

this house an" that the! coul"n't raise their +oices or share their compan!

with an!one. 4a"ness comes throu%h here as the Frank famil! 5uite clearl!

coul" not en6o! an or"inar! life. The phrase )an" plottin%, "escribes what

the Frank famil! were "oin%7 hopin% of a chance of escape. An" )"a!8b!8

"a!, su%%ests the repetition of the action. The famil! was lon%in% for the

)!ellow chalk, line to %et nearer an" nearer before the Nazis "isco+ere"

their hi"in% place. 4a"ness is e+i"ent at this point of the poem as it

becomes clear that e+en within this e/treme e/perience. An" there was no

hope for an! kin" of )or"inar!, e/perience for Anne Frank.

The forth stanza too carries the same i"ea. Anne is presente" as a !oun%teena%er !earnin% for life an" her interests are not "ierent from an



or"inar! mo"ern %irl. Here )as pictures of her famil!, su%%ests an e/treme

sa"ness to the poem. These people in the photo%raphs mi%ht ha+e been

kille" in concentration camps "urin% the Nazi time. Furthermore the stanza

a""s sa"ness of this normal teena%er not ha+in% an! chance of a normal'

life "ue to the Nazi occupation.

The last stanza brin%s a hu%e contrast with the (rst four stanzas. ith the

phrase ):ike m! own7, the poet contrasts his own life an" the life of the

rea"ers an" all& with the life le" b! Franks. The poet emphasizes the i"ea

that how luck! we all are to li+e in"epen"entl!. He brin%s out a tran5uil

pleasant scene that the Franks coul"n't e+en ima%ine at that time. The

alliteration of )c,& in )come clear of bri"%es,& hi%hli%hts the freeness of the

bar%e. This contrasts with the imprisonment of the Frank famil! who were

ne+er to )come clear, of an!thin% e/cept un"er the arrest of Nazi %uar"s.

The )silent, bar%e a""s a rela/in% romantic ima%e !et it is also a remin"er

of the silence that the Frank famil! ha" to keep while the! were in hi"in%. 0t

coul" also be ar%ue" that the bar%e is silent in respect an" mournin% o+er

what happene" here in Amster"am to the Frank famil!. Throu%hout this

(nal stanza the wor"s %enerall! ha+e softer soun"s 3 )"rift,& )watch,&

)bar%e,& )bri"%es, 3 which a%ain contrasts with the sibilant wor"s an" the

harsh ima%es e+i"ent in the rest of the poem. An" all those ima%es hi%hl!

contrast the tension of Anne Frank's life with the free"om brou%ht about b!

the "emocratic forces. The poem en"s with the i"ea that Anne was "enie"

the free"om en6o!e" with the theme of in"epen"ence& lack of free"om an"

sa"ness.

Summary of poem

A (rst %lance at the poem re+eals an or"ere" structure of (+e lines of (+e

stanzas. The structure appears restricti+e& but there is no rh!me scheme.

This or"ere" structure coul" s!mbolise the restricti+e wa! Anne Frank an"

her famil! li+e" their life in Amster"am. The lack of the rh!me scheme a""s

to the une/pecte" nature of each line an" mimics the narrator "isco+erin%

the contents of the Frank's home. 0f a rh!me scheme ha" been inclu"e" the

rea"er ma! ha+e ha" a more comfortable rea"in% e/perience 3 this is not

Motion's intention.

0n the title of the poem An"rew Motion uses the ;utch )Huis, rather than

house. Firstl! this hi%hli%hts that Anne Frank hi" from the Nazis in

Amster"am& Hollan". <n the other han" it stresses imme"iatel! the sinister

repetition of the )s, soun" which %i+es the poem an uneas! feelin%

throu%hout =sibilance>.

Stanza One



:ine 1? The poem starts with )*+en now,& in line one& si%nif!in% the

narrator's sense of amazement that he is in Amster"am +isitin% Anne

Frank's house 3 he almost cannot belie+e he is actuall! there. The remain"er

of the (rst line in"icates that - !ears ha+e passe" since Anne Frank's

"eath& but still the worl" %rie+es for her. Enjambement is use" for the (rst

time at the en" of line one.

:ine 2? The rea"er almost stumbles into )an" an%er, in line two which

stresses the fur! that we all shoul" feel at the tra%e"! of the Holocaust. The

)+er! place, stresses once more e/actl! where the narrator is. The caesura

after )place, allows the rea"er a pause to consi"er the impact +isitin% this

house is ha+in% on the narrator. The use of the wor"s )whoe+er comes,

hi%hli%hts that an!one can come in to +isit this house now 3 there are no

Nazis an!more.

:ine -? @se of )these narrow stairs, hints at the oppressi+e nature of this

buil"in% 3 emphasisin% that the famil! was hi""en awa!& out of si%ht. The

use of )climb, an" )narrow, also %i+e us an i"ea of the "iscomfort an" eort

that the narrator is %oin% throu%h as he +isits this house 3 hint at the stron%

emotions he is feelin%. The caesura between )stairs, an" )"isco+ers,

"emonstrates that the poet is "isco+erin% the house for the (rst time7 much

like the Nazis woul" ha+e "one when the! foun" Anne Frank an" her famil!.

:ine $? )bookcase sli"es asi"e, 3 emphasis of the )s, soun" %i+es the poem

a sinister tone =sibilance>. @se of )sli"es asi"e, also mimics a%ain how the

Nazis woul" ha+e foun" the Frank famil! 3 their secret woul" be re+eale".

:ine ? )sha"ow, 3 there are connotations of the sha"ow of "eath here as

well as the connotations of "arkness an" the ethereal =%hostl!> atmosphere

of the house. The room itself is sunlit oerin% a stron% contrast with the

sha"ow the narrator went throu%h as he approache" the room. The phrase

)can ne+er help, is prece"e" b! a caesura create" b! the comma. This

separates the phrase an" hints at the !earnin% of the narrator that he coul"

ha+e helpe" Anne Frank an" her famil!.

Stanza wo

:ine B? The phrase )but break her secrec! a%ain, 3 rather than continuin%the i"ea from the pre+ious stanza of helpin% Anne an" her famil! 3 surprises

the rea"er with the intro"uction of %uilt at this intrusion of her the Frank

home. The (rst sentence e+entuall! (nishes in this line. The full8stop creates

another caesura which hi%hli%hts that e+en the simple act of )6ust

listenin%, makes the narrator feel %uilt!.

:ine C? The phrase )a kin" of %uilt, "epicts the feelin%s of the narrator at

enterin% the house. Motion follows the +er! lon% openin% sentence with a

short one to make it e+en clearer how the narrator is feelin% at bein% in this

house. The clock outsi"e from the church is "escribe" as )the esterkerk

repeats itself,. The clock is still keepin% time the same wa! it "i" (ft! !ears

a%o 3 it is still there %i+in% some hope.



:ine D? The simile in this line hi%hli%hts that the clock woul" ha+e been a

constant remin"er to Anne Frank an" her famil! of the time the! spent in

hi"in%.

:ine 9? The forceful metaphor& )each stroke "ie,& contains harsh lan%ua%e&

with ne%ati+e connotations of "eath& to "escribe the chimin% of the clock. The oppressi+e tone of the poem comes out here as well as the e/treme

"iEculties of li+in% in occupie" Hollan" "urin% Nazi rule. The erman %uar"s

woul" ha+e been below the win"ow listenin% to the same clock as Anne

Frank an" her famil!.

:ine 1? The enjambement from the pre+ious line separates )%uar"e"

streets, an" oers an e+en stron%er remin"er of the Nazis& an" that the!

woul" ha+e hear" the clock too. The caesura& after )streets,& %i+es the

rea"er the chance to pause an" catch a breath before the! are ur%e"&

almost force"& to picture this wartime scene in Amster"am. The phrase

)0ma%ine it,& separate" b! the en"stoppe" line& ur%es the rea"er to ima%ine

this horrible scene from 00.

Stanza !ree

:ine 11? This line hi%hli%hts the len%th of time that the Frank famil! spent in

this house an" that the! coul"n't raise their +oices or share their compan!

with an!one. 4a"ness comes throu%h here as the Frank famil! 5uite clearl!coul" not en6o! an or"inar! life.

:ine 12? The phrase )an" plottin%, "escribes what the Frank famil! were

"oin%7 hopin% of a chance of escape& either b! their own +olition or thanks

to the arri+al of the Allie" forces. The parent!esis aroun" )"a!8b!8"a!,

shows the monotonous repetition the famil! must ha+e e/perience" in the

house. The parenthetical separation makes this monoton! of their three

!ears in con(nement stan" out.

:ine 1-? The caesura before )hat hope, "emonstrates the kin" of life the

famil! le" in capti+it! with their "ream that the Allies were soon to appear

an" rescue them. The famil! were lon%in% for the )!ellow chalk, line to %et

nearer an" nearer before the Nazis "isco+ere" their hi"in% place. )hat

hope, is separate" at the en" of the line to emphasise e+en more the

"reams that the famil! still ha" "espite the "esperate nature of their

situation.

:ine 1$? The enjambement lea"s the rea"er "own an une/pecte" path in

this line. ather than continuin% the theme of free"om Motion intro"uces

the more usual "ream of fallin% in lo+e. 4a"ness is e+i"ent at this point of

the poem as it becomes clear that e+en within this e/treme e/periencethere was no hope for an! kin" of )or"inar!, e/perience for Anne Frank.



:ine 1? The phrase )sur+i+es her here, "epicts the "reams an" "esires that

Anne Frank has left behin". These "reams are )"ispla!e" abo+e the be", as

if the! are on show. The +er! "eliberate nature of the e/perience comes

throu%h here a""in% to the "iscomfort of the narrator an" his sense that he

is intru"in%.

Stanza Four

:ine 1B? The phrase )picture of her famil!, hi%hli%hts that Anne Frank was a

carin% !oun% woman. There is also a "eep sa"ness in this phrase as the

ma6orit! of people in these photo%raphs were probabl! mur"ere" in the

concentration camps. The poem is mo"ernise" a little in this line with the

phrase )some actors,. This is an attempt to en%a%e the au"ience an" show

that Anne Frank was not so "ierent from the teena%ers of to"a!. Gontrast is

also pro+i"e" here from the seriousness of the holocaust an" 00 to the

#ippanc! of ima%es of actors& fashions an" members of the o!al famil!.

:ine 1C? Alliteration of the )s, soun" is +er! e+i"ent in this line an" in this

whole stanza in particular. The sibilance a""s to the sa"ness of this normal

teena%er not ha+in% an! chance of a normal' life "ue to the Nazi

occupation.

:ine 1D? The wor" )stoop, "emonstrates that the narrator makin% an eort

to e/amine the room closel!. The use of )those, hi%hli%hts that not

e+er!one who +isits Anne Frank's house ma! notice these "etails.

:ine 19? The metaphor )patience missin% its rewar", hi%hli%hts the sa"ness

the poet feels for Anne Frank. ;espite the Frank famil! bein% able to keep

themsel+es carefull! an" silentl! occupie" for three !ears the! were not

rewar"e" for this en"ea+our.

:ine 2? There are more end"stopped lines in this fourth stanza an" this

%i+es the lines themsel+es more impact throu%h the lack of an! caesura.

The pauses arri+in% at the en" of the lines %i+es the rea"ers a sli%ht pause

allowin% them to concentrate on the meanin% that Motion is tr!in% to %et

across. This is e/plicitl! clear in this line where the pause at the en" of line

19 allows the rea"er to contemplate the i"eas of Anne Frank's )wish, an"

the )chances, she "i" not %et in her short life.

Stanza Fi#e

:ine 21? The colon in this line separates )m! own, from the rest of the

stanza =caesura>. This pause emphasises how luck! the narrator is& an"

also oursel+es& to li+e in a time where we can take a"+anta%e of

opportunities that come our wa!. The colon also lea"s the narrator to

e/plain what e/actl! he means b! chances. )4impl!, is use" in this line to

hi%hli%ht the ease with which he left Anne Frank's house7 the (rst thin% the

poet "oes that she coul" ne+er "o 3 but "reamt of "oin%.



:ine 22? The narrator procee"s to stroll throu%h Amster"am takin% in the

people who )"rift at ease, %i+in% a "ream like 5ualit! to this (nal stanza

that is in total contrast to the rest of the poem 3 where the wor" choice has

been harsh an" ne%ati+e.

:ine 2-? The tran5uil pleasant scene continues to be painte" b! the narrator. The "ream like 5ualit! continues linkin% to the i"ea that the narrator is

e/periencin% the 5ualities of Amster"am that the Frank famil! coul" onl!

"ream of.

:ine 2$? The alliteration of )c,& in )come clear of bri"%es,& hi%hli%hts the

freeness of the bar%e. This contrasts with the imprisonment of the Frank

famil! who were ne+er to )come clear, of an!thin% e/cept un"er the arrest

of Nazi %uar"s. The bar%e is )silent, 3 which is a%ain a rela/in% romantic

ima%e 3 but it is also a remin"er of the silence that the Frank famil! ha" to

keep while the! were in hi"in%. 0t coul" also be ar%ue" that the bar%e is

silent in respect an" mournin% o+er what happene" here in Amster"am to

the Frank famil!. Throu%hout this (nal stanza the wor"s %enerall! ha+e

softer soun"s 3 )"rift,& )watch,& )bar%e,& )bri"%es, 3 which a%ain contrasts

with the sibilant wor"s an" the harsh ima%es e+i"ent in the rest of the

poem.

:ine 2? The (nal enjambement surprises the rea"er once more as the

rea"er is now e/pectin% a twist or surprisin% ima%e to appear after bri"%es.

0n this last line Motion ar%uabl! uses the most romantic ima%e of the poem?

that of the bar%e )settlin% their re#ections in the blue canal,. 4o in the canal

the ima%e of the "riftin% couple is re#ecte" in the canal as the! "rift aroun"atmosphere. 4omethin% Anne Frank was ne+er to en6o!.

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Anne Frank Huis