Use Your Voice

As I continue to read The Diary of Anne Frank, I have realized she talks about her personality a lot.  While she likes to say what's on her mind, and stand up for what she believes in, the rest of the hidden people in the Annex look down upon her for that.  They say, "Why can't you be quieter and not talk back like Peter and your sister?"  However, Anne looks down upon people like her sister because she thinks them cowardly for not standing up for what they believe in.  Overall, I agree with Anne.

I agree with Anne because I think people who never talk back or push for things they really want will be tossed about in society.  If they don't speak up, they can get taken advantage of and end up being unhappy.  For example, Margot is quiet but then in the end she does whatever others tell her to do.  Though Anne doesn't describe Margot's feelings, I can only imagine that Margot often does not want to do these things or agree with others.  Thus, many unhappy feelings may be bottled up inside of her.  Anne later mentioned how everyone is depressed, and Margot complains about headaches.  Maybe this is the affect of not expressing her true feelings.

Another example in everyday life is when others make a mistake about what each individual is supposed to do.  For example, they might think they volunteered to do something, when they didn't.  A lot of times when this happens, I notice that the person has a confused look on their face but then slugs off to do the task without informing the person who made the mistake.  They often end up doing something they don't want to do.  Sometimes it annoys me that they didn't just speak up and tell the person that they made a mistake.

In conclusion, I think that standing up for yourself is a really powerful tool in life.  Though I'm not saying you should talk back to everyone who disagrees with you, I think we shouldn't always back down and let others command our lives.  I think being a little agressive or a "go getter" can really help you lead your life.