Cultural Identity In The Diary Of A Young Girl By Anne Frank

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Refer to Stuart Hall argue, he defined ‘identity’ as “ a ‘production’ which is never complete, always in process, and always constituted within, not outside, representation”, in which he disagreed that ‘identity is an already accomplished historical fact’. The ‘identity’ here, refers to cultural identity, which is always changeable.

To a large extent, I agree Stuart’s argue, as identity can be influenced by both inside factors and outside factors, such as value for the former and environment for the latter. To discuss with Stuart’s statement, i will explain how different factors change cultural identity with the support of The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank.

‘Cultural identity’ can be thought of as an historically located set of shared …show more content…

Although she felt that she had two contradictory personalities, she knew what she stood for. She powerfully stated "I know what I want, I have a goal, I have opinions, a religion and love. If only I can be myself, I’ll be satisfied. I know that I’m a woman, a woman with inner strength and a great deal of courage!" (ibid. 258). Anne managed to have self-confidence and motivation despite the situations she endured that had the potential to destroy them. Even with all of the Nazi efforts to strip the Jews of it, some of them, including Anne, managed to maintain some sense of identity.

As Stuart’s states that identity is always in process, that means identity can vary from time to time, also in different environment. After the Nazi German occupied Netherlands and started to arrest Jews, Anne and her family had to hide in a secret annex, they were then lived under fearness, Anne’s cultural identity is being challenged as she could not fulfil a normal one in her expectation, as a Jewish, she needed to hide herself.

We’ve been strongly reminded of the fact that we are Jews in chains, chained to one spot, without any rights, but with a thousand obligations. The time will come when we’ll be people again, and not just Jews(Frank …show more content…

According to the powers that be, I’m supposed to grin and bear it. But I can’t! (Frank 43).

Anne beard the criticism from the outside, made her felt disappointed of herself, she also started isolated herself, eventually she suspect her own identity,

Who else but me can I turn to for comfort? I’m frequently in need of consolation, I often feel weak, and more often than not, I fail to meet expectations (Frank 63).

the Jewish people will be held up as an example. Maybe our religion will teach the world and all the people in it about goodness, and that’s the reason, the only reason, we have to suffer"(Frank 257).

Criticisms, persecutions and the oppression of Jews by Nazi Germany, are outside factors that vary Anne’s identity. At the very beginning, she was strongly loyal to her religious and belief, then she started to struggle in which her original identity as being a Jewish had been colonised, feeling ashamed as they were always criticised by non-Jews and Nazi Germany, eventually she stated that her identity is the reason of being

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