“But the bright little girl soon enough recognizes that the cultivated inner life can be a much more powerful and dangerous weapon with which to repel intruders than any baseball bat. It may be in her diary that she discovers how to keep part of herself back, and to take revenge on those who have wounded what part of her has been exposed. She learns about herself faster than her brother”. This quote was written by Thomas Mallon in 1984. The quote refers to Anne Frank being the “little girl”. I think that Thomas Mallon thought the confessional diary that Anne Frank kept was very powerful. Anne Frank did not need any weapons to fight off her enemies because she had the powers of words. The diary Anne kept did not only disparage her enemies. A lot of the time she would criticize herself and talk about her flaws. The diary was not all bad things either. Anne talked about how she understood her relationship with others. She talks about her personal growth and the development of her private and public self. Anne’s diary was published and soon everyone in the world knew of her secrets. The idea that Anne’s words are more powerful that a bat are supported by all of Anne’s writings, which is as simple as it sounds. (more…)