Tranquility | Teen Ink

Tranquility

February 22, 2016
By Emilyyyy BRONZE, Skokie, Illinois
Emilyyyy BRONZE, Skokie, Illinois
4 articles 0 photos 0 comments

According to the Oxford Dictionary, “comfort” means, “A state of physical ease and freedom from pain or constraint.” Since my adolescence, my grandmother’s house always felt welcoming. It resembles a home. A place where I feel safe. Her dwelling shows my definition of serenity. Maybe for Anne, her diary provides her with comfort by helping her escape from the problems and issues in the real world. My grandmother’s house and Anne Frank’s diary convey the same meaning.

Notably, my grandma’s home provides me with ease, as Anne’s diary did. Anne Frank wrote, “... I hope you will be a great source of comfort and support” (Frank 1). The young woman believes expressing her feelings in her diary and the actual diary itself, console her. My grandmother usually hosts family gatherings at her house. Recently, my family celebrated my grandmother’s 76th birthday. The hospitality of my grandmother, Ma, and all my family members surrounded me. It seems amazing how one place, or even one person, brings so many people together. The symbol of Anne Frank’s diary and Ma’s house similarly represent the same idea.


Communication with my grandma feels difficult sometimes because she does not fluently speak English. But, I created some of my best and closest memories at her house, like Anne Frank did with her diary. Making pastries with my grandmother transformed into a memory I collected over the years. I also worked on small chores, such as setting the table or washing the dishes. Anne Frank stated, “The first thing I put in was this diary, then hair curlers, handkerchiefs, schoolbooks, a comb, old letters; I put in the craziest things with the idea that we were going into hiding. But I'm not sorry, memories mean more to me than dresses” (Frank 12). This statement shows how cherished memories mean deeply to other people, rather than silly, invaluable objects. Anne believes treasuring memories ensures more importance than physical objects.


My grandmother’s house makes me feel nostalgic because the reminiscence of the memories overwhelm me. During my adolescence, I remember playing “Hide and Seek” with my cousins. We found endless possibilities for hiding places, from laundry baskets to closets. Furthermore, I visit Ma every Friday, without reluctance. Sometimes, flashbacks of memories from my adolescence occupy my mind. Anne Frank stated, “Now that I'm rereading my diary after a year and a half, I'm surprised at my childish innocence,” (Frank). In this quote, when the young girl grew up, she realized how much she changed from when she wrote her diary entries. But, she still kept her values and identity as a Jew during the Holocaust close.


Although I matured from my young age, I still conserved memories from my childhood, as Anne Frank did. She documented and recorded her memories and experiences into her diary so they might not be forgotten. Her diary relieved her and allowed her to escape the horrible events of the world. My grandmother’s house provides me with relief by the hospitality and heartiness of the place. Although certain objects feel insignificant, they reveal the true identity of a person.



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