A Frank Discussion of Sin

By Kristine Englert
February 4, 2010

“It’s really a wonder that I haven’t dropped all my ideals because they seem so absurd and impossible to carry out. Yet, I keep them, because in spite of everything I still believe that people are really good at heart.”

                                                              -Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl

      In 6th grade, we are reading Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl. This powerful memoir provides an excellent example of the effects of sin. Sin occurs when we direct our power to love inwardly to ourselves, rather than to God and others.  When this happens, sin spreads and divides, affecting people around us and those we may never meet. Many problems in the world of yesterday and today come from the evil of sin. “The effects of sin are: separation from God, unhappiness, destruction, conflict, suffering and death (Christ in Our Life, p.30).”

      Learning about the worldwide turmoil during WWII helps to illustrate the cycle of the effects of sin, which ultimately ends in suffering and death. By examining the chronology of pre-War and post-War Europe, students are able to connect factual examples of how sin, unchecked and allowed to grow, can threaten an entire race of people as well as the freedom of many others. The cycle of the effects of sin can be directly applied to Hitler’s sin of love for himself that culminated in the unhappiness and destruction of others, the conflict of war and the suffering and death it ultimately caused. Narrowing the focus on how Hitler’s great sin even impacted the lives of the people hiding in the attic gives us the opportunity to see how one’s faith and spirit can transcend the effects of sin through hope. Anne never separated or gave up on God, even when the effects of sin threatened her very existence.  

      It is compelling to follow the daily ups and downs in the attic through Anne’s eyes. There are parts of the book when she shares her most intimate feelings about growing and maturing into a young lady. The teacher may want to pre-read and adjust how much of that the students are ready to hear. To the relief of many of my female students, I skipped over some of the more personal entries. Also, it is enlightening to compare the sacrifices that all citizens made during WWII to the lack of sacrifice we are currently experiencing during the War in Iraq. One day, I brought canned spinach and canned sour kraut for the students to try. I reminded them that the people in the attic did not have a choice but to eat whatever was available, which meant consuming the same vegetable for days at a time in nearly every meal. Needless to say, the odor alone was sickening enough but I was able to snap pictures of the reactions of the few that were brave enough to try a taste of either or both!  Several times in the book, Anne herself muses on the idea that her diary, nicknamed “Kitty”, might someday be published to be used as a teaching tool about the reality of WWII and Hitler’s reign.  I think she would be honored to know that her writing also provides a powerful memorial that puts a face on the effects of sin and can be adapted to be used as part of a religion lesson. 


Robbins, Mari Lu. A Guide for Using Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl in the Classroom. Westminster, CA: Teacher Created Materials, 1996. www.teachercreated.com

Sisters of Notre Dame of Chardon, Ohio. Christ Our Life: God Calls a  People. Loyola Press: Chicago, Illinois. 1997, 2002, p. 30.

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