The play The Diary of Anne Frank offers many vivid details that help us picture the scenes in our imaginations, even when we aren’t watching the play on stage. Let’s look at a few examples of details that create strong mental images.

As the play opens, Mr. Frank is alone in what was once his family’s hiding place. It is dusty now, and the curtains are torn. Mr. Frank is described as weak and ill. He begins to cry as he picks up a woman’s white glove that is on the floor. This is a poignant scene, for if we are familiar with the story at all, we know that Mr. Frank is the only one left alive of those hiding in the rooms. The pathos of the scene stands in sharp contrast with the sounds of children playing outside. Even if we are not seeing this scene on stage, we can easily picture it from the vivid descriptions.

In the play’s second scene, Anne’s voice, which indicates an excerpt from her diary, speaks about what it feels like to go into hiding and how strange it is never to go outside or “to run and shout and jump.” She also describes her fear at night. Even a creak in the house or someone’s footstep outside is enough to make Anne think that they have been discovered. This, too, is very vivid, and we can easily put ourselves in Anne’s place in the dark annex, listening to every small sound in terror of getting caught.