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The Diary of a Young Girl

by Anne Frank

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Why does Mr. Frank consider loud air raids as music to those hiding in the attic?

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Mr. Frank considers loud air raids as "music" because they signify the advancing Allied forces, which brings hope of liberation. Amid the fear and anxiety, he reframes the bombings as a positive sign, suggesting that the war might end sooner. This perspective helps those in hiding see the raids as evidence of impending victory over tyranny, rather than focusing on the immediate danger and fear they provoke.

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Air raids were growing more intense in 1944, leading to much fear and anxiety in the annex, as the families in hiding could hardly enter a bomb shelter. For instance, Anne Frank writes of 350 British planes dropping 550 tons of bombs. She mentions houses that tremble like "blades of grass" blowing in the wind.

In order to cut through the endless pessimism, Mr. Frank tries to reframe the increased bombing raids as evidence that the Allies are winning the war. Yes, they are life threatening, as are the severe food shortages and epidemics the Dutch must face, but this is a sign that the war will be over sooner rather than later. The Jews should regard the bombings as the music of victory and liberation from darkness and tyranny.

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Mr. Frank, ever the calm leader in a difficult living situation, uses the sound of the loud air raids to give the others in hiding with him a new way of looking at the loud and frightening air raid sirens and the resulting bombs.  Instead of looking at the negative fear of the bombs dropping where they are hiding, Mr. Frank helps the others see the air raids as a positive sign that the Allies are moving ever closer to winning the war and setting them free. The loud sounds of an air raid are frightening especially as the wait for the bombs to land drags on, but Mr. Frank changes the negative to a positive--that of an Allied rescue of the Jews and the countries occupied by the Axis powers.

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