1.

Alexandra Zapruder, who edited a collection of young writers’ diaries from the
Holocaust called Salvaged Pages, wrote of the diaries,

Perhaps most important of all, they stand as markers of people in time, those who
wrote themselves into existence when the world was trying to erase their presence. As
such, they are tools for pedagogy [teaching], to be sure, but they are also a reminder of
the singular power of the written word.

What do you think we can learn from sources like this diary? What do the anonymous
girl’s diary entries suggest about the purpose and power of writing?

When looking at the diary of the anonymous girl, we can learn from a first hand account
of how the Jews were treated in the ghettos and how it affected families. The girl writes
about how the rations are low, seen in paragraph 2 when she says, “This ration is much
worse than the previous one. Terrible hunger is awaiting us again. I got the vegetable
ration right away.” This shows that the people inside the ghettos were starving and their
diet consisted of vegetables that were very bland. She often talks about starving, and
how that leads to her stealing the egg noodles from her family ration; leading to the
argument between her and her father. She soon regrets this as she says,“What have I
done? I regret it so much, but it can’t be undone. My father is not going to forgive me.”
This displeases her, and she blames it on herself. She then talks about how the drive to
get out of the ghetto is making her rude and disrespectful to her family. In the end, she
speaks about her desire to escape the ghettos. This shows how the rations and treatment
in the ghettos has affected her and her family’s relationship.