PErsonal Reaction Essay, Research Paper

A Personal Reaction

In the book, ?The Upstairs Room? by Johanna Reiss, the author uses

both fact and opinion to tell the story of her life during the second world war.

The book talks about her early life, growing up knowing that her race was

hated, and that she would no longer stay in her home because of the danger.

In the following essay, I will compare and contrast the author?s life with my

own.

The story takes place during the holocaust. In the book, Johanna Reiss,

who refers herself to Annie, had to live a life similar Anne Frank from ?The

Diary of Anne Frank?. She had to go into hiding from the beginning of the

second world war in 1939 to the ending of the war in 1945.

Annie character reminds me of myself. The way she had to go into

hiding to protect herself and family due to their current situation they were in.

I can highly relate to that idea. When my family and I were going through

some family problems, my brother, sister and I had to go into ?hiding? until

the court trials were over. When I say ?hiding? I mean that we were relocated

to a relatives home until the court had made their decision about the child

custody case.

As the months went by, I said to myself, ?If I had put my mind to

something and worked hard enough to get it, my parents would have been

proud and they wouldn?t have a reason to fight over their children.? Annie put

her mind into hiding from the Germans and was able to live to tell about her

experiences. One day when I become successful, I want to be able to tell my

children about my childhood experiences and live my life how I had wished

my family should have lived. I will make sure that my children has no reason

to ?hide? from their parents.