Cory Butler

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English 102, Sec 031
John Ottey
Essay 1
July 30, 2014

Hope
I visited the Idaho Anne Frank Human Rights Memorial in Boise, Idaho on June 10,
2014. It was not my first time visiting the memorial, nor will it be my last. Boise is fortunate to
have such a unique monument honoring human rights. It is unique in that it is the only Anne
Frank Memorial in the United States and one of the only places in the world where the full
Universal Declaration of Human Rights is on public display (IHREC). Visiting the memorial is
always a humbling experience. As I walk through, I read the quotes and reflect on those powerful
words. It reminds me of how fortunate I am and how many of my hopes and dreams are a reality.
While reading the engraved quotes that serve as tributes to various individuals who spoke up for,
endured, or influenced human rights, I see a common theme among them. That theme is hope. It
is evident that hope transcends all borders and time and helps us endure our journey in life.
Over the years, hope has improved human rights around the world. A few milestones
include slavery being abolished, WWII ending the slaughter of Jews, and desegregation being
challenged with the civil rights movement. All of these events are represented at the Idaho Anne
Frank Human Rights Memorial. A constant push for human rights has played a role in these
milestones and none of these milestones could have been achieved without hope.
Anne Frank is the perfect symbol for human rights because she was full of hope. Frank
never lost sight of her beliefs. Although, from reading her diary passages, it is clear she definitely
questioned them from time to time. Who wouldnt if put in the situation she endured? Can you
imagine your life is normal one day and the next turned upside down? Imagine being forced from
your home - the only safe place you know- and stripped of all your rights, causing you to hide, or

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even worse, be put in a concentration camp. Frank was able to endure and deal with this by
holding on to hope. She expressed this in her diary, and I am moved by her statement:
Its difficult in times like these: ideals, dreams and cherished hopes rise
within us, only to be crushed by grim reality. Its a wonder I havent abandoned
all my ideals, they seem so absurd and impractical. Yet I cling to them because I
still believe, in spite of everything, that people are truly good at heart.
Its utterly impossible for me to build my life on a foundation of chaos,
suffering and death. I see the world being slowly transformed into a wilderness, I
hear the approaching thunder that, one day, will destroy us too. I feel the
suffering of millions. And yet, when I look up at the sky, I somehow feel that
everything will change for the better, that this cruelty too shall end, that peace and
tranquility will return once more. In the meantime, I must hold on to my ideals.
Perhaps the day will come when Ill be able to realize them! (Memorial).
How powerful is that? I find it amazing that a teenage girl who was enduring a world
war and witnessing her friends and family being forced from their homes could still hold on to
her dreams and believe that people are good. These profound diary passages, when read, gave me
the sense of hope. Frank never gave up on humanity and believed there was still good in all
people. How was she able to do that? I would have struggled believing it myself if I had
witnessed the horrible things that were going on around her. Despite her circumstances, she was
able to hold on to her hopes and dreams. She held onto hope that one day everything would be
better. She was filled with hope that someone would stand up for what was right and fight for
change.

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Frank was not the only one to hold on to hope. African slaves forced from their homeland
also held on to hope. They hoped that things would change. During the late 1800s African
American slaves hoped that one day they would be free. I cannot imagine the fear and stress
endured by those being kidnapped from their homes in Africa, loaded onto a ship with deplorable
conditions, and sent across the Atlantic Ocean to an unknown destiny. They were left wondering
if they would see their families again and held on to hope for that day. If African American
slaves didnt have hope to drive them, they would have given up and perished. The ships were
filled with disease, coupled with substandard living conditions, and minimal food and water.
Many died before reaching land. Just imagine what was going through their minds: What is
going on? Who are these people? Where are they taking us? These slaves were likely tormented
with many questions, all the while clinging to hope that it would be all over soon. President
Lincoln wrote and signed the Emancipation Proclamation in December 1865 abolishing slavery
and emancipating four million slaves. Can you imagine the overwhelming joy felt by those who
were now free from slavery? Generations had been filled with the hope of freedom and, finally,
that day came.
The 1950s and 1960s were another time of hope. The hope for equality ignited the civil
rights movement. Can you imagine being segregated on buses or restrooms? It seems so foreign
to me to think that less than 70 years ago the hope for equality was ignited when Martin Luther
King campaigned. Even though slavery had been abolished, African Americans were still not
truly free. They faced discrimination, segregation, harassment, and some even worse. There were
many steps taken in hope of equality. In December 1955, Rosa Parks sat in the front of a bus and
refused to move to the back to the area reserved for blacks. Can you imagine what she was
feeling at that time? According to Hansen, Rosa Parks remembered this period as a time of hope

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and ferment, as African Americans came to believe that segregation could be overthrown (86).
What an act of bravery; I am sure Parks was aware of the consequences, but she was also aware
that standing up for what is right is important. That was just a small step in the Civil Rights
movement. Many others continued to push forward while holding on to hope. They risked their
lives, all for the hope that one day they would be able to sit anywhere on the bus, walk into the
closest, most convenient restroom, walk into any establishment, and be served with respect. They
were hoping for equality and were determined to not settle, not to take orders, and not to take no
for an answer. Their actions contributed to the hope of many for a better life and equal rights.
Hope of a better life continues to resonate throughout the world today. Refugees from
around the world are filled with hope as they begin a new life in a foreign land. Many of these
refugees were forced from their homes while others left voluntarily. In either case, refugees often
have nothing, but their hope to sustain them. According to the Proposed Refugee Admissions
report for Fiscal Year 2013, the United States alone could welcome as many as 70,000 refugees
(U.S. Dept. of State 5). That number is staggering. It is hard to imagine that in this day and age
there are still such violations of human rights. Refugees come from all walks of life and most
have endured the unthinkable. They have had to leave their homes and family behind in hope of
a better life.
It is evident that hope transcends all borders and time. Without hope, humans could not
endure the journey of life. Everyone has hopes and dreams and everyone needs hope to survive.
Hope has shaped individuals and masses alike, through inspiration. Inspiring words like the ones
found engraved at the Idaho Anne Frank Human Rights Memorial move people. Reading those
words encourages people to be better, reminds them of what is important in life, and gives them
hope for a better tomorrow.

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Works Cited

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Hanson, Joyce A. Rosa Parks: A Biography. Santa Barbara, Calif: Greenwood, 2011. Internet
resource.
Idaho Anne Frank Human Rights Memorial, August 16, 2002, Boise, Idaho. Memorial.
Report to the Congress, Proposed Refugee Admissions for Fiscal Year 2013. U.S. Department of
State. n.d. Web. 15 Jun. 2014
Why Anne Frank Has a Place in Idaho. Idaho Human Rights Education Center. n.d. Web. 16
Jun. 2014.