Anne Frank Final Project

Bystander Accusation/Defense

Read the following scenario and determine whether Hans Bakker should be tried in a Dutch court for the death of Elsa Lachman. Once you have made your decision, write a letter to the local magistrate (Judge Sikes) making an argument for why she should agree with you.

The scenario:

Ranon’s Story – Hans Bakker and Ranon Lachman were business associates and neighbors in Bielsko, Poland when the Nazis invaded in September of 1939. When Polish citizens of Jewish descent were required to register, Ranon feared for the life of his newborn daughter, Elsa, and begged Hans to take her in and raise her as his own. For several months, Ranon pleaded on behalf of his daughter until the day he could no longer put off registering his entire family. By June of 1940, Ranon, his wife, Adine, and Elsa had all been exterminated in a German concentration camp.

Hans’s Story –On the day Germany invaded Poland, Hans Bakker learned he was to be a father. When Ranon approached him with the radical idea of claiming a Jewish child as his own, Ranon’s first thought was the consequences if he should be found out. To ensure the safety of his own family, Hans refused his friend. During the war, Hans lost his business when it was taken over by the Nazi government, and his wife died from a prolonged illness and inadequate medical care. He and his son survive the war, but are left nearly penniless.

You are the chief prosecutor in Bielsko, Poland. The year is 1946. Much of Europe is still trying to rebuild, and many people want to see both the Nazis and those who helped the Nazis punished. You have received an anonymous letter informing you that a citizen in your town, Hans Bakker, is a Nazi sympathizer who failed to offer protection to a helpless child. You must decide if you will ask the local magistrate to allow you to bring charges against Hans Bakker or if you will ask the judge to issue a full pardon that will protect him from prosecution in the future.

Please follow the directions below and make sure you have all of the required components so that you can receive the maximum amount of credit.

Content:

Your letter must include an introduction, a thesis statement, three good reasons for your decision, and a conclusion. You must have one reason that appeals to logic (logos), one reason that appeals to emotion (pathos), and one reason that appeals to a sense of right and wrong (ethos).

The Letter:

  • 5 paragraphs (minimum of 5 sentences in each paragraph)
  • Typed
  • 12 pt Times New Roman font
  • 1” margins
  • In business letter format

The Format:

  • Paragraph 1: Introduce the situation and how you learned about it. Declare your position and give three reasons for it.
  • Paragraph 2: Outline your first reason, and provide some details to support it.
  • Paragraph 3: Outline your second reason, and provide some details to support it.
  • Paragraph 4: Outline your third reason, and provide some details to support it.
  • Paragraph 5: Restate your thesis in a different way and end your paper with a single concluding statement.

The Components:

  • Use at least three compound sentences. Highlight or underline your compound sentences once.
  • Use at least three complex sentences. Highlight or underline your complex sentences twice.
  • Use at least one compound-complex sentence. Highlight or put brackets around your compound-complex sentence.
  • Use at least one intensive pronoun. Circle your intensive pronoun.
  • Has fewer than ten errors in spelling, grammar, or punctuation

*Extra Credit Opportunity: You may choose to memorize your letter and present it to the class as if it were an opening statement in a courtroom for extra points.