Marianne Macdonald, Media Correspondent Tuesday 22 October 1996
The public is to be given its first chance to read the unedited version of Anne Frank's diary in a move by her cousin to halt her "canonisation" in the eyes of the world.
The definitive new translation restoring her most outspoken remarks and diary entries - censored by Anne's father, Otto Frank, before it was published in 1947 - will be printed by Viking in the UK next February.
The unexpurgated version, previously only available in a critical edition studded by footnotes and read by academics, is 30 per cent longer than the old edition which has sold more than 25 million copies worldwide.
It reveals Anne's frank comments about her family's helpers in hiding, thoughts on her burgeoning sexuality, and angriest outbursts against her fellow residents in the "Secret Annexe".
Buddy Elias, 71, Anne's cousin and the president of Basle-based Anne Frank Foundation, told The Independent that the public should know the truth about the Jewish teenager forced to hide for two years in the annexe to an Amsterdam warehouse during the Second World War.
"I'm sure they will gain a different impression of Anne," he said of the new edition. "It's really her. It shows her in a truer light, not as a saint, but as a girl like every other girl. She was nothing, actually; people try to make a saint out of her and glorify her. That she was not. She was an ordinary, normal girl with a talent for writing."
It was 9 July 1942 when the 13-year-old Anne went into hiding with her parents and older sister, Margot, the van Pels family, father, mother and son Peter - called the van Daans by Anne - and Fritz Pfeffer, an irritable dentist whom Anne christened Alfred Dussel.
The new Diary presents a less forgiving author. "Father has a friend, a man in his mid-seventies, who's sick, poor and deaf as a post. At his side, like a useless appendage, is his wife, 27 years younger and equally poor, whose arms and legs are loaded with real and fake bracelets and rings," she wrote in a restored entry for September 1942.
The following month she remarked irritably: "Everybody teased me quite a bit yesterday because I lay down on the bed next to Mr van Daan. `At your age!' `Shocking!' and other remarks along those lines. Silly, of course. I'd never want to sleep with Mr van Daan the way they mean."
A November entry about her impending period was seen as too shocking to print in the 1940s. "PS. I forgot to mention the important news that I'm probably going to get my period soon. I can tell because I keep finding a whitish smear in my panties."
In January 1943, Anne reported a confidential chat with Peter van Pels, with whom she was falling in love. " `Peter, the German word Geschlechtsteil means `sexual organ' doesn't it? But then the male and female ones have different names.' `I know that.' "The female one is a vagina, that I know, but I don't know what it's called in males.' `Hmm.' `Oh, well,' I said. `How are we supposed to know these words?' "
The following month she wrote about another talk with Peter. "He said he'd never be able to feel like a Christian, but that after the war he'd make sure nobody knew he was Jewish. I felt a momentary pang. It's such a shame he still has a touch of dishonesty in him."
With understandable vanity, Mr Frank also censored a comment about himself. "All those cute nicknames seem so affected," Anne wrote of her parents in March 1944, "and Father's fondness for talking about farting and going to the lavatory is disgusting."
Anne was open-minded about sex, but her father felt the morality of the day would not tolerate her views.
He removed a comment she also made in March. "It's not wrong for a man to bring a little experience to marriage. After all, it has nothing to do with the marriage itself, does it?"
Her frank remarks about her body were also seen as too shocking. "Until I was 11 or 12, I didn't realise there was a second set of labia on the inside [of the vagina], though you couldn't see them. What's even funnier is that I thought urine came out of the clitoris. I asked Mother one time what that little bump was, and she said she didn't know. She can really play dumb when she wants to!"
By April she had become closer to Peter. "I told him all about girls, without hesitating to discuss the most intimate matters. I found it rather amusing that he thought the opening in a woman's body was simply left out of illustrations. He couldn't imagine it was actually located between a woman's legs. The evening ended with a mutual kiss, near the mouth..."
Miep Gies, one of the Dutch women who brought food and comfort to the Franks throughout their imprisonment, is mentioned in a censored entry which illustrates the painful, wary atmosphere of the time.
"Miep came up one afternoon all flushed and asked Father straight out if we thought they too were infected with the current anti-Semitism.
"Father was stunned and quickly talked her out of the idea, but some of Miep's suspicion lingered on. They're doing more errands for us now and showing more of an interest in our troubles..."
An entry in May 1944 was removed by Mr Frank because of the distress it might cause another helper, Bep Voskuijl, who died in 1983.
"Bep's engaged! This news isn't much of a surprise, though none of us are particularly pleased. Bertus may be a nice, steady, athletic young man, but Bep doesn't love him, and to me that's enough reason to advise her against marrying him..."
The diary stops abruptly on 1 August 1944. Three days later, the SS invaded Anne's sanctuary. Its residents were taken on the last transport from the transit camp of Westerbork to Auschwitz.
Anne died there in February or March 1945. The only survivor was Mr Frank, who died in 1980 after devoting his life to his daughter's memory.
The Shadow Dance— Understanding Repetitive Patterns in Relationships
“The psychological rule says that when an inner situation is not made conscious, it happens outside as fate. That is to say, when the individual remains undivided and does not become conscious of his inner opposite, the world must perforce act out the conflict and be torn into opposing halves.”
"'virginity' ... wedding night bed sheet ceremony to hymen reconstructions" .. just watched ..
Insight: June 25 - By David Knox on June 24, 2013
Insight this week tackles the delicate subject of ‘virginity’ discussing everything from a wedding night bed sheet ceremony to hymen reconstructions.
“I know that my hymens have passed inspection in Australia and overseas and not been detected.” – Les Blackstock, cosmetic surgeon
Les Blackstock is proud of his reconstructed hymens. He says women are requesting them for a variety of reasons: because they have had pre-marital sex, they are victims of rape, or they “want to achieve a sense of a clean slate”.
He’s not the only Australian medical professional getting involved in virginity matters. Dr Wafa Samen, a Sydney-based gynaecologist, issues doctor’s certificates in English and in Arabic certifying that a hymen is intact.
The two doctors join this week’s Insight program on virginity, which looks at who’s holding onto it, who can’t wait to get rid of it, and who’s trying to hide the fact that they do (or don’t) have it any more.
Guests include:
Inez Manu-Sione The day after Inez Manu-Sione’s wedding night, she presented the bed sheet to her extended family so they could all inspect it for blood. Although she grew up in Australia, Inez is Tongan and the bed sheet ceremony is a part of her family’s cultural tradition. At first, Inez was reluctant to agree to the ceremony, thinking it was “barbaric”. But eventually she agreed to do it “to really honour my mum”.
Rose Russo Rose Russo had been having sex with other women for many years but still felt like she was a virgin as she hadn’t slept with a man. At 22, with the permission of her long-term girlfriend, she hired a male sex worker. “Interesting, expensive, not really worth it” is how she describes the experience.
Nathan McGuire & Bek Stubbs When Nathan McGuire and Bek Stubbs first had sex, Nathan was keeping a secret. Nathan, then 18 years old, was a virgin but told Bek that he’d previously had sex because he was worried Bek would think he was inexperienced and naïve. Nathan says amongst his mates, “losing your V-plates” was almost a competition.
Les Blackstock Dr Les Blackstock performs hymen restorations. He says his clients request it because they have had pre-marital sex, they are victims of rape, or they “want to achieve a sense of a clean slate”. He says it’s impossible to tell if a hymen has been surgically restored. “I know that my hymens have passed inspection in Australia and overseas and not been detected.” He says he won’t do a hymen restoration if he thinks a woman has been forced into it.
Dr Wafa Samen Dr Wafa Samen is an obstetrician and a gynaecologist based in Sydney. She provides some of her patients with doctor’s certificates stating that their hymens are intact. She says she receives such requests from brides who need to prove their virginity to their future husbands and in-laws, brides who didn’t bleed as expected on their wedding nights, or young women who are worried that they may have damaged their hymen while doing other physical activity.
Published on March 1, 2011 by Michael Castleman, M.A. in All About Sex
"Hymen" derives from the Greek for membrane. Hymen was also the Greek god of marriage .. http://www.psychologytoday.com/basics/marriage . These two facts summarize the conventional wisdom .. http://www.psychologytoday.com/basics/wisdom .. about this widely misunderstood tissue, that this fabled membrane covers the vaginal opening, and is "pierced," "broken," or "torn asunder" when women wed and have intercourse, presumably for the first time.
For thousands of years, many cultures have believed that "breaking" the hymen caused pain, hence the belief, still current, that women experience--in fact, should experience--pain on first intercourse. In addition, some cultures have believed that if questions arose about a young woman's virginity, an examination could determine whether she was or wasn't. An intact hymen demonstrated her virtue while anything else proved she'd already been deflowered. Many cultures have also believed that "piercing" the hymen caused bleeding. In these cultures, shortly after weddings, new husbands were expected to produce bloody sheets to prove they'd (1) married virgins, and (2) consummated the marriage.
Ridiculous. Here's the rare truth about the widely misunderstood hymen.
continued .. For reasons that remain unclear, female babies are born with membranes surrounding their vaginal openings. Most hymens are doughnut shaped and open in the center. Newborns' hymens tend to be prominent and thick. But as the years pass, most hymenal tissue thins and the opening widens. During childhood .. http://www.psychologytoday.com/basics/child-development .. most hymenal tissue wears away as a result of washing, walking, athletics, self-exploration, and masturbation .. http://www.psychologytoday.com/basics/masturbation , though little bits may remain around the vaginal opening, particularly in the area closest to the anus (hymenal tags).
The intact hymen almost never covers the entire vagina. If it did, virgin girls could not menstruate. However, the opening may not look like a doughnut hole. In some women, it has a ladder-like appearance with bands of tissue extending from one side to the other. In others, it resembles a honeycomb with multiple small openings. And in rare cases, an estimated one in 200, the hymen's single opening is so small that fingers, tampons, and erections may not be able to enter comfortably or at all (imperforate hymen). For women with imperforate hymens, a simple surgical procedure snips away the excess tissue. But in most women, by adolescence .. http://www.psychologytoday.com/basics/adolescence , any remaining hymenal tissue offers no significant impediment to using tampons or enjoying pain-free intercourse.
If hymenal tissue has largely worn away by adolescence, why do so many women experience pain on first intercourse? The sexological literature is oddly quiet on this issue. But I have a few ideas:
Pain on intercourse is a fairly common gynecological problem. It may be caused by many conditions. Some pain on first intercourse may have to do with medical issues.
Because of the mythology surrounding the hymen, many (most?) women expect first intercourse to hurt, which may become a self-fulfilling prophecy. The expectation of pain causes anxiety, which can turn minor discomfort into pain.
According to the National Health and Social Life .. http://www.psychologytoday.com/basics/social-life .. Survey (1994), about one-third of women recall not wanting sex .. http://www.psychologytoday.com/basics/sex .. their first time or recall being forced into it during incest, sexual assault, or other coercion or exploitation. Exploitive or assaultive sex can cause tremendous anxiety and produce or aggravate pain.
Even when women fully consent to first intercourse, an estimated "75 percent feel unprepared and find their initial sexual experience distasteful," according to the late sex therapist Sandra Leiblum, Ph.D. "Young Romeos, even those who care deeply about their girlfriends, typically lack the sexual skill and finesse for enjoyable intercourse." Fearful .. http://www.psychologytoday.com/basics/fear .. that women may change their minds, young men often rush into intercourse before women feel emotionally ready for it, and before their vaginas have become sufficiently relaxed and receptive for pain-free intercourse. Once erections enter young women, the men they're attached to often imitate the pounding, piston-like action of pornography .. http://www.psychologytoday.com/basics/pornography . Such mechanical, non-sensual sex can also cause pain.
Even if first intercourse is totally consensual and loving, sweet, and sensual, natural anxiety around their first time may interfere with women's release of vaginal lubrication. Poorly lubricated intercourse also contributes to painful intercourse.
Residual hymenal tissue may also contribute to discomfort or pain, but for the vast majority of women, hymen issues play a minor, if any role in pain on first intercourse (unless the woman has an imperforate hymen that has not been reduced beforehand).
Finally, what about all those bloody sheets? Rushed, nonsensual, poorly lubricated, piston-like intercourse might abrade sensitive vaginal tissue enough to cause bleeding. But throughout history, in cultures that have insisted on female virginity at marriage, the stakes have been very high. No blood on the sheets deeply dishonored the bride's family and might even bring charges of marital fraud. Many brides have taken no chances. Often under their mothers' direction, they have filed a fingernail to a sharp point and on their wedding night, cut themselves on the thigh, producing enough blood to stain the sheets and satisfy tradition--and the mythology surrounding the hymen.
.. it's great to see these people talking so freely about sexuality .. yup .. :) .. one guy just suggested the situation that 'virginity' in some cultures is still seen by many as manifestly virgin is a remnant of man's desire for power over women .. the old double standard stuff .. one just now it's a personal thing .. not religion .. just you .. oh! .. a guy just said it was interesting most of the conversation was about man's penetration into the vagina .. heh .. that he went to a Catholic school and that many girls were quite happy to have anal sex, as that allowed them to claim to be virgin .. chuckle your Horalick .. oops, Horalek .. post was well timed .. thanks again .. lol .. the program just ended .. umm .. ok ..
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How Human Reproduction Works
by Craig Freudenrich, Ph.D. and Molly Edmonds
Male Sex Organs
From the outside, the male has two visible sex organs, the testes (or testicles) and penis. The testes are the primary male sexual organs in that they make sperm and produce testosterone. The sperm is the male sex cell, or gamete, and each testicle produces more than 4 million new sperm per hour [source: Angier]. Testosterone is the hormone that causes male secondary sex characteristics such as facial and pubic hair, thickened vocal cords and developed muscles.
The testes are housed outside of the main part of the male's body, in a sac called the scrotum. This location is important because in order for the sperm to develop properly, they must be kept at a temperature about two degrees cooler than normal body temperature. It takes sperm about 4 to 6 weeks to mature, which they do as they travel from each testis to a coiled tube on the outer surface of each testis called the epididymis. Sperm, which are often compared to tadpoles in appearance, use their tails to travel, while the head contains the genetic material.
The penis is made of soft, spongy tissue that can expand or contract. When a man becomes sexually aroused, the penis becomes engorged with blood, causing the spongy tissues to stiffen and the penis to become erect. This erect state makes it easy to place the penis inside a woman's vagina during sexual intercourse. During sex, the male reproductive system is still at work, equipping the sperm with the assistance they will need to fertilize an egg. Find out more about this process on the next page.
The North Mississippi White Knights of the Ku Klux Klan encourage our members and supporters to watch the Australian Dateline interview with the North Mississippi White Knights of the KKK. We thank Australian Dateline for taking the time to interview us and learn more about the traditional Ku Klux Klan in Mississippi. .. http://www.sbs.com.au/news/video/28546627950/Inside-the-Klan .. http://nmwkkkk.weebly.com/
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