The suspense in this excerpt primarily comes from the fact that the outcome is uncertain. Miep is in a precarious situation where she has stumbled upon high-ranking Nazis who are engaged in potentially treasonous activity. The stakes are extremely high, as she recognizes that witnessing this could lead to severe consequences, including the possibility of her own death. The tension escalates as she confronts them, and the reader is left wondering what will happen next, creating a sense of suspense.
Read this excerpt from Anne Frank Remembered.
Determined not to let my knees tremble, I forced myself up the steps to the room where I had been directed. I knocked on the door. No one answered, so I opened it.
As the door swung open, I saw a round table filled with high-ranking Nazis. Their caps were on the table, and in the middle of the table was a radio. The radio was playing an English broadcast. Right away, I recognized the BBC.
All their eyes burned into me. I realized that I had accidentally witnessed them committing a crime of treason, for which the penalty was death. I knew they would do with me what they would, so I had nothing more to lose. "Who is in charge?" I asked.
Why is this excerpt suspenseful?
The radio is broadcasting war news.
Miep is committing a crime.
The Nazis recognize Miep.
The outcome is uncertain.
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