An individual may also be a person who distinguishes themselves by behaving in an original manner when facing extraordinary circumstances. For example, there have been many Presidents if the United States, However, undoubtedly, the most well known is John F. Kennedy. For some reason, even young children in Australia know of him and yet would not know who the Australian Prime Minister was at the time. It is possible that he is remembered because he was assassinated, however, he is mainly remembered because he did his job as President very diifferently - many say he had charisma and that the White House was a different while he was President.

Another example of a person who had to deal with extraordinary circumstances yet did this in a very unique way is Helen Keller. She was deaf, mute and blind, and yet through sheer determination went on to learn to communicate and even wrote books and toured the world. Many other people have had similar disabilities, yet there was something which distinguishes Helen Keller. Her special qualities made it possible for her to deal with her disabilities in such an individual way that her story is an inspiration.

Hollywood and the music industry also illustrate the notion of what makes a person an individual. There are many talented actors who live very unusual lives, however, only very few of them would be considered to be truly individual. People like Marilyn Monroe, Madonna, Elvis Presley, Elton John and John Lennon will always be remembered as individuals. They will not necessarily be remembered for their movies or their songs, but for their personality, that special quality which made them different to other famous and equally talented people.

The Diary of Anne Frank is an excellent example of a person placed in very difficult circumstances who demonstrates very special qualities in dealing with their situation. If a diary had been found of another young Jewish teenager living in the same circumstances as Anne Frank, and the writer had been an ordinary girl just writing about how difficult her life was, the book would never have been published. Anne Frank was a special individual who was determined to make the most of her short life and this is the reason we are still reading her diary today, and it will be popular for many years to come.

The diary reveals that Anne although an ordinary teenager, was a very special individual who touched people's lives. She had charisma and was very kind. When she realised that she would be living in hiding for an indefinite period of time she decided to make the most of it and not waste her days complaining. For example, her family decided that there would be no gifts for the Jewish celebration, Hanukah. Anne did not believe that living in hiding should stop them from enjoying themselves, and so she organised gifts for everybody with the little she had. Anne made life much happier for those living in hiding with her - without her life would have been incredibly miserable. She would sing and dance in the annexe, and when her family asked her why she bothered, she replied that she never wanted to forget the simple things that they did before. For the same reason, Anne kept her diary. She had always loved writing and intended to become a writer when she grew up. She did not want living in hiding to stop her writing, so she decided that keeping a diary was the best way to keep her dream alive.

Anne Frank was an individual because of her attitude to life. Reading her diary shows that she would have made an impression on those around her and the world, no matter what her life had been like or how long she would have lived. Many young girls were persecuted and were killed in World War II, yet the only one the world identifies with is Anne Frank. This is not simply because her diary was found, but because it was the diary of an individual personality, a teenager with very special qualities.

Anne's individuality was not simply a result of her situation or family background, it was the essence of her personality, the way she was.