HEY GUYS I HVE HERE UPLOADED A PPT ON HELLEN KELLERS THE STORY OF MY LIFE..SO PLZZ SHARE AND KEEP ME SUPPORTING

2. SLIDE NO. CHAPTER NO.
8,9 1
10,11 2
12,13 3
14 4
15,16 5
17 6
18,19 7
20,21 8
22,23 9

3. SLIDE NO. CHAPTER NO.
24,25 10
27 11
28,29 12
30,32 13
33,34,35,36 14
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5. Helen’s
apprehension
before writing her
autobiography
Birth of
Helen
Helen suffers
an illness that
leaves her deaf
and blind
Helen’s initial
attempts to
communicate
Observing
herself as
different from
others
Companionship
with Martha
Washington and
Belle
Helen is saved by
the nurse from
getting burnt
The need for a
better means
of
communication
The train
journey to
Baltimore

6. Exploring the
possibilities of
Helen’s
education at
Baltimore
Beginning of
the journey of
knowledge
with Miss Ann
Sullivan
Learning
lessons in the
lap of nature
Helen learns
that nature is
not always
kind
With the
acquisition of
words, Helen
turns more
inquisitive
The first
conception of
an abstract
idea
The tedious
process of
learning for a
deaf and blind
child like Helen
Learning to
read
Learning in the
form of stories that
were based on the
gifts received by
Helen

7. Christmas Eve Helen’s new
pet: Tim:
The journey to
Boston in May,
1888
Helen recalls
the tragic end
of Nancy, her
doll
Helen’s first
history lesson
at Bunker Hill
Helen’s maiden
ocean voyage:
trip to
‘Plymouth’:
The vacation
at Brewster
with Mrs.
Hopkins
Helen’s first
encounter with
the sea
Spending a
leisurely
autumn at the
Fern Quarry

8. Chilly winter at
a New England
Village
The favorite
amusement
during winters:
tobogganing
Speaking
lessons from
Miss Sarah
Fuller
The final
moment of joy:
Helen’s speech
Helen’s first
attempt to
write a
composition
on her own
“The Frost King”
appreciated by
family and friends
Helen’s
happiness gets
crushed in
Boston
Helen at the
court of
investigation
Effects of “The
Frost King”
incident in the
later life of
Helen

10. Helen felt a kind of hesitation before she set on the task of
penning down her autobiography and, thus, reveal the story of
her life. In addition, the task itself was a difficult one for
Helen: looking back, she could hardly distinguish between the
facts and the fancies across the years. Furthermore, in the
process of learning new things, she had forgotten many
important incidents and experiences of her childhood.
Helen Adams Keller was born on a plantation called Ivy Green
in Tuscumbia, Alabama, on June 27, 1880. She was the eldest
daughter of Captain Arthur H. Keller, a former officer of the
Confederate Army, and Kate Adams. Helen was named after her
grandmother, Helen Everett. Even as an infant, she showed
signs of eagerness and independence. By the age of six months,
Helen attracted everyone’s attention piping out words like “How
dye” and “tea”.
In February, 1882, at the age of nineteen months, Helen fell ill
with “an acute congestion of the stomach and brain”, which
could possibly have been scarlet fever or meningitis. This
illness left her deaf and blind. Later on, her spirit was
liberated from the “world of silence and darkness” by her

11. About that time, Helen found out the use of a key. The mischievous Helen played a prank
on her mother by locking her in the pantry. After Miss Sullivan arrived to teach her,
she played the same prank on her. Helen locked her teacher in her room and refused to
reveal the hidden key. Eventually, her father had to intervene and take Miss Sullivan out
of the room through the window.
When Helen was around five years old, the Keller family moved from the ‘little vine-
covered house’ to a large new one.
Helen’s father was loving and indulgent. Helen was fond of the stories her father
narrated to her by forming spellings on her hand. Her father in turn enjoyed Helen’s
reiteration of these stories. Her father’s death in the summer of 1896 was Helen’s “
first great sorrow– [her] first personal experience with death.”
Initially, Helen viewed her younger sister, Mildred, as an intruder. She felt that her
sister got all the attention from her mother. Helen vented her frustration and showed her
affection on her doll, Nancy. Once Helen overturned Nancy’s cradle in which her sister
was sleeping. Fortunately, their mother’s timely arrival saved Mildred. Later, however
, the love between the hearts of the two sisters prospered despite the fact that neithe
r of them understood the language of the other.

12. • After her sickness, Helen started using “crude signs” to communicate with others. A shake
of the head meant “No” and a nod “Yes”, a pull meant “Come” and a push, “Go”. If she
wanted anything, she would imitate the relevant action. Her mother encouraged her by
involving her in the household activities. This made Helen more observant of the actions
performed by the people around her. Helen started to observe that unlike her, other people did
not use signs for communication but talked with their mouths. She realized that she was
different from others. She attempted to copy them but in vain. At times, she released her
frustration on her nurse, Elisa, by kicking and screaming at her until she felt exhausted.
She regretted her misbehavior but did not try to change it. Martha Washington was a
little colored girl who understood Helen’s signs. She was the cook’s daughter. Martha
submissively obeyed Helen, who in turn enjoyed domineering over her. Both the girls spent
a lot of time in the kitchen, kneading dough balls, grinding coffee, quarrelling over the
cake bowl. Helen enjoyed feeding the hens and turkeys, and feeling them as they ate from
her hands. She also loved to hunt for guinea-fowl eggs in the long grass. Even though
Helen could not understand Christmas per se, she enjoyed the preparations leading to that
occasion. One July afternoon, when Helen and Martha were bored of cutting paper dolls,
they came up with the idea of cutting each other’s hair. Helen cut Martha’s hair and
Martha cut off a curl of Helen’s. Martha would have cut them all if it weren’t for Helen’s
mother’s timely intervention. Belle was a lazy old dog and a companion of Helen. Despite
of her attempts, it was inattentive to her signs and gestures. As a result, Helen would get
frustrated and go looking for Martha. Once, while drying her wet apron in front of the
hearth, Helen ended up going too close to the fire. Her clothes caught fire. Fortunately, she
was saved by the nurse, Viny, who threw a blanket around her to extinguish the fire.
Except for her hands and hair, she was not badly burnt.

14. Gradually, the few signs that were used by Helen to communicate became inadequate. Failure to get across her
thoughts led to fits of anger and frustration in Helen. She felt miserable. As a result, it became imperative for her
parents to find a teacher or a school for Helen so that she could learn a better means of communication. Helen’s
mother’s hope was aroused by an account she read in Dickens’s “American Notes” about the education of Laura
Bridgeman, a deaf and blind student, by Dr. Howe. Unfortunately, his methods had possibly died with him.
Besides, it would not be easy to find a teacher who would come to their distant town in Alabama to teach Helen.
Helen was six when her father decided to consult an oculist in Baltimore for the treatment of Helen’s sight. Helen
enjoyed the new experiences during her trip. She was happy to receive a box of shells from a lady and a doll made
out of towels from her aunt during the journey. She also played with the “punching machine” of the conductor. In
fact, she did not experience any fits of temper during her journey as there were so many things to keep her mind
and hands busy. At Baltimore, Dr. Chisholm said that there was nothing he could do about Helen’s sight. However,
he advised Helen’s father to consult Dr. Alexander Graham Bell of Washington, who would be able to guide them
in regards to the education of Helen. Meeting Dr. Bell was a great experience for Helen. He understood Helen’s
signs, which made her happy. This meeting was the beginning of a long friendship between Dr. Bell and Helen.
Helen later recalled this interview as the foundation of her journey from darkness to light, “from isolation to
friendship, companionship, knowledge and love.”Dr. Bell advised Mr. Keller to write to Dr. Anagnos, the director of
the Perkins Institute in Boston. Her father wrote to him without any delay and got a reply in positive. Finally, in the
March of 1887, Miss Sullivan arrived at the Keller house.

15. Miss Anne Mansfield Sullivan arrived at the house of the Keller family on the third
of March, 1887. This was the day from which Helen’s life started to transform; the
ailing spirit of Helen could only find solace by the knowledge delivered by Miss
Sullivan. Miss Sullivan gave Helen a doll, which was a present from the little blind
students of the Perkins Institute and was dressed by Laura Bridgeman. Miss Sullivan
spelled the word ‘D-O-L-L’ on Helen’s hands. Helen managed to imitate the
movements of her fingers even though she was not aware of the fact that Miss
Sullivan was trying to teach her the name of the thing. It took several weeks for
Helen to realize that everything has a name. Miss Sullivan tried to teach the names
of several other objects to Helen, such as “M-U-G” and “W-A-T-E-R”, but Helen
was annoyed at the repeated attempts of her teacher and she broke her doll on the
floor. One day, when they were walking in the garden, Miss Sullivan put Helen’s
hand under a spout of water. As the cool stream gushed over Helen’s hand, Miss
Sullivan spelled the word “water” on the other. Then Helen realized that ‘water’
meant that “cool something that was flowing over [her] hand”. She experienced the
joy of gaining knowledge. When she returned to the house, she was eager to learn
since “every name gave birth to a new thought". That day Helen learnt several new
words, including “father”, “mother” and “teacher”. This eventful day left her very
happy and excited. She waited eagerly for the upcoming new day.

17. Helen could experience new joy as she learned the names of the objects and their uses.
This made her more confident and familiar with the outside world.Helen had many
new experiences during her summer trip to the banks of the Tennessee River with Miss
Sullivan. There, sitting on the warm grass, Helen learned lessons from her teacher.
She got to know how birds make their nests; how trees grow with the help of the sun
and the rain; how animals find food for themselves, etc. She became more sensitive to
nature and rejoiced the company of the world about which she was now more
informed.One day Miss Sullivan helped Helen to climb up a tree. It was a pleasant
sunny afternoon and they decided to have their luncheon there. Miss Sullivan left to
fetch the food, with Helen sitting on a tree alone. Suddenly the weather became dark
and stormy. Helen was terrified and felt alienated from the world. Helen longed for
the return of her teacher and above all to get down from the tree. Too scared to jump,
she “crouched down in the fork of the tree”. Just as she thought she would fall along
with the tree, her teacher rescued her. Helen felt relieved to reach the ground safely.
This experience taught her that nature is not always kind, that nature “wages open
war against her children…”Helen continued to be terrified of climbing a tree for a
long time. One day, however, she was lured to climb a ‘Mimosa tree’ by its beautiful
fragrance. She did experience some difficulty in holding on to the large branches but
the pleasure of attempting something new and wonderful kept her going. Finally, she
sat down on a “little seat” and felt like a “fairy sitting on a rose cloud”.

18. Gradually, Helen’s knowledge grew in terms of vocabulary and subsequently, her area
of inquiry broadened. She returned to the same subject repeatedly, eager for more
and more information. One day Helen brought a bunch of violets for her teacher. Miss
Sullivan put her arm around Helen to show her affection and spelled into her hand, “I
love Helen”. But Helen failed to understand the meaning as she tried associating it
with a thing and not with an emotion or an abstract idea. She was disappointed by
the fact that her teacher could not “show” her what love meant. A couple of days
later, when Helen was stringing beads of different sizes, her teacher kept on pointing
out mistakes to her. Helen was trying to think about the correct arrangement when
Miss Sullivan touched her forehead and spelled the word “think” on her hand. Helen
suddenly realized that the word is the name of the process going on in her mind. This
was Helen’s first conscious awareness of an abstract idea. Finally, her teacher
explained to her that, “you cannot touch love either; but you feel the sweetness that
love pours into everything.”Miss Sullivan encouraged Helen to talk to her. She
supplied her with several words and idioms by spelling them on her hand. It was a
long and tedious process that continued for several years. This was because Helen
could neither distinguish between the different tonalities of the speaker nor look at
his expressions.

19. The next important lesson for Helen was learning how to read. Once
Helen had managed to spell a few words, her teacher gave her slips of
cardboard with raised letters printed on them. Helen promptly learned
that each printed word stood for an object, an act, or a quality. She was
given the slips of paper, which represented, for example, “doll”, “is”,
“on”, “bed”, and each name was placed on the relevant object. Her doll
was put on the bed with words is, on, bed arranged beside the doll, thus
making a sentence out of it. From the printed slips Helen moved on to
read printed books. Helen enjoyed hunting for the words she knew in
her book “Reading for Beginners". Miss Sullivan taught Helen with the
help of illustrations through beautiful story or a poem. In this way, she
made each difficult lesson easy to learn. The early lessons were carried
out in the sunlit woods. Among other places that Helen often visited
were the garden and the orchard. Helen’s favorite walk was to the
Keller’s Landing, an old wharf on the Tennessee River. There she was
also given geography lessons in a playful manner without any
exhaustion or feeling of being taught lessons. Helen built dams with

20. Another time, a beautiful shell was gifted to Helen, and it helped
her to learn about the habitat of the marine animals. She
associated the shell building process with the working of the
mind. Just as the Nautilus changes the material it absorbs from
water and makes it a part of itself, similarly, the mind converts
the “bits of knowledge” that one gathers into “pearls of
thought". Miss Sullivan picked up illustrations for her lessons
from life itself. She taught the growth of a plant by making
observations on a growing lily plant kept on the window. Helen
learnt about the behaviour of animals by feeling the tadpoles in
a “glass globe” and monitoring their growth.Miss Sullivan was a
teacher with great teaching skills: she was sympathetic and
loving. She could seize the right moment for delivering
knowledge to Helen, which made learning experience pleasant.
Helen developed such closeness with her teacher that she
hardly thought herself distant from her. She acknowledges her
teacher for all the good in her and as a source of aspiration to
gain knowledgeMiss Sullivan taught Helen arithmetic, botany
and zoology with the same leisurely approach.A collection of
fossils was once gifted to Helen by a gentleman. These served

22. •
Helen eagerly waited for the first Christmas after the arrival of
Miss Sullivan. Everyone in the house was planning surprises
for Helen and she, in turn, was preparing surprises for them
with the help of her teacher. Her friends incited her excitement
by throwing hints at her with “half spelled words” and
“incomplete sentences” which were both amusements and
language lessons for her. Meanwhile, Miss Sullivan and Helen
played the guessing game every evening to help her learn the
use of language. On Christmas Eve, Helen was invited to a
school in Tuscumbia. She felt excited in the presence of a
beautiful Christmas tree standing in the centre of the room. She
was delighted when asked to distribute presents among the
school children. She received her gifts as well. However, she
was not satisfied with these and wanted those gifts that were
being planned by her family and friends. Later, she waited
eagerly for the morning to discover her Christmas presents
from Santa Claus and others. Helen woke up to a large number
of gifts. She was most pleased by her teacher’s gift: a canary
bird. Helen named the little bird as ‘Tim’ and Miss Sullivan
taught her to take proper care of it. Tim was a friendly bird who

23. In May, 1888, Helen travelled to Boston with Miss Sullivan and her mother. This
journey was different from the previous journey to Baltimore as she was no
longer a young “restless” child. Instead, she was now a calm child sitting beside
her teacher who was informing her about the views outside the car window: the
Tennessee River, cotton fields, hills, woods and so on. After their arrival at
Boston, Helen’s doll Nancy underwent a sad experience. During the journey,
the doll became dirty and hence, the laundress at the Perkins Institution gave
her a bath. Consequently, the doll turned into a “formless heap of cotton” and
could only be recognized by Helen by her “two bead eyes". Helen could befriend
the blind children at the Perkins Institute quite easily. She was delighted to be
able to communicate with the blind children in her own language. Besides, she
was happy to be at the same institute where Laura Bridgeman had been taught.
She envied the blind children only in one aspect: their ability to hear.
Eventually, Helen felt contended and happy in their company and forgot all her
pain.

24. WhileHelenwas at Boston,she visitedthe BunkerHill.Thereshe had her first history
lesson. She was thrilled to imaginethat she was standingat the highstairwaywhichwas
onceused by the soldiers to shoot theirenemies.The next day, they went to Plymouthby
water. It was Helen’sfirst tripon theoceanand first voyage on a steamboat. On reaching
their destination, she felt the curvesand cutsof the PlymouthRockand the “1620”
engravedonit. A gentlemanat the PilgrimHall museumgaveher a smallmodelof the
rock.She was familiarwiththe wonderfulstories about the Pilgrims thatvisitedthat
rock.She couldidealizethemfor theirbravery and zeal to acquirehome inan unknown
territory. Later on, she was disappointedto knowabout theirshamefulacts of
persecutingminoritygroupslikethe ‘Quakers'.Amongher closefriendsat Bostonwere
Mr. WilliamEndicottand his daughter. She was delightedby theirstrollthroughtheir
rose-gardenof theirhouseat BeverlyFarms.Theirdogs, Leo and Fritz, werequite
friendlywithHelenand thehorse, Nimrod, pokedhisnoseinher handto get a pat. She
alsoenjoyedplaying inthe sand near the sea. Mr. Endicott toldher about great Europe-
bound ships thatsailedby fromBoston. Helenrecountsher wholeexperienceat Boston
as fullof pleasure and denotesthe cityin onephraseas “TheCity of KindHearts”.

26. When the Perkins institute closed for the summer, Helen and her teacher went
to Brewster, on Cape Cod, to spend the vacation with a dear friend, Mrs.
Hopkins. Helen had read about the sea in her book Our Worldand was excited
to visit it. Once at the sea shore, she hurriedly plunged into the water. She was
enjoying the water, when suddenly her foot struck a rock. Her “ecstasy”
changed into fear as she started drowning. She struggled for a while and
finally, the waves threw her back on the shore and she was supported by the
embrace of her teacher. After she recovered from the panic, she innocently
asked her teacher, “Who put salt in water?”After she had recovered from the
incident, Helen enjoyed sitting on a big rock and feeling the dashing of waves
against the rock, sending up a shower of spray. She noticed the movement of
the waves and their affect on the pebbles and the beach. Miss Sullivan drew
Helen’s attention to a sea organism---the horseshoe crab. Helen was so
fascinated by it that she carried the heavy crab all the way to their house. On
reaching their home, she carefully placed it in a trough of water. But to her
surprise, it disappeared the next morning. Helen slowly but surely realized her
mistake of separating the crab from his habitat and felt happy thinking that it
had possibly safely travelled to its home.

27. Helenreturnedto herSouthernhomeinautumn. Shefelthappyandcontentwithherexperiencesinthe north.She
spentherautumnmonthswithherfamilyat theirsummercottage,FernQuarry.Thecottagewaslikea “roughcamp”
situatedon topof a mountain, neara limestonequarry. Helenspenthertimeina leisurelymannerat thecottage.
Manyvisitorscameto FernQuarry. Intheevening,menplayedcardsandtalkedabouttheirhuntingexperiences.She
wokeup inthemorningwiththesoundof rattlinggunsandthe smellof coffee. Allthemenwentoffto huntafter
biddingeachothergoodluckfortheseason.Laterinthemorning,barbecuewasprepared. The“savouryodour”of
meatmadeherhungryevenbeforethetableswereset. Afterward,thehuntingpartyalsojoinedthefeastof vealand
roastpig,followingtheirdiscussionontheirhuntingeventsduringtheday.
Helenhada ponyandshenamedit BlackBeauty,havingjustcompletedthebook. Sometimes,accompaniedby her
teacher,sherode thepony.At times,MissSullivanwouldreleasethereinandtheponywouldstopat hiswillto eat
leavesfromtrees.On otherdays, theywouldgo forwalksinthewoodsandreturnhomewitharmfulof laurcousins.els,
fernsandotherbeautifulflowers.Sometimes,she wouldgo onsimilartripswithhersisterand cousins.

28. At thefootof the mountaintherewasa railroadand
abouta miledistantwasa trestlespanninga deepgorge.
Helenhadneveractuallybeenthereuntilonedaywhen
she,alongwithhersisterandMissSullivan,gotlost inthe
woods. Theycameacrossthetrestle,whichwasa shortcut
to theirhome.Sincetheywerelost,theydecidedto take
thiswayin spiteof thedangers:thetieswerewideapart
andquitenarrow.Feelingtherailswiththetoes,Helen
movedon thetrestlecautiouslybutwithoutfear.
Suddenly,trainwasheardcominginfromtheotherside.
Theyhadto climbquicklydownuponthecrossbraces
whilethetrainpassedby. Withsomedifficulty,they
regainedthetrack. When,ultimately,theyreachedback
home,it hadgrownquitedarkandallthefamily
memberswereout lookingforthem.

29. After her first visit to Boston, Helen continued to visit the north every winter. Once Helen
went on a visit to a New England village. This village had frozen lakes and vast snow
fields. It was here that Helen got to experience the snow. She explored the snow-covered
hills and fields that were devoid of any life, the empty nests and the bare trees. One day,
the advent of a snowstorm made Helen rush out-of-doors to enjoy the first few
descending snowflakes. Gradually, the whole area was covered by snow and the morning
became dark. In the evening, there was a snowstorm. Helen and her teacher spent their
time sitting around the fire and narrating stories. At night, they could hear the terrifying
noise of the wind on the trees around the house and the creaking and breaking sounds of
the rafters. On the third day, the storm was over and sunlight peeped out from the
clouds. It scattered to the different places making everything shine and glow. The trees
were standing still as if statues of “white marble”. The roads and paths were all covered
with snow. Helen could scarcely feel the earth below her Helen’s favorite pastime during
the winters was tobogganing. Helen enjoyed plunging through the drifts, leaping
hollows, drifting and swooping down upon the lake while riding on a toboggan.

30. With the loss of the ability to hear, Helen’s speech had died down. However,
from a young age, she had an impulse to speak. She tried to feel the noise
that she made by keeping one hand on her throat and the other on her lips,
feeling their movements. She produced sounds not to speak but for the
exercise of her vocal chords. There was a feeling of lack in Helen which
needed to be fulfilled. She was not satisfied with the means of
communication she used and desperately wanted to learn to speak. In 1890,
Mrs. Lamson, one of the teachers at the Perkins Institutions, told Helen
about a deaf and blind girl, Ragnhild Kaata who had been taught to speak.
Helen resolved that she will also learn to speak and Mrs. Lamson took her for
advice and assistance to Miss Sarah Fuller, the principal of Horace Mann
School. Miss Sarah Fuller was a “sweet-natured lady” who started tutoring
Helen on the 26th of March, 1890. Miss Fuller passed Helen’s hand lightly
over her face to make her feel her tongue and lips when she made a sound.
Within the first hour itself, Helen learnt six elements of speech: M, P, A, S,
T, I. “It is warm” is the first complete sentence that Helen managed to utter.
In total, eleven lessons were given to her by Miss Fuller.

31. The syllables were broken but, nevertheless,
human. She was eager to share her happiness
with her family and to see the joy on their faces.
Miss Fuller taught her the elements of the
speech but she was to continue practicing
herself with Miss Sullivan’s help. Miss Sullivan
dragged Helen’s attention to the “mispronounced
words”. Helen had to depend on the vibrations
felt by her fingers, the movement of the mouth
and expressions of the face. Discouragement
wearied her efforts initially but as soon as she
thought of the joy of her family, she felt
optimistic. Helen gave up the manual alphabet
method to develop her speech even though Miss
Sullivan and her friends continued to use it to
communicate with her. Finally, the happiest
moment arrived. Helen had developed speech
and was eager to return home. As she reached
the station and her family heard her speak, they
were overjoyed. Her mother was speechless with
delight and hugged her tightly; Mildred danced in
joy clasped her hand and kissed her; and her
father expressed his pride and affection by a “big
silence”.

33. During her stay at the Fern Quarry, Miss Sullivan described to her the beauty
of the “late foliage” plants. This apparently revived in Helen the memory of a
story that had been read to her in the past. The story had been unconsciously
retained in her mind but she thought that she was making up the story
herself. She eagerly jotted down her ideas before they would slip away from
her mind. The words and images smoothly flowed from her mind and she felt
the joy of composing a story. The story was called “The Frost king”. She did
not realize that the words and images coming to her mind without effort were
not her own. For her, the boundary line between her own ideas and those she
gathered from the books were blurred because most of the impressions came
to her mind through the “medium of others’ eyes or ears". After completing
the story, she read it to everyone at dinner. Despite some pronunciation
errors, she managed to impress everyone with her story. However, someone did
ask her if she had read the story in a book. Helen did not have the faintest
recollection of the story been read to her and so she denied it saying that it
was her story and she had written it for Mr. Anagnos. Mr. Anagnos was
delighted with her story and published it in one of the Perkins Institution
reports. During her short stay in Boston, Helen was astonished to discover that
her story “The Frost King” was similar to “The Frost Fairies” written by Miss
Margaret T. Canby. This story had appeared in the book, “Birdie and His
Friends”, which was published even before Helen's birth. The fact that the
language of the two stories was alike confirmed that Miss Canby’s story had
been read to her and that hers was “a plagiarism”. Her joy changed into
grief.Mr. Anagnos felt deceived. He believed that Helen and Miss Sullivan had
deliberately stolen the thoughts of a great writer to win his appreciation.

34. Helen was brought before a court of investigation where she was
examined and cross-examined by the teachers and officers of the
Perkins Institution. The investigators seemed to force Helen to
acknowledge that she remembered “The Frost Fairies” being read to
her. Helen felt heavy at her heart because of the doubts and
suspicions from her loved ones. She could respond to them only in
monosyllables. Her consciousness could not be unburdened by the
realization that she had only committed a ‘dreadful’ mistake. At last
she was allowed to leave the room. Her friends and family assured
her that she was a brave girl and that they were proud of her.
That night, Helen wept pitiably, suffering for her mistake. Miss
Sullivan had never heard “The Frost Fairies”, let alone read it to
Helen. So, with the assistance of Dr. Alexander Graham Bell, she
investigated the matter. At last, it was found out that Miss Canby’s
story had been narrated to Helen by Mrs. Sophia Hopkins when she
had spent a summer with her at Brewster. Even though Helen did
not recall hearing the story, it sustained in her memory.During this
distressing time, Helen received a lot of messages of love and
sympathy from her loved ones. She also received a kind note from
Miss Canby herself, encouraging her to write something of her own
in future that might help others. This was comforting to Helen but
she was afraid of “playing with words” again for a long time fearing
that she would repeat her mistake again. Miss Sullivan’s
encouragement, however, helped her to continue writing in future.

35. .Helen recognized herself as a part of the process of learning
by “assimilation” and “imitation” to put ideas into words. Her
early compositions are mainly assimilation of the descriptions
from various forgotten sources. Helen gives an example of the
composition she wrote for Mr. Anagnos about the beauty of
the Greek and Italian old cities. Mr. Anagnos appreciated the
‘poetical essence’ in her ideas. Helen was happy that even
though the works resembled a “crazy patchwork” comprising of
her own thoughts and others’, they proved her ability to
express of her admiration for beautiful objects in clear and
“animated” language. The good part of the tragic experience of
“The Frost King” was that Helen started thinking about the
problems of composition.
After the publication of “The Story of My Life” in the “Ladies’
Home Journal”, Mr. Anagnos, in a letter to Macy, stated his
views supporting Helen in the matter of the “Frost King”. He
also stated that he had cast his vote in favour of Helen in the
court of investigation. Helen remarks the “Frost King” incident
as an important one for her education and, therefore, has
included it in the chapter without an attempt to defend herself
or laying the blame on anyone else.

36. Helen Keller would not be bound by conditions. Rendered deaf and blind at 19 months by scarlet
fever, she learned to read (in several languages) and even speak, eventually graduating with honors
from Radcliffe College in 1904, where as a student she wrote The Story of My Life. That she
accomplished all of this in an age when few women attended college and the disabled were often
relegated to the background, spoken of only in hushed tones, is remarkable. But Keller's many other
achievements are impressive by any standard: she authored 13 books, wrote countless articles, and
devoted her life to social reform. An active and effective suffragist, pacifist, and socialist (the latter
association earned her an FBI file), she lectured on behalf of disabled people everywhere. She also
helped start several foundations that continue to improve the lives of the deaf and blind around the
world.As a young girl Keller was obstinate, prone to fits of violence, and seething with rage at her
inability to express herself. But at the age of 7 this wild child was transformed when, at the urging
of Alexander Graham Bell, Anne Sullivan became her teacher, an event she declares "the most
important day I remember in all my life." (Sullivan herself had once been blind, but partially
recovered her sight after a series of operations.) In a memorable passage, Keller writes of the day
"Teacher" led her to a stream and repeatedly spelled out the letters-a-t-e-r on one of her hands
while pouring water over the other. This method proved a revelation: "That living world awakened
my soul, gave it light, hope, joy, set it free! There were barriers still, it is true, but barriers that could
in time be swept away." And, indeed, most of them were.
In her lovingly crafted and deeply perceptive autobiography, Keller's joyous spirit is most vividly
expressed in her connection to nature:
Indeed, everything that could hum, or buzz, or sing, or bloom, had a part in my education.... Few
know what joy it is to feel the roses pressing softly into the hand, or the beautiful motion of the
lilies as they sway in the morning breeze. Sometimes I caught an insect in the flower I was plucking,
and I felt the faint noise of a pair of wings rubbed together in a sudden terror....

37. The Story of My Life by Helen Keller reveals many of the occurrences of her childhood and
many of the influences in her life. Her father, Arthur H Keller has a huge impact on Helen's
development, tirelessly looking for methods and people to help her. Helen's father, a captain
in the Confederate Army, has been married before and Helen's mother Kate is much younger
than he.
Helen remembers Captain Keller as a loving father who takes great pleasure in pleasing his
daughter. He is proud of his garden and grows the best grapes, berries, watermelons and
strawberries and Helen is always the first to taste the sweet, ripe grapes. He knows that Helen
also loves the garden, "the paradise of my childhood“ and relishes leading her through the
garden.
He is also an accomplished hunter and a gracious host to regular guests. As a newspaper
editor, Helen, as a blind and deaf girl, is often perplexed by his work as, even when she puts
his glasses on, she can still not conclude what he might be doing and only years later can she
understand his occupation. He also tells Helen, after she has learnt the manual alphabet, thus
setting "my spirit free," anecdotes which Helen recalls at "opportune moments,“ thus bringing
her father much delight.
A breakthrough for the family, after being "grieved and perplexed Comes when Helen's father
takes her to see a Dr Chisolm who then refers them to Dr Alexander Graham Bell and he is the
first step towards "the door through which I should pass from darkness into light."

38. Mildred Keller is Helen's younger sister as explained in The Story of My Life. There is
not a lot of information on Mildred in the autobiography but the reader does learn
that, after an event when Helen tips Mildred out of a crib, the two sisters do grow
"into each other's hearts“. Helen is jealous of the attention that Mildred gets from
her mother - attention that used to be directed to her. One day she notices that
Mildred has been placed in a crib reserved for Helen's beloved doll, Nancy, and it is
just as well that Helen's mother is on hand to avoid catastrophe. One year, whilst
spending the summer at the family's cottage in Fern Quarry, Mildred tells Helen all
about what she sees - the train tracks and cows straying on to them, and the
trestle. Helen and Mildred go walking in the woods with Miss Sullivan but
unfortunately they get lost. It is Mildred who spots the trestle which allows them to
find their way back but not before they are almost run over by a train. When they do
return, the family is out looking for them as it is so late. A poignant moment for
Helen when she realizes that she and Mildred will be able to communicate more
effectively is when Helen learns to speak and no longer feels "dumb."The most
important thing on Helen's mind is that "My little sister will understand me
now."Helen's family are delighted at her achievement with Mildred taking Helen's
hand and dancing. When Helen goes to The Cambridge School, Mildred also attends
and the sisters are inseparable "for six happy months "although they are eventually
withdrawn from the school after a disagreement between the school and Helen's
parents.

39. The Story of My Life reveals Annie Sullivan as the inspiration behind Helen
Keller's extraordinary life. She is only partially-sighted herself, after undergoing
surgery to correct her vision at a young age and herself having been educated
at The Perkins Institute for The Blind, a place instrumental in Helen Keller's own
development.
Anne Sullivan, Annie, is the person responsible for "the most important day I
remember in all my life“ as Helen recognizes Annie's contribution throughout
her life as teacher, interpreter, friend, companion and motivator. Annie never
misses an opportunity to teach Helen, whether it be academically or life skills.
She teaches Helen an appreciation in even the smallest detail: "in every blade of
grass, and in the curves and dimples of my baby sister's hand." Annie has the
capacity to help Helen connect with nature and "made me feel that 'birds and
flowers and I were happy peers.'"
One of Annie Sullivan's most instrumental effects is felt when she makes
Helen "Think." It is this that helps Helen make the connection between the
abstract and the physical as "you feel the sweetness that it (love) pours into
everything."Annie makes "every subject so real that I could not help
remembering.“So profound is the impact that Annie Sullivan has on Helen that
"her being is inseparable from my own, and (that) the footsteps of my life are in
hers.”

40. Helen’s association with Dr. Alexander Graham Bell was at the age of
six in Washington in the year 1886.It was on the advice of Dr. Bell
Helen’s parents sent her to speech classes at the Horace Mann School
for the Deaf in Boston which proved to be the foundation of Helens
education and life. In fact, Helen has dedicated her autobiography The
Story of My Life to Dr. Bell, an inventor and a teacher of the deaf.
Helen was greatly fascinated with the sympathetic and tender
nature of Dr.Bell and visited him at his home and laboratory. It was on
his suggestion that Helens father wrote to Mr. Anagnos and
subsequently found Miss Sullivan as a teacher. Dr. Bell accompanied
Helen and Miss Sullivan on their visit to the Worlds Fair in 1893. Dr.
Bell who is a wonderful and patient teacher could instill enthusiasm in
his students with his delightful explanations. Helen notes that Dr. Bell
was a humourous person and a poet with unlimited love for children,
especially for the deaf. Alexander Graham Bell and Helen Keller got
along very well and remained good friends.

41. THANK
YOU
BY-
DILPREET
SINGH 10-B
10209