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MODERN INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL
The Story Of My Life
(Synopsis)Aamir Bin
NazarX-B
- Helen Keller
About The Author Helen Adams Keller (June 27,1880 – June 1, 1968) was an American author, political activist and lecturer. She was the first deaf-blind person to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree. The prolific author, Keller was well traveled and was outspoken in her opposition to war. She campaigned for women’s suffrage, workers’ rights, and socialism, as well as many other progressive causes. There was one great soul in Keller’s life who was the reason for all her achievements in life, Anne Sullivan, Helen’s teacher.
Through Pictures..…
Synopsis
Chapter
1
Chapter 1 Helen felt a kind of hesitation before she
set on the task of writing 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’s apprehension before writing her autobiography
Chapter 1Her father, Arthur H. Keller, spent many years as an editor for the Tuscumbia North Alabamian, and had served as a captain for the Confederate Army. Her paternal grandmother was the second cousin of Robert E. Lee. Her mother, Kate Adams, was the daughter of Charles W. Adams. Though originally from Massachusetts, Charles Adams also fought for the Confederate Army during the American Civil War, earning the rank of colonel (and acting brigadier-general).
Helen’s Family(1)
Chapter 1
Helen Keller’s paternal lineage was traced to Casper Keller, a native of Switzerland. One of Helen's Swiss ancestors was the first teacher for the deaf in Zurich. Keller reflected on this coincidence in her first autobiography, stating "that there is no king who has not had a slave among his ancestors, and no slave who has not had a king among his.
Helen’s Family(2)
Chapter 1Helen’s FamilyARTHUR.H.KELLER HELEN and
MILDREDKATE ADAMS KELLER
Chapter 1
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 d’ye” and “tea.”
Birth of Helen
Chapter 1
The narrator was the first baby in the family. The beginning of her life was simple yet the family felt that the first baby was not to be lightly named. After some discussion, it was decided by her father that she will be named Mildred Campbell and he refused to take any further part in the discussion. Her mother wished that she should be named after her mother whose maiden name was Helen Everett .
Story behind the name.....(1)
Chapter 1
At the church, the minister asked a name for the baby. Helen’ s father lost the name and only remembered that she was to be named after her Grandmother. So, he gave the name Helen Adams.
Story behind the name.....(2)
Chapter 1Helen started showing the signs of eagerness and intelligence at an early age. She used to imitate people. Only at 6 months of age, she started speaking some words. Even after her illness, she remembered one of the words she had learned. It was the word ‘Water’. She walked the day she turned one years old. Shea gain expresses her love for nature by recollecting an incident. Her mother had just given her a bath. Attracted by the flickering shadows oh the leaves, she slipped from her mother’s hands and ran towards them, fell and started crying.
A Brilliant child and Happy Memories
Chapter 1The house in which Helen Keller spent the happy moments of her childhood was built by her father Athur.H.Keller after the Civil War. He shifted to this house after his marriage with his wife, Kate. Helen was born in this house. This homestead, according to the custom of the south had an annex- that is a small house(with a large and a small room) to be used only on occassions. The homestead had an old-fashioned garden and was completely covered with Vines, climbing roses and honeysuckles.
Helen Keller’s IVY GREEN(1)
Chapter 1Viewed from the Garden it gave the look of an arbour. Smilax and yellow roses covered the porch. These plants attracted a lot of bees and humming birds. The actual homestead covered all over with English Ivy came to be known as “Ivy Green”. The little Helen enjoyed the softness and the fragrance of the plants and the flowers of this garden even before the arrival of her teacher. In moments of agitation she got a lot of solace here and always thought this garden could no less than God’s garden.
Helen Keller’s IVY GREEN(2)
Chapter 1Helen Keller’s IVY GREEN
Chapter 1In 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 teacher, Anne Sullivan.
Helen suffers an illness that leaves her deaf and blind
Synopsis
Chapter
2
Chapter 2
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’s initial attempts to communicate
Chapter 2Helen’s initial attempts to communicate
Chapter 2 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.
Observing herself as different from others
Chapter 2Martha Washington was a little coloured 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.
Companionship with Martha Washington and Belle(1)
Chapter 2
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.
Companionship with Martha Washington and Belle(2)
Chapter 2 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.
Companionship with Martha Washington and Belle(3)
Chapter 2Belle 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.
Companionship with Martha Washington and Belle(4)
Chapter 2 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.
Helen is saved by the nurse from getting burnt
Chapter 2About 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.
Discovering the use of a key: used as a tool for mischief
Chapter 2Helen’s father was loving and indulgent. Helen was fond of the stories her father narrated to her by forming spellings on her hand. He was a patient and family loving man. He was a great renowned hunter also. He was also quite a hospitable person. The big garden in their house was his pride. 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”.
The loving relationship between Helen and her father
Chapter 2 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, mother’s timely arrival saved Mildred. Later, however, the love between the hearts of the two sisters prospered despite the fact that neither of them understood the language of the other.
Helen’s relationship with her baby sister
Synopsis
Chapter
3
Chapter 3As Helen grew up, the desire to express herself grew. Hence, she would fail to convey what she wished to share with others with a few inadequate signs. This resulted in a great sense of helplessness and frustration. She found herself in the tweezer grip of inability. This was followed by outbursts of passion as she made frantic efforts to break the invisible shackles that made her feel so helpless. She broke down in tears and physical exhaustion.
The need for a better means of communication(1)
Chapter 3Helen’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.
The need for a better means of communication(2)
Chapter 3Helen was six when her father decided to consult an oculist, Dr. Chisholm 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.
The train journey to Baltimore
Chapter 3
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 could give them the details of school for deaf and blind. He could also give information about the teachers capable of teaching such physically challenged
children.
Exploring the possibilities of Helen’s education at Baltimore(1)
Chapter 3
Meeting Dr. Alexander Graham 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”.
Exploring the possibilities of Helen’s education at Baltimore(2)
With Alexander Graham Bell
Chapter 3Helen found Dr. Bell’s company comforting and loved him at once. She mentions that then she didn’t know that the short interview would be the door from darkness into light bell. Advised her father to write to Dr. Anagnos, Director of Perkins institution in Boston. In reply to the letter, Dr. Anagnos conveyed that a teacher, Miss. Sullivan come to teach Helen. She arrived next year in March, 1887. The news of Miss Sullivan’s arrival was a great relief to Helen and an inner voice told her that knowledge is love, light and vision.
Door from darkness to light
Chapter 3Helen Keller with Anne Sullivan
