Answer :
Helen Keller, the little deaf and blind girl was triumphed over adversity to become world famous. Helen was born on June 27, 1880 in Tuscumbia, Alabama, to Captain Arthur Henry Keller, a confederate army veteran and a newspaper editor, and Kate Adams Keller. By all accounts, she was a normal child. But at 19 months, Helen suffered an illness – scarlet fever or meningitis that left her deaf and blind. Although Helen learned basic household tasks and could communicate some of her desires through a series of signs, she did not learn language the way other children do. Indeed, her family wondered how a deaf and blind child could be educated. At the age of six, her mother managed to get a teacher, Anne Sullivan, to teach Helen. After studying at the Wright Humason School for the Deaf and the Cambridge School for Young ladies, Helen entered Radcliff College in 1900 and finished her graduation in 1904.The Story of My Life shows, Helen Keller’s life is neither a miracle nor a joke. It is a tremendous achievement. It is destined to be imprisoned in darkness and isolation for the rest of her life, Helen built upon the brilliant work of her teacher, Anne Sullivan, to become an inter-nationally recognized and respected figure. In 1908 Helen published “The World I Live In”, an account of how she experienced the world through touch, taste and scent. In magazine articles she advocated for increased opportunities for the blind and for improving methods of reducing childhood blindness. In 1909, Helen joined the Socialist Party of Massachusetts and supported many progressive era causes, including birth control, labour unions and the right of women to vote. In 1924, her popularity somewhat recovered, Helen began working as a lecturer fund-raiser for the American Foundation for the Blind (AFB).Helen was devastated when her companion Anne Sullivan died in 1936. After the Second World War she toured more than thirty countries, continuing her advocacy for the blind. In 1955, she published the biography of Anne Sullivan “Teacher”, and in 1957 “The Open door”, a collection of essays. In 1964 she was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor, by President Lyndon Johnson. On 1st June, 1968, she died at her home in Arcane Ridge, Connecticut.I n the second part of the book, we can read the letters written by Helen to her beloved ones during 1887-1901. It was quite interesting and informative with wonder and curiosity. Through these letters, she opened her mind, saw, felt and touched the worlds of wonders. They are exercises which have trained her to write. The book “Story of My Life” is a story of courage and determination and a work of inspirational literature. It is a very good book for any kinds of libraries.
Helen Keller probably needs no introduction, but if perchance you have not heard of her, here is a brief introduction.Helen was born in June of 1880 in a tiny town in northern Alabama. She was nineteen months old and had just begun to talk when she contracted an unnamed disease, described by her doctor only as "acute congestion of the stomach and brain." The doctor 's prognosis was that Helen would not live. She pulled through, but not before the disease had robbed her of her sight and hearing.Helen was fortunate to have been born to loving and patient (and apparently well-to-do) parents who made every effort to stimulate the senses left to Helen and to seek help when it was time to educate her. At the suggestion of a family friend, Alexander Graham Bell, the family contacted Boston 's Perkins Institute for the Blind, which sent Anne Sullivan to tutor Helen. Anne Sullivan would later be called "The Miracle Worker," and a movie by the same name would reflect the story in this book (and win an Oscar for a very young Patty Duke.)Blossoming under Anne 's insightful instruction, Helen went on not only to pass the entrance exams for Radcliffe college but to graduate from this prestigious educational institution in 1904. Finishing Radcliffe alone was quite an accomplishment for a woman of that time, but for a deaf and blind woman, the accomplishment was nothing less than super human. Modestly, in her life story, she gives all the credit to her family, Alexander Graham Bell and Anne Sullivan.The most surprising thing about Helen Keller 's autobiography is how literate she is. The most enjoyable aspect of The Story of My Life is her passion for books. She discusses her favorite classics which she read in English, Greek, Latin, French and German. She mentioned that it was difficult to get books in Braille, and when she was required by a course to read a certain work that was not yet published in Braille, Anne Sullivan would have to spell out the book in the palm of Helen 's hand so that she could keep up with her class. When Helen did get hold of a Braille book, she devoured it. What a joy it must have been to read to herself, possibly 50 times faster than Anne could communicate the words to her through finger signing. Helen also mentions her other "best friend," the typewriter, which allowed her to write her school papers and later her book.Another enjoyable aspect of The Story of My Life is that if you ever feel sorry for yourself for what you don 't have or what you are currently struggling with, your deficiencies and struggles may suddenly seem minor in comparison to Helen 's.The version of The Story of My Life offered by Girlebooks includes selected letters and reports that demonstrate Helen 's gradual mastery of the English language, including punctuation. If you do not have time to read all of them, I recommend that you scan them to see her journey from minimally literate to accomplished writer. A third section includes the reports given by Anne Sullivan, which will give further insight into Helen 's progress as a student.