Prepare book review of story of my life helen keller
Answers
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.
Answer:
The book is an autobiography of Helen Keller, who is one of the most respected and internationally recognised visually impaired and deaf ladies, who struggled against all odds to educate herself. Keller was born on June 27, 1880 in Tuscumbia, Alabama. She was rendered deaf and blind at 19 months of age, when she contracted an acute congestion of the stomach and the brain (perhaps Scarlet Fever or Meningitis). From then on, she struggled to communicate with others. As a child, she would often be frustrated and would go in a rage, as she failed to communicate with her family.Eventually, after a lot of struggle, her parents find a teacher for her, Anne Sullivan, who goes on to change Keller’s entire life and teaches her how to communicate with her family and the outside world, without depending on anyone.The Story of My Life is a heart rending story of the challenges Keller and her teacher Sullivan face to communicate with each other until Sullivan tries the method of finger-spelling the words on Keller’s hand. With this method, Keller gets a breakthrough into the world of communication. For the first time, Keller recognises the word ‘Water’ through this method, and as she goes on to describe it in her book, “that living word, awakened my soul, gave it light, hope, joy, set it free.” With the help of her teacher, Keller learns to read and write and speak in different languages, including learning braille.
Keller wrote this book as a student at the age of 22. The book is in the form of letters compiled from her early childhood to adulthood years, which she wrote to her family and friends, informing them about her struggles to educate herself as well as other events happening in her school and college. She engages the reader with her thoughts, emotions and opinions. Her determination, diligence and strength are displayed through her writing.An enriching book which gives the reader an even deeper insight into the world of the blind and deaf people. A must read for everyone, across all ages.