At the age of 18 months, Helen Keller was rendered deaf and blind. Unable to read, write, or speak, it was thought that Helen wo
uld never be able to communicate. "The Story of My Life" describes Helen's education with Anne Sullivan and the unorthodox teaching methods that enabled her to learn how to communicate and thrive.
We read and studied out of doors, preferring the sunlit woods to the house. All my early lessons have in them the breath of the woods—the fine, resinous odour of pine needles, blended with the perfume of wild grapes. Seated in the gracious shade of a wild tulip tree, I learned to think that everything has a lesson and a suggestion. “The loveliness of things taught me all their use.” Indeed, everything that could hum, or buzz, or sing, or bloom had a part in my education—noisy-throated frogs, katydids and crickets held in my hand until forgetting their embarrassment, they trilled their reedy note, little downy chickens and wildflowers, the dogwood blossoms, meadow-violets and budding fruit trees. I felt the bursting cotton-bolls and fingered their soft fiber and fuzzy seeds; I felt the low soughing of the wind through the cornstalks, the silky rustling of the long leaves, and the indignant snort of my pony, as we caught him in the pasture and put the bit in his mouth—ah me! how well I remember the spicy, clovery smell of his breath!
Sometimes I rose at dawn and stole into the garden while the heavy dew lay on the grass and flowers. 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, as the little creature became aware of a pressure from without.
Another favourite haunt of mine was the orchard, where the fruit ripened early in July. The large, downy peaches would reach themselves into my hand, and as the joyous breezes flew about the trees the apples tumbled at my feet. Oh, the delight with which I gathered up the fruit in my pinafore, pressed my face against the smooth cheeks of the apples, still warm from the sun, and skipped back to the house!
Our favourite walk was to Keller's Landing, an old tumbledown lumber-wharf on the Tennessee River, used during the Civil War to land soldiers. There we spent many happy hours and played at learning geography. I built dams of pebbles, made islands and lakes, and dug river-beds, all for fun, and never dreamed that I was learning a lesson. I listened with increasing wonder to Miss Sullivan's descriptions of the great round world with its burning mountains, buried cities, moving rivers of ice, and many other things as strange. She made raised maps in clay, so that I could feel the mountain ridges and valleys, and follow with my fingers the devious course of rivers. I liked this, too; but the division of the earth into zones and poles confused and teased my mind. The illustrative strings and the orange stick representing the poles seemed so real that even to this day the mere mention of temperate zone suggests a series of twine circles; and I believe that if any one should set about it he could convince me that white bears actually climb the North Pole.
Part A How does Helen Keller’s word choice help convey meaning in paragraph 1?
By using words such as studied, learned, and lessons, Keller helps readers understand that spending time in the natural world was a positive experience that taught her a great deal.
By using words such as silky, spicy, and clovery, Keller helps readers recognize that her memory and imagination were powerful forces that helped her to overcome her disabilities.
By using words such as noisy-throated, trilled, and bursting, Keller helps readers imagine how it felt for her to hear for the first time out among the creatures of the natural world.
By using words such as odour, rustling, and indignant, Keller helps readers recognize the challenges she overcame through resilience and the heightened powers of her own senses.
Question 2 Part B
How does paragraph 2 help develop and refine the ideas conveyed in paragraph 1?
It explains the obstacles Keller encountered due to her physical disabilities. It demonstrates how serene Keller became when she retreated into her own mind.
It captures how excited Keller was to experience the natural world and learn from it.
It shows the ways in which Keller's understanding of the world was the product of her own good fortune and faith.
