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| Keller, Helene: The story of my life
Keller, Helene: The story of my life
The story of my life
by Helen Keller
In her book Helen Keller only wants to describe the most important
and
interesting parts of her life till she became 20 years old.
Helen was born on June 27 1880 in Tuscumbia, a little town of
northern
Alabama. Her father was a captain in the Confederate Army, her mother,
Kate
Adams, was his second wife and many years younger. The family lived in
a
little house with an old garden, which was the paradise of her
childhood.
When Helen was 19 months old, she became very ill. The illness, which
they
called an acute congestion of the stomach and the brain, closed her eyes
and
her ears. Early one morning, when everybody thought Helen would die,
the
fever left her as suddenly as it had come. The family was very happy,
but
nobody, not even the doctor, knew that she should never see or hear
again.
At first Helen was very disappointed that she didn´t understand any
more
what people said. She became very angry and upset and started screaming
and
crying. It was extremely hard for her parents to educate her correctly.
In
fact they couldn`t do it, because they didn´t know how to manage.
Helens
parents felt very sorry for her and were worried.
One day Helens mother read the book "American Notes" by Dickens. This
book
deals of a deaf and blind girl who had been educated. So her mother
went
with her to special Eyedoctors, when Helen was six years old. They got
the
address of a teacher for Helen - Miss Sullivan. Three months before
Helen
became 7 years old, Miss Anne Sullivan came into their house. Meanwhile
the
family had moved to a larger house - father, mother, two older
halfbrothers
, Helen and later a little sister - Mildred. Helen writes in her
biography,
that this was the most important day in her life when Miss Sullivan came.
In
her book Helen describes her first lesson: Miss Sullivan gave Helen a
doll.
She played with it a little while. Then Miss Sullivan slowly spelled
the
word
" d o l l " into her hand. Helen was very proud, that she could spell
a
word and the following days she learned more. Now she became happier
because
she could learn. She explored everything with her hands and learned the
name
of every object that she touched.
Miss Sullivan was a very good and sensitive teacher. She also took
her
across the fields where men were preparing the earth for the seed.
Helen
learned how plants and trees grow, how birds build their nests, how
every
creature find their food. One day Helen asked Miss Sullivan : "What is
love?
" - page 21 ff. -
The next important step in her life was learning to read. As soon as
Helen
could spell a few words Miss Sullivan gave her ships of cardboards on
which
were printes words in raised letters. Helen quickly learned that
each
printed word stood for an object. Soon she read little books. She
really
hunted for words. Studying was for her like playing, because her
teacher
illustrated everything beautifully. Helen liked her very much.
In May 1888 Helen visited Boston with her mother and teacher. They went
to
the Perkin Institution for the Blind. Here she got to know other
blind
children. For the first time in her life Helen could talk to other
children
in the same language. She was very happy.
In spring 1890 Helen learned to speak. She kept one hand on her throat
while
the other hand felt the movements of her lips. Another teacher
taught
Helen. Her method was ...- page 43 f -
Now Helen had to practise very hard, because she couldn`t speak clearly
in
the beginning. But she was very eager and busy and in the end
successful.
Very soon Helen began writing little stories and later books. She had
had
many and different interests. So Helen liked to visit exhibitions where
she
got to know things like a model of the Santa Maria or the Cape of the
Good
Hope etc.
>From Oct. 1893 Helen began to have lessons in special subjects like we
have
at school. She got Latin lessons at a special teacher, she also read
the
histories of Greece, Rome and the United States.
In Oct. 1894 Helen went to a special school for the Deaf in New York
City.
Here she got the highest level in lip-reading. In these 2 years
Helen
studied math, geography, French, German. Before the end of the first
year
she could read "Wilhelm Tell" in German and she learned to speak
German.
In 1896 Helens father died after a short illness. This was her first
great
sorrow, her first personal experience with death. She had had a very
good
relation with her father whom she had loved very much.
In Oct. 1896 Helen entered the Cambridge School for Young Ladies to
be
prepared for Radcliffe College. Miss Sullivan always went with her.
Her
studies for the first year were : English literature, German,
Latin,
arithmetic etc. Helen had to read the lips of her teachers, because it was
a
school for normal pupils. Miss Sullivan always sat beside her and
spelled
the words into her hand.
In July 1897 Helen took her examination for Radcliffe College in
Elementary
and Advanced German, French, Latin, Greek an Roman History. Because
there
were differences between a teacher at this school and Miss Sullivan
Helens
mother decided to take Mildred and Helen from school.
So Helen had private lessons in the subjects: algebra, geometry, Greek
and
Latin.
Helen found languages and literature easier than mathematics. In June
1899
she took her final examination for Radcliffe College.
In autumn 1900 Helen went to Radcliffe College. She had looked forward to
it
for years. In the first year she studied French, German, history
and
English. The lectures were spelled into her hand as quickly as
possible.
Helen couldn`t make notes during the lectures , because her hands were
busy
listening. When she came home , she wrote down what she remembered on
her
special type-writer. During the years Helen had learned that knowledge
is
power.
Helen Keller had many interests and qualities. She loved to read in
several
languages. She also loved the country and out-of- door sports. Helen
learned
to ride, to sail, to row, to canoe. Her favourite sport was sailing.
When
she was in Halifax she enjoyed it most.- page 90- Helen loved
nature!
Whenever it was possible, her dog went with her. All dogs she had had
,
always seemed to understand her, they kept close beside her.
Helen liked very much to visit museums and art shops. She couldn`t see
but
she liked to touch great works of art. Then she discovered the thoughts
and
emotions the artist wants to show.
Helen could feel hate, love courage in the faces. Just as she could
in
living faces when she was allowed to touch them. - page 98 and last
sentence
page 99-
Helen liked people who were honest and true, who treated her like a
normal
seeing person- and she got to know a lot of them in her life.
Helen Keller was a very remarkable person.
Was born on June 27,1880 in Tuscumbia, Alabama
Acute illness with 19 month
blind and deaf
Parents didn`t know how to educate her
Anne Sullivan came
She knew how to educate Helen
Learned to read with fingers
Learned to read the Braille
Visited Perkin Institution in Boston met other
blind
children
Learned to speak
went a school for the Deaf in New York
Learned:-math
-geography
-French
-German
got highest level in lip-reading
father died in 1896
entered Cambridge School a normal school
to prepare for Radcliffe College
learned:-English literature
-German
-Latin
-arithmetic
-etc.
were taken from Cambridge College because of differences between a
teacher
and Miss Sullivan
got private lessons
June 1898 got final examination for Radcliffe College
Went to Radcliffe College and studied there
The story of my life
By Helen Keller
A Biography
Characters: Helen Keller blind and deaf (because of an acute illness
when
she was 19 month old)
Anne Sullivan (teacher) came to Helens house
when
Helen was 6 years old
Kate Keller (her mother) was the second wife of
her
father
Mr. Keller (her father) died when she was 16 years
old
(because of a short illness)
Place: Tuscumbia, Alabama (USA) where she lived ; New York City in
a
school for the Deaf ;
Boston in a School for the Blind
Time: from June 27, 1880 till 1900
Contents: It`s a Biography of Helen Keller till she is ca. 20 years
old
Vocabulary:
stomach: the front part of your body below your chest
deaf: unable to hear
doll: a small figure for a children to play with
sensitive: einfühlsam
seed: a small thing produced by a flower from which
another
plant may grow
violets: a small plant with sweet-smelling purple
flowers
conscious: bewußt, bei vollem Bewußtsein
(to)puzzle: verunsichern
string: Schnur
beads: a small ball of glass or other material with a
hole
through it
patience: Geduld, Ausdauer
obvious: selbstverständlich
error: a mistake
sequence: Anordnung
instant: Augenblick, a short moment
(to)arrange: anordnen
forehead: the part of your face above your eyes and below your
hair
perception: Wahrnehmung
(to) pour: gießen, schütten
raised letters: erhöhte Buchstaben
throat: Kehlkopf
exhibition: Ausstellungen
sorrow: Kummer, Sorge
(to)enter: eintreten
lecture: Vortrag; Vorlesung
type-writer: Schreibmaschiene
courage: the quality that makes you able to control your fear
and
do something dangerous or difficult honest: ehrlich
(to)treat: behandeln
remarkable: bemerkenswert, besonders
braille: the writing which blind people can read by
touching
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