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The Story of My Life Summary Chapter 17

Helen recounts the time spent at the Wright Humason School for deaf, in New York where she found the teachers very dedicated and sincere. She talks about the death of her friend Mr Spaulding.

Helen recounts the time spent at the Wright Humason School for the deaf, in New York City, in 1894. She learnt vocal culture, lip reading, arithmetic, physical geography, French and German. She found French more difficult than German because her German teacher could use the manual alphabet whereas her French teacher could not use it manually. She could not learn to speak as quickly as she wanted to, and hence was disappointed.

She also found arithmetic difficult. Although these disappointments caused her great depression, she pursued other studies with interest, especially physical geography. But for these drawbacks, she found the teachers at the school very dedicated and looked back at the two years spent there with fondness.

She remembers her walks to Central Park and how she loved to have it described to her each time she went there. The chapter ends with Helen’s encounter with yet another death, that of her friend, Mr John Spaulding. His passing away left an irreplaceable void in her life.

The Story of My Life Summary Chapter 17 Questions and Answers

Question 1.
Why was Helen sent to the Wright-Humason School in New York City?
Answer:
Helen was sent to Wright-Humason School to be trained in vocal culture and lip reading. Along with that, she studied subjects like arithmetic, physical geography, French and German.

Question 2.
Why did Helen find it easier to learn German?
Answer:
The German teacher was able to use the manual alphabet and since Helen had already acquired some proficiency in it, they were able to talk in German easily. Soon, she was able to read the book Wilhelm Tell.

Question 3.
What were the disappointments that Helen had to face at the Institute?
Answer:
Helen’s skill in lip-reading and speech did not improve as quickly as everyone had expected. Hence there was a sense of disappointment for Helen.

Question 4.
Which subject proved the most difficult for Helen? How did she deal with it?
Answer:
Helen found it very difficult to do arithmetic. She tried to deal with it by guessing the answers or jumping at conclusions, but it only aggravated her difficulties.

Question 5.
What did Helen remember of the teachers at Wright-Humason School?
Answer:
Helen remembered her teachers at the school as very dedicated; they tried their best to give their students whatever advantage possible to lead them out of the confined lives they led.

Question 6.
What does Helen mean by saying, “Before I left New York these bright days were darkened by the greatest sorrow”?
Answer:
Helen, here, refers to the death of Mr John P Spaulding of Boston, who had been a great friend of Helen and Miss Sullivan.

We have decided to create the most comprehensive English Summary that will help students with learning and understanding.

The Story of My Life Summary Chapter 16

Helen writes about her attempts to learn French and improve her speech. She also began to learn Latin from Mr Irons.

This chapter recounts Helen’s attempts at learning French and improving her speech. She had already read the histories of Greece, Rome and the United States. In order to improve her speech, she read aloud to Miss Sullivan and recited passages of her favourite poets. For the first time in her life, she began to take fixed lessons at fixed times.

She started learning Latin from Mr Irons whom she describes as a man of rare, sweet nature and of wide experience. She learnt critical appreciation of literature and enjoyed her Latin lessons. Miss Sullivan helped her in her lessons by spelling into her hand whatever Mr Irons said and looking up new words for her.

The Story of My Life Summary Chapter 16 Questions and Answers

Question 1.
What does Helen mean when she says that earlier she had studied various subjects in a “desultory manner”?
Answer:
Helen confessed that there had been no fixed pattern to her learning. She had leamt various subjects them in a haphazard manner.

Question 2.
How do we know that Helen was determined to improve her speech?
Answer:
Helen spent a considerable amount of time reading out aloud to Miss Sullivan and reciting passages from her favourite poems which she had memorised. This reflected her urge to improve her speech.

Question 3.
What was the change that occurred from October 1893?
Answer:
The change that occurred in October 1893 was that Helen’s lessons became more structured and she began to have lessons in special subjects at fixed hours.

Question 4.
What did Mr Irons teach Helen?
Answer:
Mr Irons was a Latin scholar. He taught Helen Latin grammar and arithmetic. He taught her critical appreciation of the texts that she read and to recognise the writer’s style.

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The Story of My Life Summary Chapter 15

Helen writes about the time spent in Alabama, her constant anxiety about the originality of her writing, her trip to the Niagara Falls and her visit to the World Fair.

In this chapter, Helen writes about the time she spent in Alabama with her family, and how she returned to writing. She was plagued with insecurity about the originality of anything she wrote. She checked and double-checked her writing to make sure that she had not copied from something she had read, even accidentally.

Miss Sullivan continued to encourage her and persuaded her to write a brief account of her life for the Youth’s Companion. Helen recounts her trip to Washington, the Niagara Falls and World’s fair. The curious bazaar of India, the pyramids of Cairo, the lagoons of Venice and her experience on board a Viking ship at the World’s fair, was a totally new and enriching experience for Helen.

The World Fair proved to be a storehouse of information for Helen who readily absorbed every bit that she came across. She confesses that all these experiences added a great many new terms to her vocabulary.

The Story of My Life Summary Chapter 15 Questions and Answers

Question 1.
How did Helen resume writing?
Answer:
Helen had serious doubts about her ability to write original work. She was anxious if she might be writing things that she had read somewhere else. She would check and double-check her work to make sure she was not inspired by other works. However, Miss Sullivan continued to encourage her and persuaded her to write for the Youth’s Companion, for which she wrote a brief account of her life.

Question 2.
What surprised people about Helen’s appreciation of the Niagra Falls?
Answer:
People could not understand how Helen could appreciate the Niagra Falls without being able to see or hear the loud roar generated by the fall, flowing down the steep mountainside.

Question 3.
Why does Helen feel that her visit to the World Fair had helped to broaden her horizons and become mature?
Answer:
The visit to the World Fair with Miss Sullivan and Dr Alexander Graham Bell was an eye opener for Helen. For the first time in her life, she could ‘see’ all the marvels of invention and treasures of industry. She was able to learn about India, Egypt, Mexico and other parts of the world through the statues and relics displayed in the fair. This broadened her horizons and stirred her interest in the world around, rather than in fairy tales and make-believe.

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The Story of My Life Summary Chapter 14

Helen describes the writing of the story ‘The Frost King ’. She sent the story to Mr Anagnos as a birthday gift. The story was published by him but a court of investigation found similarities between her story and another one and accused her of copying ideas. This incident had a deep impact on her life.

In this chapter, Helen describes the writing of the story ‘The Frost King’ and the appreciation she received from her family. Although she received great joy in composing the story, her joy was short-lived. She sent the story to Mr Anagnos as a birthday gift. Mr Anagnos was delighted with the story and published it in one of his institution’s reports.

However, this innocent gift backfired as people found similarities between Helen’s story and another story tided the ‘Frost Fairies’. Mr Anagnos was annoyed and believed that she had copied the story and sent it to him under her own name. He thought that Helen and Miss Sullivan had deliberately stolen the thoughts of others and imposed them on him to win his admiration.

He made Helen face a court of investigation composed of teachers and officers of the institution which passed a judgment implicating Helen of copying. Helen went into deep depression as a result and lost all confidence in herself. Mr Anagnos cut off all relations with her.

Helen ends this chapter by making clear that her intention in giving an account of the event was neither to defend herself nor to put the blame on anyone but simply because this particular incident was important in her life and education.

The Story of My Life Summary Chapter 14 Questions and Answers

Question 1.
Why does Helen say that the winter of 1892 was darkened by one cloud? What was this cloud?
Answer:
In the winter of 1892, Helen’s story The Frost King was accused of being copied.

Question 2.
How did Helen write the story?
Answer:
Helen wrote the story at home, immediately after she learnt to speak. One day, after her teacher had described the beauty of the foliage around Fern Quarry, Helen was motivated to write the story which seemed to flow out of her.

Question 3.
How did her teacher, family and friends react to the story?
Answer:
Helen’s teacher, family and friends were all very impressed with the story and complimented her.

Question 4.
Why did Helen send the story to Mr Anagnos?
Answer:
Helen sent her story to Mr Anagnos as a birthday gift.

Question 5.
Why does Helen write, “I little dreamed how cruelly I should pay for that birthday gift”?
Answer:
Mr Anagnos published Helen’s story in one of the reports of the Perkins Institution. It was soon brought to his notice that the story was almost identical to another story called The Frost Fairies by Miss Margaret T Can by. Thus, Helen was accused of deliberately copying the story and sending it as her own. Helen was deeply troubled by the accusation and regretted sending her story.

Question 6.
What was Helen’s reaction to these allegations?
Answer:
Helen was deeply distressed because she could not remember having read The Frost Fairies and could not understand how she came to write something so similar. She lost confidence in herself and it was a long time before she started writing again.

Question 7.
What does the behaviour of Mr Anagnos and the committee that examined her reveal about them?
Answer:
The episode shows how the insensitive adults were quick to blame Helen without understanding the effect of their harsh behaviour on a little girl who was blind and deaf. In fact, Mr Anagnos cut off all relations with Helen, which hurt her deeply.

Question 8.
What was the role played by Perkins Institution in Helen’s life?
Answer:
Perkins Institution was the first place where Helen interacted with people outside of her family circle. It was the first place where she saw a library which she could peruse to her heart’s content. Here she leamt the basics of lip reading and reading with the help of Braille. “Later, however, it was also the place that undermined her confidence and left a deep scar on her psyche, when she was criticised and unfairly condemned for supposedly copying a story and saying that it was written by her. This curbed her efforts at self-expression for a long time, and made her far more cautious when she interacted with people and institutions in the future.

Question 9.
Do you think Mr Anagnos’ behaviour towards Helen after the story was published was justified?
Answer:
Mr Anagnos’ behaviour towards Helen seems to be unfair. To begin with, he was very supportive of her and when she sent him a story as his birthday gift, he was very pleased. He was the one who sent the story for publication. However, when it came to light that the story was very similar to another existing story, he changed his attitude almost overnight. He could have clarified the matter and explained that the story was not to be treated as a copied one, but as the triumph of their efforts in enabling a young blind girl to read and write.

Instead, he refused to be associated with her, as though he was trying to distance himself and hide the fact that he had sent it for publication. Perhaps he did this out of consideration of his own position within the institute, but it was certainly very unjust towards Helen. As a result of his harsh behaviour, she was made the victim, her confidence was shattered and it was a long time before she could bring herself to write again. Apart from stalling her growth, Mr Anagnos also exposed the hypocrisy of the institute, which was supposed to help disabled people, but was completely insensitive to the pain and mental anguish that they caused Helen.

We have decided to create the most comprehensive English Summary that will help students with learning and understanding.

The Story of My Life Summary Chapter 13

Helen talks about her attempts to speak. She was inspired by Ragnhild Kaata, a deaf and blind girl in Norway who had been taught to speak.

This chapter records Helen’s attempts at learning to speak. There was a strong impulse to utter audible sounds within her and she was inordinately pleased with anything that made a noise. She was inspired by the story of Ragnhild Kaata, a deaf and blind girl in Norway who had actually been taught to speak.

Helen learnt the elements of speech from Miss Sarah Fuller and uttered her first words with her help. Helen felt as if her soul had come out of bondage. She showed a strong determination and eagerness to show off her new skills to her family. Her joy knew no bounds when she felt people responding to her speech.

She practiced harder even when discouragement and weariness cast her down, but what spurred her on was the thought of revealing her new ability to her loved ones. Helen also describes the delighted surprise of her family at her new achievement.

The Story of My Life Summary Chapter 13 Questions and Answers

Question 1.
How did Helen learn to ‘hear’ with her fingers?
Answer:
Helen would place her fingers lightly on the lips of the speaker and copy the movement. She would feel the purring of the cat and the barking of the dog with her fingers.

Question 2.
Why did Helen make sounds and try to copy others?
Answer:
Helen tried to copy the sounds of others around her because she felt a deep need to exercise her vocal chords.

Question 3.
Why was Helen filled with eagerness after hearing the story of Ragnhild Kaata?
Answer:
Ragnhild Kaata was a deaf and blind girl in Norway who had been taught to speak. On hearing about her, Helen resolved not to rest till she too learnt to speak.

Question 4.
Why is 26 March 1890 a date Helen would never forget?
Answer:
26 March 1890 held deep significance for Helen as she started learning how to speak at the Horace Mann School from the principal, Miss Sarah Fuller.

Question 5.
How did Miss Fuller teach Helen?
Answer:
Miss Fuller passed Helen’s hand lightly over her face and made her feel the position of her tongue and lips as she made a sound. Helen imitated every motion and in an hour learnt six elements of speech.

Question 6.
What did her efforts to learn to speak reveal about Helen’s character?
Answer:
Helen’s tryst with learning to speak reveals her determination as she put in all her effort to overcome her disability.

Question 7.
How did Helen motivate, herself to learn?
Answer:
Helen motivated herself by thinking about her sister’s delight at her achievement and by repeating to herself the statement, “I am not dumb now.”

Question 8.
Why was Helen’s father quiet when he came to receive her at the station?
Answer:
Helen’s father’s joy at hearing her speak was so great that he could not speak himself. He expressed his delight through silence.