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The Story of My Life by Helen Keller Chapter 13 Summary, Notes and Question and Answers

The Story of My life- Novel for class 10- English CBSE By Helen Keller

Introduction of Chapter 13- the Story of My Life by Helen Keller

Helen had been trying desperately to speak, but she was not successful in her attempts. She did not lose heart The story of RagnhildKaata, a deaf and blind girl in Norway, who had been taught to speak was narrated to her in 1890. by Mrs Lamson. This story inspired her to continue with her attempts. Miss. Sullivan took her to Miss Sarah  Fuller, Principal of  Horace School, who agreed to teach Helen herself. Miss. Fuller’s simple but unique method made Helen speak her first connected sentence- “It is warm”. Thus with Miss. Sullivan’s tireless efforts and Helen’s strong determination, the latter was able to speak on her own. She discarded the manual alphabet as a medium of communication. Now Helen had a great sense of self-esteem. Even her thoughts seemed to flow more easily when she expressed them. She could now explain the use of the manual alphabet, also called fingerspelling. in fact, this phase can be considered as the second part of her life story.

Conclusion/ Chapter in short/ Analysis of Chapter 13/Understanding the Theme of 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.

Short Summary of Chapter-13 The Story of My Life by Helen Keller in Simple Words-

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 practised 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.

Extra Important Questions and Answers of Chapter 13

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.
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 the 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 make 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.

The Story of My Life by Helen Keller Chapter 12 Summary, Notes and Question and Answers

The Story of My life- Novel for class 10- English CBSE By Helen Keller

Introduction of Chapter 12- the Story of My Life by Helen Keller

Once Helen went on a visit to a village in New England, the entire village was covered with snow. Then came a snowstorm and tiny flakes of ice were falling around. The loneliness that Helen and others felt was forgotten for a while when they were sitting around the fire. During the night the wind became furious. At last, when the sun appeared, Helen and others slid over snow, sitting in a toboggan.

 Conclusion/ Chapter in short/ Analysis of Chapter 12 /Understanding the Theme of Chapter 12

Helen describes a winter spent in a New England village and her first experiences of a snowstorm.

Short Summary of Chapter-12 The Story of My Life by Helen Keller in Simple Words-

This chapter describes a winter spent in a New England village and Helen’s first experiences of a snowstorm. New England’s frozen lakes and vast snowfields were a new experience for her and she describes her pleasure in entering the treasures of the snow. She describes the landscape following the snowstorm as a waste of snow with trees rising out of it. She spent days sitting around the great fire, along with her family members and shared merry tales. Helen describes how she felt the dazzling sunlight after three days of snow. She also describes the fun she had tobogganing and describes the experience as ‘divine’.

Extra Important Questions and Answers of Chapter 12

Question.1
What surprised Helen about the trees in winter?
Answer:
Helen was surprised to discover that the trees and branches were bare of leaves in winter: there were no birds on them and their nests were all empty.

Question.2
Why did Helen rush out of doors even though there were signs of an impending snowstorm?
Answer:
Helen rushed out to feel the tiny snowflakes as they fell from the sky, in spite of dangers of an impending snowstorm.

Question.3
How did the family spend their time during the snowstorm?
Answer:
During the snowstorm, Helen and her family sat around a fire and enjoyed themselves, sharing merry stories with one another.

Question.4
Why does Helen say that the pine trees outside had no smell?
Answer:
Helen described the pine trees Outside her home to be bereft of any smell because they were covered with snow.

Question.5
How was Helen able to feel the light in spite of her blindness?
Answer:
The sun rays on the snow-covered trees and branches shone dazzlingly bright, and blindness. everything sparkled like diamonds. Helen could feel the brightness in spite of her blindness.

Question.6
What does Helen mean when she says that she could not feel the earth under her feet?
Answer:
The snow was so thick, that Helen could not feel the ground beneath it.

Question.7
What did Helen enjoy about tobogganing?
Answer:
Helen enjoyed being shoved off a slope and plunging through drifts, swooping down upon the lake as if she were flying.

The Story of My Life by Helen Keller Chapter 11 Summary, Notes and Question and Answers

The Story of My life- Novel for class 10- English CBSE By Helen Keller

Introduction of Chapter 11- the Story of My Life by Helen Keller

Helen spent the autumn months with her family on a mountain. Fern Quarry. about 14 miles from Tuscumbia. The mountain was thickly wooded. Many visitors came to Fern Quarry and related stories about wildlife. Helen considered them to be brave hunters who could frighten even ferocious animals. She enjoyed the ride on her pony which she had named Black Beauty because of its glossy black coat. One day Mildred. Miss. Sullivan and Helen lost their way in the woods. They narrowly escaped from being hurt by climbing onto the braces under the bridge on which the train passed.

Conclusion/ Chapter in short/ Analysis of Chapter 11/Understanding the Theme of Chapter 11

Helen describes several experiences in this chapter like her outing to the summer cottage in the mountains, campfire evening, hunting expeditions. She talks about her pony, Black Beauty.

 Short Summary of Chapter-11 The Story of My Life by Helen Keller in Simple Words

In this chapter, Helen describes the rich experience she had and how her mind blossomed upon reaching home. She describes the outing to Fern Quarry, the family cottage in the mountains. She elaborately describes the ferns, the great oaks and the splendid Evergreens that surrounded Fern Quarry. She also describes their pretty cottage situated on top of the mountain among the oaks and pines. She mentions the visitors at the campfire every evening, and the hunting expeditions the men went on. She talks of the barbecues and describes her pony, Black Beauty. Her happiest hours were spent on his back. She enjoyed gathering Persimmons and nuts and hearing the rail go by. She also recounts the adventure she had when she, Miss Sullivan and her little sister, Mildred got lost.

Extra Important Questions and Answers of Chapter 11

Question.1
Where did the family spend their autumn months?
Answer:
The family spent the autumn at their summer cottage on a mountain, fourteen miles from Tuscumbia, called Fern Quarry.

Question.2
How did the family spend the evenings?
Answer:
In the evenings, the family along with visitors sat by a campfire where the men played cards and spent time talking about their success at hunting.

Question.3
Why was there such excitement and movement in the mornings?
Answer:
In the mornings, all the visitors who had arrived much bed the night before got ready to go off on a hunting spree amidst great excitement preparation.

Question.4
What was ironic about these hunting expeditions?
Answer:
The irony was that though the men boasted about all the animals they had killed and made all kinds of preparation for the hunting expedition, they usually returned without any success.

Question.5
Who was Black Beauty? Why was it so named?
Answer:
Black Beauty was a pony that Helen rode sometimes. Helen had named it after the horse in the storybook Black Beauty, as it had the same glossy black coat with a white star on its forehead as described in the book.

Question.6
What made Helen gather the Persimmons?
Answer:
Though Helen did not eat the Persimmons, Helen loved their fragrance and enjoyed looking for them in the leaves and grass.

Question.7
What does Helen mean by the word ‘nutting‘?
Answer:
By ‘nutting’, Helen refers to looking for nuts like chestnuts, hickory nuts and walnuts.

Question.8
Why were Miss Sullivan and the girls forced to walk over the trestle?
Answer:
Since Miss Sullivan, Helen and her sister lost their way in the woods and had been wandering for hours, it was too late for them to take any other way and they had to cross over the trestle, as it was a short way home.

Question.9
Why did they find the cottage empty on their return?
Answer:
Miss Sullivan, along with the two girls found the cottage empty on the return because everyone was out looking for them.

The Story of My Life by Helen Keller Chapter 10 Summary, Notes and Question and Answers

The Story of My life- Novel for class 10- English CBSE By Helen Keller

Introduction of Chapter 10- the Story of My Life by Helen Keller

The chance that Helen got to spend some days on Cape Cod with a dear friend, Mrs Hopkins, fulfilled her desire to touch and feel the mighty ocean. She was almost drowned in the sea, but the waves luckily threw her back on the shore. Helen took a horseshoe crab home as she wanted to keep it as her pct. But the crab disappeared,  leaving Helen disappointed. She learnt the lesson that it was not kind or wise to force a poor dumb creature out of its natural habitat.

Conclusion/ Chapter in short/ Analysis of Chapter 1/Understanding the Theme of Chapter 1

Helen talks about her vacation at Brewster and her first experiences of the sea. She also learnt a lesson that it was not kind to force creatures of nature to live away from their habitat.

Short Summary of Chapter-10 The Story of My Life by Helen Keller in Simple Words

This chapter describes Helen’s vacation at Brewster and her first experience of the sea. It talks about her excitement and terror of the sea. Her encounter with sea filled her with an exquisite and quivering joy. But when her foot struck against a rock, she was overcome by fright and frantically searched for something to support her till she was clasped in her teacher’s loving arms. The chapter also mentions her first encounter with the Horseshoe Crab, which she wanted to take home. However, the crab escaped, teaching her that it is not kind to force dumb creatures to live away from their habitat.

Extra Important Questions and Answers of Chapter 10

Question.1
Why was Helen so excited about her vacation?
Answer:
Helen’s vacation at Brewster was her first encounter with the sea. She had read about the ocean and had developed a deep desire to touch the sea and feel its roar. She was very excited when she learnt that they were going to the seaside.

Question.2
What terrified Helen about the sea?
Answer:
The rush of waves which tossed her from one place to another as they carried her away from the shore terrified Helen. For a moment she could not feel the earth under her feet and she became panic-stricken.

Question.3
What surprised Helen about the horseshoe crab?
Answer:
Helen had never seen or felt a creature like a crab and was surprised to learn that it carried its house on its back.

Question.4
What lesson did Helen learn after the crab disappeared?
Answer:
Helen learnt that it was unkind to force dumb creatures to live away from their habitat, it was best to let creatures be in their own element.

The Story of My Life by Helen Keller Chapter 9 Summary, Notes and Question and Answers

The Story of My life- Novel for class 10- English CBSE By Helen Keller

Introduction of Chapter 9- the Story of My Life by Helen Keller

In May 1888 Helen visited Boston with Miss Sullivan and her big rag doll. During this train journey, she is calmer and eager to listen to Miss. Sullivan’s descriptions of the passing scenery and the people at the stations they pass. Unfortunately, the doll, Nancy, was reduced to a heap of cotton, when the laundress secretly tried to give it a bath. At the Perkins Institution, she made friends with the blind children. She was quite happy with her stay at  Bostori. She visited Bunker Hill, Plymouth and The Great rock. She made friends with Mr William Endicott and his daughter and was touched by their kindness. For her, Boston was ‘The City of Kind Hearts’ mainly due to the benevolent and kind Mr Endicott.

Conclusion/ Chapter in short/ Analysis of Chapter 9/Understanding the Theme of Chapter 9

Helen talks about her visit to Boston with her teacher and mother and how her doll Nancy got ruined. She talks about her visit to Perkins Institute for the Blind and how she was inspired by the positive attitude of the institution. She met Mr William Endicott and his daughter.

Short Summary of Chapter-9 The Story of My Life by Helen Keller in Simple Words

This chapter talks of Helen’s trip to Boston with her mother and teacher. It reveals the change in her behaviour from her previous journey by train. Better behaved as compared to her previous train ride, she preferred to sit quietly beside her teacher. Miss Sullivan described the world outside the train by writing on Helen’s hand. At Boston, Helen once again visited the Perkins Institution for the blind and met other blind children. Unfortunately, her doll Nancy was ruined over there as the laundress at the Perkins Institution had secretly given it a bath, hoping to clean her, but the doll lost its shape and became a ‘formless heap of cotton’. Helen was deeply influenced by the positive attitude at the Institution. She also went to Bunker Hall where she received her first lessons in history. Helen also talks of Mr William Endicott and his daughter, who took great care of her.

Extra Important Questions and Answers of Chapter 9

Question.1
How was Helen’s train journey with her teacher different from her earlier one?
Answer:
Helen was extremely well behaved and sat quietly by the side of her teacher, eagerly listening to her description of the world outside the train window. This was in contrast to her earlier journey when she had been undisciplined, restless and required constant attention.

Question.2
How did Nancy the doll change into a ‘formless heap of cotton’?
Answer:
The laundress at the Perkins Institution tried to give Nancy, Helen’s doll, a bath. It was reduced to a ‘formless heap of cotton’ after being laundered.

Question.3
What delighted Helen at the Institution?
Answer:
Helen was delighted to meet other children who could not see, and was deeply impressed by their positive spirit.

Question.4
Why was Helen taken to Bunker Hall?
Answer:
Helen received her first lessons in history at Bunker Hall. She was extremely excited to climb the monument, built in memory of the soldiers from the past, who had fought here.

Question.5
Why did Helen cry during the steamboat ride?
Answer:
Helen mistook the sound of the rumble of the steamboat to be thunder. She began to cry, worried that they would not be able to have their picnic outdoors if it rained.

Question.6
Who does Helen think of when she calls Boston the ‘city of kind hearts‘?
Answer:
Helen refers to Mr William Endicott, who along with his daughter, took great care of Helen when she stayed at their farm in Boston.

The Story of My Life by Helen Keller Chapter 8 Summary, Notes and Question and Answers

The Story of My life- Novel for class 10- English CBSE By Helen Keller

Introduction of Chapter 8- the Story of My Life by Helen Keller

Helen and Miss. Sullivan prepared for Christmas at the Tuscumbia House. Helen took part in the festivities and played a guessing game with her teacher. She was invited by the Tuscumbia school children on Christmas Eve. She handed over presents to the children and received a lot of gifts in return. Miss. Sullivan presented her with a canary. Now she had a little bird, Tim, to look after and Miss. Sullivan taught her how to care for her pet. But as ill-luck would have it, Tim was eaten up by a big cat a few days later, when the cage door was kept open by mistake.

Conclusion/ Chapter in short/ Analysis of Chapter 8/Understanding the Theme of Chapter 8

Helen talks about the Christmas day full of surprises and the highlight of the day was the time she spent with the school children. She describes how she took care of Little Tim, the canary and her sorrow after its death.

Short Summary of Chapter-8 The Story of My Life by Helen Keller in Simple Words-

This chapter describes how Helen enjoyed celebrating Christmas with her teacher. Helen had fun preparing surprises for everybody along with Miss Sullivan. The game of guessing which they played taught Helen more about the use of language. It was a day full of surprises, the highlight being the time spent with school children on Christmas Eve. Helen had been invited to the school by the Tuscumbia schoolchildren to celebrate Christmas with them. There was a gift for each child by the tree and Helen was allowed to distribute them. Helen was delighted to hand the presents to the children. On Christmas day, she found surprises not just in the stockings but all around the house. The chapter also talks of Helen’s joy at receiving a canary as a gift from her teacher, and how she took care of ‘Little Tim’, the canary bird. The chapter ends by describing her sorrow at its death.

Extra Important Questions and Answers of Chapter 8  

Question.1
What was the most exciting aspect of Christmas for Helen?
Answer:
With the help of her teacher, Helen had prepared surprises for her family members. This proved to be the most exciting part of celebrating Christmas. Also, she was excited about trying to guess what gifts the others were going to give her. Spending Christmas Eve with the Tuscumbia school children was another thrilling episode for her, especially as she was allowed to hand the gifts to all the children.

Question.2
Who or what was Little Tim?
Answer:
Little Tim was a pet canary gifted to Helen by her teacher Miss Sullivan.

Question.3
How did Helen take care of her pet?
Answer:
‘Helen would prepare its bath, clean its cage, fill its cups with fresh seed and water and hang a spray of chickweed in its swing.

Question.4
Why did the bird not respond to Helen when she opened its cage one morning?
Answer:
The canary was eaten by a cat when Helen had gone to fetch water for his bath and had left the cage open. Helen found out when the canary did not respond when Helen opened its cage.