Monday, February 2, 2009

What happens in chapters 15 through 20 of The Story of My Life by Helen Keller?

Chapter 15:  With hesitation, Helen began writing her autobiography.  She had reservations about writing because a year before, she had unintentionally plagiarized when writing a creative story.  Her teacher encouraged her, and she did persevere in her task.  Helen visited Niagara Falls, which she found incredibly impressive.  She also visited the World's Fair, where her friend Alexander Graham Bell was her guide.  Helen was given special permission to touch many exhibits.  She loved the experience.


Chapter 16:  Helen worked on improving her speech.  She also studied Latin under Mr. Irons.


Chapter 17:  Helen attended an important meeting for "Chautauqua of the American Association to Promote the Teaching of Speech to the Deaf."  Helen described her studies in German and French.  She also began to work intensely on improving her spoken language.  Despite her hard work, Helen did not make as much progress as she and her teachers had hoped she would.  Helen wrote about how much she enjoyed her years in New York City.  She ended the chapter sharing her sadness at the death of her dear friend, Mr. John P. Spaulding.


Chapter 18:  Helen entered the Cambridge School for Young Ladies.  She attended the school "to be prepared for Radcliffe."  School was challenging for Helen, but she enjoyed learning.  She discussed the courses she took.  Helen enjoyed being around other girls her age.  Eventually her younger sister, Mildred, attended school with her.  Helen described the tedious process of taking school examinations.


Chapter 19:  Helen faced challenges in her next year at Cambridge.  Despite these challenges, she worked hard and felt that school was becoming more manageable.  Miss Sullivan and Mr. Gilman, the principal, disagreed about how soon Helen should graduate.  This disagreement led to Helen's mother withdrawing both her daughters from the school.  A private tutor, Mr. Keith, worked with Helen and she took her final exams to enter Radcliffe.


Chapter 20:  Helen entered Radcliffe College, and she "began [her] studies with eagerness."  She soon realized that college was not as wonderful as she thought it would be.  She felt alone in her classes.  Helen described how almost everything, including textbooks, had to be rapidly spelled into her hand.  She used a Hammond typewriter for writing.  She discussed the courses she took and which ones she enjoyed.  She also described her dreaded end of semester examinations.  Despite the difficulties, Helen "learned many things [she] should never have known had [she] not tried the experiment" of going to college.

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