he Story of My Life –Helen Keller- Chapter 16-Summary

 

The Story of My Life – Chapter 16

Helen Learns French

By the end of 1893, Helen Keller had studied a variety of subjects. She had read the histories of Greece, Rome, and the United States. She also studied French grammar through books printed in raised letters. Since she already knew a little French, she enjoyed making short sentences in her mind using newly learned words. She tried not to worry too much about difficult grammatical rules. As a result, she gained enough knowledge of French to read works such as La Fontaine’s Fables, Le Médecin Malgré Lui, and passages from Athalie.

Improvement of Speech

To improve her speech and reading skills, Helen regularly read aloud to her teacher, Miss Sullivan. She also recited poems written by her favourite poets. Miss Sullivan carefully corrected her pronunciation and helped her speak more clearly.

During this period, Helen and Miss Sullivan stayed with the family of Mr. William Wade, a generous philanthropist who worked for the welfare of blind and deaf people. Mr. Wade’s neighbour, Mr. Irons, was a skilled Latin scholar. It was decided that Helen would learn Latin under his guidance.

Helen admired Mr. Irons for his kind nature and wide knowledge. He taught her Latin grammar and also helped her with Mathematics, a subject she did not particularly enjoy. In addition, he read Tennyson’s In Memoriam with her. Before this, Helen had read many books, but she had never studied them critically by examining the author’s style and methods of writing.

At first, Helen disliked grammar. She felt it was unnecessary to spend time analysing words as nouns, pronouns, singulars, plurals, and genders when she could already understand the meaning of a sentence. To her, such classifications seemed unimportant.

However, as she studied further, she began to appreciate the beauty and richness of language. Reading Latin passages became enjoyable. She liked discovering familiar words and trying to use them herself. She also learned that language expresses changing thoughts, feelings, and images shaped by imagination. During her lessons, Miss Sullivan sat beside her and spelled into her hand everything that Mr. Irons said. By the time Helen returned home to Alabama, she had begun reading Caesar’s Gallic War.

Question 1. Why was Helen initially reluctant to study Latin grammar? How did she later develop an interest in it?

Answer:

At first, Helen Keller was reluctant to study Latin grammar because she believed it was unnecessary to analyse words according to their parts of speech, such as nouns, pronouns, singulars, plurals, and genders. Since she could already understand the meaning of sentences, grammar seemed like a waste of time.

However, as she continued her studies, she gradually discovered the beauty and power of language. She enjoyed reading Latin passages, identifying words she understood, and using them in her own work. She also realized that language helps express thoughts, feelings, and imagination in a meaningful way. This deeper understanding made grammar interesting to her, and she began to enjoy studying it. Miss Sullivan’s support and Mr. Irons’s guidance also encouraged her to develop a genuine interest in the subject.