description The Story of My Life Overview
"The Story of My Life" is a 1903 autobiography by Helen Keller, written when she was 22 years old. The book chronicles her early life in Tuscumbia, Alabama, the illness that left her deaf and blind at 19 months old, and her breakthrough education under Anne Sullivan. Keller details how she learned to communicate using tactile sign language and eventually attended Radcliffe College. The original text also includes Sullivan's reports on Keller's early education and letters written by Keller to family and friends.
help The Story of My Life FAQ
How did Anne Sullivan first teach Helen Keller that words have meaning?
Sullivan spelled words into Keller's hand, but the breakthrough came at a water pump when she connected the hand-spelled word "water" with flowing water. Keller describes that moment as opening the world of language to her.
How old was Helen Keller when illness left her deaf and blind?
Keller became deaf and blind after an illness when she was about 19 months old. Anne Sullivan arrived as her teacher in 1887, when Keller was six.
Does The Story of My Life cover Keller's years at Radcliffe College?
Yes, Keller describes preparing for and entering Radcliffe College with Sullivan assisting her access to lectures and texts. She graduated in 1904, shortly after the autobiography's original publication.
Is The Story of My Life the source for The Miracle Worker?
Keller's autobiography and later accounts of her education helped inspire William Gibson's The Miracle Worker. The famous stage and screen drama concentrates on the early struggle between Keller and Sullivan, especially the water-pump breakthrough.
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