CLASS10:ENGLISH-JULIUS CAESAR frequently asked questions

Q1: Describe the role of mob in the play Julius Caesar?

No doubt citizens of Rome played a crucial role in the play Julius Caesar. The crowd of commoners that fills the streets served several dramatic purposes in the play, specially during the funeral oration.

Brutus logically gave his reasons that necessitated Caesar’s death. He informed the commoners that he acted out of love of Rome and his desire to prevent tyrants from controlling her. The citizens embraced his words with cheers and understanding. However, their mood altered when Antony offered his interpretation of the situation. He passionately described the deeds Caesar performed in behalf of the citizens of Rome, which clearly contradicted the opinion of the conspirators that Caesar was too ambitious. The mob who lost her individual identity and showed her inability to deal with intellect and reason. Antony's speech overwhelmed the people with grief, despair, and anger for their “beloved” Caesar’s death. It led to brutal killing of Brutus and other conspirators by the mob.

Although the citizens are important characters in the play, they are unreliable, emotionally hyped and fickle in supporting the latest and most impassioned plea for their “ears.” In the play, we witness the irrational behavior of citizens-to-mob who think only to benefit themselves. 

 Q2: What arguments did Brutus give for killing Caesar?

Brutus thought that Caesar was too ambitious and would have turned the Romans into slaves. Brutus's point is that like the serpent's egg Caesar was bound to hatch into something really dangerous and he would be easier to deal with while he was still in the egg stage.He stated although Caesar wasn’t bad, getting a crown would change his nature! Brutus put Caesar in poor light saying that Caesar was ambitious and that he did it for the good of his country and his countrymen.

Q3: Write a character sketch of Caesar?

           Julius Caesar was a stalwart. He was a brave and valiant warrior. He conquered to expand the Roman Empire. He added to the treasures of Rome, defeated the sons of Pompey brought laurels to Rome. Caesar believed in embracing death like true warrior. He rejected his wife’s prayers as foolish and opined that ‘death is an inevitable reality.’

He firmly believed in the good of the common man. His will is an example of the same. In his will he had only thought about the well-being of masses.(common men)

However there were certain lapses in his character. He was rigid, haughty and arrogant. He was over ambitious and in his lust to conquer he forgot that he was going against republicanism and democracy. He tried the true qualities of a dictator and this way the flow which drove him towards his end

Q4: Write a character sketch of Mark Antony.

Loyal and faithful: Loyalty to Caesar and reliable friendship was his the greatest merit. He avenged Caesar's death which had shattered him.

Intelligent but Cunning and deceitful: After meeting Caesar's conspirators he reconciled in a friendly manner and expressed his grief over Caesar's death. Deceitfully he turned tables on the conspirators through his funeral speech.

Great Orator: Due to his good oratory skills, he mobilized the mob against the conspirators.

Q5: Summarize Antony's speeches.

FIRST SPEECH:

When Antony re-enters after Caesar’s assassination, He laments the death of the mighty Caesar saying that it has an incomparable event. He wished for his own death at the hands of the conspirators and begged them to kill him so that he could lie beside Caesar. According to him no other hour, sword or space could give him a nobler end.

SECOND SPEECH:

Antony describes himself in an unstable condition. It is dangerous to declare that he wishes to seek revenge. On the other hand he doesn’t want to defy Caesar by being considered a psychopath (flatterer). His conscience tells him that Caesar’s spirit shall grieve to see Antony as a flatterer making peace with his enemies.

THIRD SPEECH:

In his third speech, Antony expresses his apology for Caesar’s death. Here he is all alone. He says that Caesar’s death will bring large scale death and destruction not only on earth but also in heaven.

Heaven shall join to avenge Caesar’s death. Bloodshed, death, destruction shall become a common sight for Romans because the death of mighty Caesar could not just pass or ignored. Dead bodies shall cry for burial.

FOURTH SPEECH:
In the 4th speech Antony has come to burry Caesar. He says “he shall not praise him.” But on the contrary talks about Caesar in such a light that he may be able to renew the lost faith and love in the hearts of the country-men for him. He says that Caesar had led the conquests for the well being of Rome.
A) He had brought many captives home to Rome and ensured their financial upliftment.
B) Caesar’s heart wept for the poor.
C) On the feast of Lupercal he refused the offer of the crown 3 times.
Antony stressed upon the fact that the country-men didn’t love Caesar without a cause, so they must mourn for him. If they do not so, they have lost their reason and judgment.
FIFTH SPEECH:
Antony feels pathetic that no one expresses the reverence due for Caesar’s dead body. He chooses his words with caution and says that – if he would encourage MUTINY, RAGE and PROVOCATION he would wrong Brutus and Cassius. All his words are provocative. He concludes that he would rather wrong the dead person. He also gives a hint to them about Caesar’s will after reading which all the Romans shall grieve and beg for hair and blood of Caesar to keep as a precious relic and declare it as a precious possession for the coming generations. Antony here puts ideas and words in the mouths of Romans.

SIXTH SPEECH:
In his sixth speech, Antony stirs the emotions of the Romans by exposing the wounds on Caesar’s dead body. He lays stress on the wound given by Brutus. It was “the unkindest cut of all.” How the wound given by Brutus was not as fatal as the immorality of Brutus and Brutus’ betrayal had killed Caesar more than the wound.

SEVENTH SPEECH:
Antony emphasizes that revenge should be well-planned so as to leave a powerful impact. He wanted the mutiny to have the desired result, a massive movement which will involve the max. number
EIGHT SPEECH:
In his last speech, Antony reads ‘s will in which Caesar had promised monetary and physical benefits to each and every Roman on an equal basis:
1) 75 drachmas
2) His walks, arbors and orchards for recreation.
Antony had provoked the element of mischief present in every human being. 

english novel for class 10

important questions in the story of my life Helen keller

          frequently asked in board exams

question and answer:

In The Miracle Worker, whom does Keller expect to fire (or dismiss) Annie?  What does this suggest about Keller’s character? What is Kate’s response to Keller wanting Annie dismissed? Why?  What does Keller say to this?

             

 The Miracle Worker, Captain Keller, Helen Keller's father, does not expect Annie Sullivan to be able to manage or teach his daughter. In Act I, he says, "...a houseful of grownups can't cope...how can a...half-blind, yankee schoolgirl." Keller finds Annie to be too headstrong and thinks that she should show more respect. He also thinks she should behave more like his version of women as "flowers of civiliza..." He intends to say civilization but Annie's behavior prevents him from doing so.

Keller talks of Helen in Act II as a "deprived" child and is surprised at and doubtful of Annie's methods. He is incredulous that she stands up to him and insists that he talk to Kate alone outside where he suggests that Kate tell Annie that he has "half a mind to ship her back to Boston..." Captain Keller expects Annie to apologize if she is to avoid dismissal as he considers her "incompetent, impertinent, ineffectual, immodest..." He is unimpressed that Helen folds a napkin (something that Kate is quite astounded by) and tells Kate to "give her notice." This reveals that he is a traditional man with traditional values who thinks that the hired held, such as he considers Annie, should be managed by the woman of the house. Kate's refusal is based on her new-found hope, however insignificant, and her determination to never give up on Helen. 

What is a summary of chapter 23 of The Story of My Life?

Helen began this chapter by expressing her joy in having a variety of wonderful friends.  She explained that some of them were famous and some were not.  She mentioned that she "dislike[d] people who try to talk down to [her] understanding."  Helen then went on to describe some of the different types of people who she called friends or had met.  She shared her thoughts and feelings about God.  Many of those beliefs were influenced by Bishop Brooks.  He taught her that "God is love."  

Descriptions of specific friends of Helen made up the rest of the chapter.  One notable person who was a dear friend of Helen Keller's was Alexander Graham Bell.  He told her about his experiments and they even flew kites together.  She visited him at his home in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia.  Helen also went on the describe the people she met in New York City.  She ended the chapter and the book by stating:

"... it is my that my friends have made the story of my life."

In The Story of My Life, what was the incident regarding "The Frost King?" What was the controversy? 

 the Story of My Life by Helen Keller traces Helen's early life (up to the age of 22) as she and her family come to terms with her life as a blind and deaf child. Fortunately for Helen, the day Annie Sullivan arrives is to Helen, "the most important day I remember in all my life" (chapter 4). Annie helps Helen learn from every opportunity, even "from life itself" (chapter 7).

Chapter 14 explains the incident surrounding a story that Helen writes and calls The Frost King. Helen is delighted that she has written this story and she sends it to Mr Anagnos for his birthday. His pleasure and Helen's is short-lived because after Mr Anagnos publishes the story in a report, Helen is accused of stealing Margaret Canby's idea expressed in The Frost Fairies. Helen has no recollection of ever having heard any such story and Miss Sullivan also maintains that she never read the story previously. 

Helen describes this "affair" as "the one cloud in my childhood's bright sky." She decides to reference the incident in her autobiography because she wants others to understand how even such a painful occurrence builds character. She has not tried to blame anyone or justify herself. However, even though at first she is cleared of any wrongdoing and Miss Canby herself reassures Helen, the matter becomes very controversial because a teacher at The Perkins' Institute misunderstands Helen and Helen's innocence comes into question. Mr Anagnos never believe Helen after that. 

What does Keller say about the time she showed her mother she could spell the word "doll" with her finger?

When Miss Sullivan first arrived at the Keller home to teach Helen, she gave the child a doll.  While Helen played with her new toy, Miss Sullivan spelled the letters "d-o-l-l" into the little girl's hand.  Helen could not make the connection that the letters spelled into her hand were the name of the toy she was playing with.  However, Helen was bright and a fast learner.  She was soon able to mimic the same hand movements that Miss Sullivan had shown her.  She was excited and she felt a sense of pride.  Helen wanted to show her mother the new thing she had learned.  She ran downstairs, "held up [her] hand[,] and made the letters for doll" for her mother to see.  Though Helen was able to accurately make the letter signs, the little girl had no idea what they meant.  At that time, she was merely imitating the movements that her teacher had taught her.

How did Helen like Niagara falls? Why did people feel surprised at her response?

Helen visited Niagara Falls in 1893.  Because Helen could not see or hear, she relied on her other senses to experience the majesty of the powerful falls.  Helen described that she "felt the air vibrate and the earth tremble."  She explained that people sometimes asked her how she could experience beauty without being able to see or hear.  She went on to say that she could not define how she was able to experience beauty.  People seemed unable to understand how Helen could connect with nature because she did not have two of her senses.  

In that same year, Helen and Miss Sullivan visited the World's Fair.  Helen connected her experiences at Niagara Falls by describing that through touch, she was able to experience the wonders of the Fair. Helen was given special permission to experience the exhibits through touch.  Normally, no one was permitted to touch these objects.  Helen "took in the glories of the Fair with [her] fingers."

How did Helen write her preliminary exam?  

Helen took her preliminary exams for entrance into Radcliffe College in the summer of 1897.  Because Helen was deaf and blind, she could not write these exams in the traditional way, which was by hand.  Instead, Helen needed special accommodations in order to complete her exams.  Helen had to use a special typewriter to write her exams.  This took away the anonymity usually associated with these exams, because Helen's were the only ones that were typed.  Rather than writing the exams in a room with other students, Helen was placed in a room of her own.  This was done so that her typewriter would not distract other students.  A guard was assigned to "prevent interruption." Mr. Gilman, the principal, read the questions and finger spelled them into Helen's hand.  Helen would then type her responses.  Mr. Gilman read and repeated her answers by finger spelling so that Helen could correct any errors.

The unpleasant episode of "The Frost King" robbed Keller of her confidence to write. Do you agree? Explain.

According to Helen Keller herself, the answer is yes, although she continued to write. It hindered her for a long time, though, causing her to second guess whether what she was writing was really her own, original thoughts. In her autobiography she talks at great length of the incident. She was eleven years old at the time, and a student at the Perkins Institution for the Blind. The story of Helen Keller and Anne Sullivan, Sullivan's work with Helen as a young child, and breaking through the barriers caused by Helen's blindness and deafness has been told multiple time, notably in the play/movie, The Miracle Worker. For her education, Helen continued at the Perkins Institute, and not long after she learned to speak, she produced a story she called "Autumn Leaves". It was suggested to her that she change the title to "The Frost King," which she did. It was published in the newsletter of the school. After this, it was noted that her story was very similar to another story called "The Frost Fairies," and that she had no doubt had this other story read to her years earlier. She had no recollection of having heard the other story, but was accused of plagiarism. In Keller's autobiography, she writes that when she understood what she was accused of, "...I was astonished and grieved. No child ever drank deeper of the cup of bitterness than I did. I had disgraced myself; I had brought suspicion upon those I loved best." The episode made her doubt that what she put on paper was original, and hurt her efforts for years. 

Ten years after the episode, Mark Twain, who was by then a friend of Helen's, wrote her a letter in which he basically says that most everything written or spoken is borrowed in some way from others. I have attached the link to his letter below. 

The Story of My Life reveals that the unpleasant episode of the Frost King robbed Keller of her confidence to write. Do you agree? Explain. 

In The Story of My Life, Helen Keller attempts to reveal all the significant events of the first twenty-two years of her life, especially after the arrival of Annie Sullivan which day Helen describes as "the most important day I remember in all my life" (chapter 4). It is Annie who teaches Helen how to communicate and it is Annie's patience and teaching methods that contribute to Helen's ability to "learn from life itself" (chapter 7). Helen includes the story of The Frost King in Chapter 14 even though it is a very painful memory for her. She says that it is "the one cloud in my childhood's bright sky." Even as Helen recalls the story many years later, it "still chills my heart." This supports the claim that Helen loses her confidence to write. 

As Helen has no conventional access to the written word, she continues to feel threatened by what she writes because "even now I cannot be quite sure of the boundary line between my ideas and those I find in books." Helen even admits that writing to her mother is a concern and she is "seized with a sudden feeling of terror." It is Annie's encouragement which helps Helen through such a stressful period and who encourages Helen not to give up writing.  

From The Story of My Life, describe some literary works that Helen enjoyed reading.

In The Story of My Life by Helen Keller, Helen reveals how books are one of her major inspirations. Little Lord Fauntleroy, a children's classic novel is the book that begins Helen's love of books and she goes as far as calling books her "book friends" (chapter 21), recognizing the huge role they play in her education and development. With the help of Miss Sullivan who tirelessly signs into Helen's hand, and Helen's inspirational teachers, Helen is taught to read in different languages and develops an appreciation for structure and grammar that she previously disliked intensely. Some of the literary works she reads include complex works that would challenge even the most promising sighted and hearing scholar.  

Helen does not enjoy all the literary works she reads but knows that they make a contribution to her overall learning experience anyway. She does not like The Pilgrim's Progress by John Bunyan and even admits that she may not have actually finished it. La Fonteine'sFables are also among those that she dislikes and, even after reading them in English and French, she maintains that dislike. Helen does not like the animal imagery and finds it almost nonsensical because "monkeys and foxes" should not be tasked with sharing "momentous truths." On the other hand, The Jungle Book is one of her favorites because, although it also features animals, it does not present "caricatures of men" in its attempts to teach a moral. Helen reads Shakespeare, Macbeth being her favorite, and she has loved much of Shakespeare since she was a child. Homer's Iliad and Virgil'sAenid also add to her impressive list of titles. 

In The Story of My Life, describe how Helen's parents are role models for other parents.

In The Story of My Life by Helen Keller, the image of Helen's parents is most certainly one which reveals patient, dedicated, tireless and committed parents. As the story is autobiographical and told from Helen's perspective, the reader only glimpses the real impact of Helen's debilitating illness on the other members of her family. At only nineteen months old, Helen is left blind and deaf and spends the next several years in a "silent, aimless, dayless" world. It is obvious that she struggles to communicate and her parents are her refuge. Helen credits her mother as being responsible for "all that was bright and good in my long night" (chapter 2) and Helen knows that her father is "most loving and indulgent." Even after Mildred, Helen's baby sister is born and Helen feels resentment, her parents protect her. Helen's mother prevents a tragedy when she stops Helen from tipping Mildred out of the cot that Helen feels is reserved for her beloved doll, Nancy and not for "an intruder."  

Helen's mother is encouraged by the story of Laura Brightman, a blind and deaf girl who, despite her handicap, was successfully educated and Helen's parents continue their quest to find a way to help Helen. It is a visit to Baltimore which will mark the start of Helen's miraculous transformation. Without her parents' dedication, this would never have taken place and therefore, anyone reading this autobiography will certainly recognize that Helen's parents are indeed role models. They remind other parents never to give up and the extraordinary lengths they go to in order to secure Helen an education are testament to their immeasurable capacity for love, understanding and acceptance. They teach parents that their best will always be good enough but that striving to always provide the best can be challenging but enormously rewarding.      

From The Story of My Life, write a character sketch of Martha Washington in Helen's life. 

In The Story of My Life by Helen Keller, Helen provides insight into her successes, the lessons learnt and also into her relationships while growing up as a blind and deaf girl. Helen struggles to communicate, and as she gets older her outbursts occur more and more frequently until "the most important day I remember in all my life" (chapter 4). Annie Sullivan's arrival marks the beginning of Helen's journey into language and communication.

However, before Annie arrives, Helen is friends with Martha, the cook's daughter and the two girls get up to mischief together which is probably one of the reasons why Helen relates so well to her and appreciates her capacity for having fun. Helen loves the fact that Martha is a mischief-maker, and despite their cultural differences (relevant to the time period), Martha understands Helen and needs little explanation of what Helen may want even recognizing when Helen wants to go "egg-hunting," for example. Martha plays with Helen, bakes with her in the kitchen, indulges her, understands her signs and allows her to dominate their games. This indicates that Martha is intuitive, even at such a young age, patient (still being friends with Helen despite her temper) and understanding. 

In The Story of My Life, the arrival of Annie Sullivan coincided with the coming of spring. What symbolic significance does it hold?

The Story of My Life is Helen Keller's autobiographical account of her early life, particularly after she was left blind and deaf following an illness when she was a baby. The story traces Helen's life up to her college days and is intended to be a form of inspiration for others who face great adversity and may otherwise be tempted to give up trying. The arrival of Annie Sullivan who is to be Helen's teacher marks the start of Helen's incredible journey towards effective communication in a world where otherwise every day is "silent (and) aimless" (chapter 2). However, the story is not structured that way and it is coincidental that Annie's arrival corresponds with the beginning of Spring. 

The family is referred to Dr. Alexander Graham Bell and he connects the family with The Perkins' Institute for the Blind. Annie Sullivan, herself only partially sighted, and a former pupil of the institute, will becomes Helen's teacher and it is the summer of 1886 when the family receive the news that a teacher will indeed be available for Helen. However, it is only the following March (1887) when Miss Sullivan finally arrives and Helen calls it "the most important day ... in all my life" (chapter 3). 

Spring is the time of anticipation, new life and new opportunities and it is seen as being symbolic of hope and a sense of optimism which this family certainly has. It certainly does present as such for Helen who escapes the "barren places' that otherwise plague her existence. Annie Sullivan herself is the symbol of hope for Helen and her arrival, during any season would have been equally significant. 

Who was Anne Sullivan in "The Story of My Life"?

In Helen Keller’s book, The Story of My Life, Anne Sullivan is the woman who overcame her own visual deficiencies to become the teacher, confidant, and dear friend to Helen Keller. As a poor, young girl, Anne Sullivan suffered an eye infection that affected her sight. She was cared for at the Perkins School for the Blind, in Boston, MA. After a series of operations restored much of her sight, she excelled in her studies and became a teacher of blind students. She used a manual alphabet to make associations between items, and the words that named them.

After her graduation, she traveled to Alabama where she became the private teacher of Helen Keller. Although, at seven years old, Helen could be a difficult student, Anne Sullivan persevered using the manual alphabet to teach Helen words for simple objects. As Helen’s need for knowledge grew, Anne devised implements to aid her student in writing and speech. Helen became an ardent learner and with Anne Sullivan’s guidance, she went on to graduate from Radcliffe College, and to write The Story of My Life. Sullivan endured a failed marriage. Financial matters became a concern which spurred Anne and Helen to seek a career in Hollywood which was short lived. They eventually performed successfully in a comedy act in Vaudeville shows.

Describe Christmas before and after Miss Sullivan came in The Story of My Life. 

In The Story of My Life, Helen Keller recounts her life before and after "the most important day in all my life" (chapter 4), that being the day Annie Sullivan arrives. The book is an autobiographical account of Helen's first twenty-two years in which Helen attempts to provide inspiration to those who find life's struggles almost unbearable. Before Annie's arrival, and despite her frustrations, Helen describes Christmases as "a delight." It is the "smells... and tidbits" (chapter 2) that Helen enjoys the most rather than the actual event itself and Helen admits that she is never inspired to rise particularly early in the morning to receive presents.  

Helen's life changes dramatically after Anne Sullivan's arrival and in chapter 8, Helen talks about the family's first Christmas with Miss Sullivan. Having learnt "language," Helen can now enjoy the subtleties and "mystery" of Christmas. Now it is Helen who lies awake at night and who wakes the family early in the morning on Christmas morning and who delights in the discovery of presents everywhere. It is the canary that Annie gives her that makes her "cup of happiness overflow." Therefore, even though Helen loved Christmas before she learnt to communicate effectively, how different Christmases are after she "learnt from life itself" (chapter 7).

In terms of The Story of My Life, what are the first three words that Helen learns?

In attempting to inspire others to reach their full potential, Helen Keller gives a personal account of her early life in The Story of My Life. She was left blind and deaf after an illness as a baby and her parents do not know how to help her but are willing to try anything. One of the parents' referrals leads the family towards an introduction to Dr. Alexander Graham Bell and subsequently Helen's life changes forever. She acknowledges "that that interview (with Dr. Bell) would be the door through which I should pass from darkness into light" because he then refers the Kellers to Mr Anagnos and The Perkins' Institute for the Blind from where Annie comes - a former pupil and now Helen's young and inexperienced governess.  

Annie is a spirited individual and refuses to give up on Helen who compares herself to a ship lost at sea before Annie's arrival. Annie constantly spells words into Helen's hands and this intrigues Helen but it will take a lot of patience and persistence before Helen finally makes the connection between Annie's spelling and the meaning of words. Annie tries to teach Helen the words "d-o-l-l ...m-u-g ...and w-a-t-e-r- butThe first word that Helen really understands is "W-A-T-E-R"  and it is the realization of this that leads to "a misty consciousness as of something forgotten—a thrill of returning thought." Helen does not remember all the words she learnt on that memorable day but knows that "mother, father, sister, brother" were among them. 

In The Story of My Life by Helen Keller, what kind of "peculiar sympathy" did Miss Sullivan have with Helen's "pleasures and desires"?

In The Story of My Life, Helen Keller's autobiography of the first twenty-two years of her life, Helen reveals the special relationship she has with Annie Sullivan. Helen remembers the day she met Annie as "the most important day in all my life" (chapter 4) and she is well aware of Annie's contribution to her own development to the point that "I scarcely think of myself apart from her" (chapter 7). 

Annie is only partially sighted herself and has had her own difficult childhood which allows her to understand Helen's many frustrations even though they are very distinct from her own. She has far more than just sympathy for Helen and her refusal to feel pity for her ensures that Helen is able to strive towards her potential, even without realizing it. Annie knows the obstacles that already exist because Helen cannot see and knows how important it is "to supply the kinds of stimulus I lacked" (ch 6) because Helen's problems are confounded by her inability to hear as well. Annie is only young and the Keller home is her first job and although this means she lacks experience it also means that she can relate to Helen like no-one else can, "as if she were a little girl herself" (ch 7). Annie therefore ensures that Helen's lessons are relative to her situation, and as Helen says, "everything that could hum, or buzz, or sing, or bloom had a part in my education." 

It is this unsaid understanding or "peculiar sympathy" which Helen refers to in chapter 7 that allows Annie to help Helen achieve. Helen admits that, because of Annie, she learns "from life itself." She cannot explain it herself but does acknowledge Annie's "long association with the blind." She also recognizes Annie's "wonderful faculty for description" and the fact that she does not deliberate on previous day's lessons. Helen appreciates her style and the way Annie "introduced dry technicalities of science little by little," all of which ensure that Helen cannot "help remembering what she taught."

A note on Helen Keller's education.

Hellen Keller is an inspiration to all us, that despite being blind, deaf and dumb, she left her mark on this world for all future generations. Sometimes, even surrounded by all this technology, we feel helpless by ourselves. Keller taught us how they are limitations to success, except those that lie deep within us.

 Where this is a will, there is a way. The struggle to reach the top should not just be to achieve fame, power and money, but rather, to help those who are not as blessed as we are. True greatness lies in the lives of those, who are remembered in the hearts of all future generations to come by.

What were the fears around Helen in The Story of My Life? Who helped her to overcome these fears?

Helen was a brave child, but being blind and deaf meant that she would sometimes become fearful of things she could not see or hear.  Since she could only sense, fear of the unknown led her to panic.  For instance, one day she was in a tree before a thunderstorm hit, and became very frightened.

I knew it, it was the odour that always precedes a thunderstorm, and a nameless fear clutched at my heart. I felt absolutely alone, cut off from my friends and the firm earth. The immense, the unknown, enfolded me. I remained still and expectant; a chilling terror crept over me. (Ch. 5)

After this, it is a long time before she climbs another tree.   She says the “mere thought filled me with terror” (Ch. 5).  Yet when she climbs a tree again, it is like a wonderful new world, a paradise.  She has proven that she can conquer any fear, eventually.  Nature is too beautiful and bountiful to be missed.

Another example of fear also involves nature, in a way, because it involves water.  Helen again gets into a situation where she is in over her head.

The buoyant motion of the water filled me with an exquisite, quivering joy. Suddenly my ecstasy gave place to terror; for my foot struck against a rock and the next instant there was a rush of water over my head. (Ch. 10)

She manages to get herself out of the situation because the waves throw her back out.  Like the incident with the tree, Helen got out of the situation on her own just like she got into it on her own.  Sometimes, however, as in this time, it is her teacher Anne Sullivan who comforts her.

Helen describes an episode of more personal fear in the winter of 1892.

THE winter of 1892 was darkened by one cloud in my childhood's bright sky. Joy deserted my heart, and for a long, long time I lived in doubt, anxiety, and fear. Books lost their charm for me, and even now the thought of those dreadful days chills my heart. (Ch. 14)

The incident involved a mistaken plagiarism on Helen’s part, where she wrote a story that she thought was her own, that turned out to be remembered from a story read to her when she was a child.  It was an innocent mistake, but it hurt her pride and turned her world upside down.  Anne Sullivan knew that she did not make the mistake deliberately or plagiarize, and comforted her. 

At first some people believed her and others did not, but then she was brought up upon charges “brought before a court of investigation” and her beloved teacher “Miss Sullivan was asked to leave” her (Ch. 14).  She was terrified that this would happen, because she relied on Anne Sullivan and had come to cherish her company. 

Fortunately, Anne Sullivan was able to investigate the incident and figure out where Helen first heard the original story, and soon the whole incident was forgotten.  Still, from then on, Helen notes that the “thought that what I wrote might not be absolutely my own tormented” her (Ch. 15).  From then on she was absolutely careful about what she wrote. This was a fear that her teacher Anne helped her with, but no one else knew about.

Helen was always strong, and strong-willed.  Able to overcome every challenge and every fear, she went from facing scary thunderstorms and the sea to the perils of writing and academics.  Through all of this, she had her impenetrable will and her steadfast teacher Anne Sullivan to help her face her fears and stay successful.

What is the relationship between Helen and Martha?

Before the arrival of her teacher, Annie Sullivan, Helen Keller sought out the companionship of Martha Washington, the African American child of the family cook.

Helen and Martha developed a system of signs to communicate during play, and Martha appeared to tolerate Helen’s eccentric behavior. Helen tells how she used to “double [her] hands and put them on the ground” when she wanted to go egg-hunting with Martha. Helen describes how she cut off all of Martha’s black curls, and Martha proceeded to cut off all of Helen’s curls before her mother intervened. Martha and Helen helped in the kitchen and played in the family stable. Helen admits that she was a domineering child, but it is apparent that Martha and Helen learned to share similar interests and enjoy each other’s company. Martha lived with the Keller family until Helen moved to a larger house before the birth of her sister, Mildred, and the untimely death of her father.

Why did Helen call Boston "the city of kind hearts"?

Helen's experiences with kind people in Boston have greatly influenced her thoughts about the city. Because of the people, Helen will forever equate Boston with kindness, welcome, and compassion. The main example of someone who embodies the spirit of such welcoming hospitality would be Mr. William Endicott. Helen tells us that she was thinking of Mr. Endicott when she called Boston The City Of Kind Hearts. Mr. Endicott opens up his house to Helen and talks to her as if they are great friends who have always enjoyed each other's company.

Another example you might consider using would be that of Mr. Anagnos (director of the Perkins Institution For The Blind in Boston). When Helen's father writes to request a teacher for Helen, we are told that Mr. Anagnos answers with a 'kind letter' filled with ' the comforting assurance that a teacher had been found.'

In May 1888, Helen gets a chance to visit the Perkins Institution For The Blind. Her is joy is complete when the children greet her with eagerness and enthusiasm. She feels so thoroughly at home in Boston that she begins to regard Boston 'as the beginning and the end of creation.'

Another instance of kindness is experienced in the presence of the child actress, Elsie Leslie, who stars in the play, 'The Prince and The Pauper,' in Boston. Despite fatigue, Elsie receives Helen with a generous warmth and a kind welcome after the play. Helen tells us that it 'would have been hard to find a lovelier or more lovable child than Elsie...'

Helen tells us of her sadness at the death of Mr. John Spaulding, a great supporter of Helen's studies.

Only those who knew and loved him best can understand what his friendship meant to me. He, who made every one happy in a beautiful, unobtrusive way, was most kind and tender to Miss Sullivan and me. So long as we felt his loving presence and knew that he took a watchful interest in our work, fraught with so many difficulties, we could not be discouraged. His going away left a vacancy in our lives that has never been filled.

What is covered in the chapters of The Story of My Life by Helen Keller?

The Story of My Life by Helen Keller is an autobiographical account of the life of a young woman who was deaf and blind. It was published in 1903, when Keller was 22 years old, and consists of 23 chapters, covering her life from the period when she lost her ability to see and hear at the age of 19 months due to an illness through the beginning of her studies at Radcliffe University. The main events of the book are as follows.

Chapters 1-5: Describes Keller's earliest memories of sights and sounds and the illness which caused her to lose her sight and hearing. Next, she describes her initial efforts to communicate through touch and the arrival of her teacher, Anne Sullivan.

Chapters 6-10: Covers Keller's early studies with Sullivan, including her fond memories of outdoor lessons, her enjoyment of a trip to Boston where she meets other blind children, and her delight at experiencing the ocean at Cape Cod.

Chapters 11-15: In these chapters, we discover Keller's first attempts at authorship, and more about her travels and experiences of the world, including a trip to Niagara Falls. At this point, she has decided she wants to learn how to speak, and describes in some detail the way in which she starts learning.

Chapters 16-20: Keller prepares for university by learning Latin, and working out suitable accommodations for the entrance exams.

Chapters 21-23: In the final chapters, Keller describes her enthusiasm for reading and learning, and the opportunities Sullivan's unique style of teaching has opened up for her.