The Story of My Life: Part III: Chapters 1-2

by Helen Keller
This account of Helen Keller's life is divided into three parts: Part I is Keller's autobiography, which she published in 1903; Part II is a selection of Keller's letters; and Part III consists of supplementary materials by Keller's teacher and lifelong friend, Anne Sullivan.

Here are links to our lists for the text: Part I: Chapters 1-11, Part I: Chapters 12-23, Part II: Letters, Part III: Chapters 1-2, Part III: Chapters 3-5

Here is a link to the full text: The Story of My Life

Here is a link to our lists for William Gibson's play about Keller's life, The Miracle Worker.
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. disillusionment
    freeing from false belief
    Several passages of her autobiography, as it appeared in serial form, have been made the subject of a grave editorial in a Boston newspaper, in which the writer regretted Miss Keller's apparent disillusionment in regard to the value of her college life.
  2. obviate
    do away with
    This difficulty is in part obviated by the use of her braille machine, which makes a manuscript that she can read; but as her work must be put ultimately in typewritten form, and as a braille machine is somewhat cumbersome, she has got into the habit of writing directly on her typewriter.
  3. zealous
    marked by active interest and enthusiasm
    One newspaper suggested that Miss Keller had been led into writing the book and had been influenced to put certain things into it by zealous friends.
  4. whimsical
    indulging in or influenced by the imagination
    Her whimsical and adventuresome spirit puts her so much on her mettle that she makes rather a poor subject for the psychological experimenter.
  5. tactile
    of or relating to or proceeding from the sense of touch
    Her enjoyment of music, however, is very genuine, for she has a tactile recognition of sound when the waves of air beat against her.
  6. inevitably
    in such a manner as could not be otherwise
    If, in the course of a conversation, the friend next to her has ceased for some moments to spell into her hand, the question comes inevitably, "What are you talking about?"
  7. dexterity
    adroitness in using the hands
    Her dexterity is not notable either in comparison with the normal person, whose movements are guided by the eye, or, I am told, with other blind people.
  8. aural
    of or pertaining to hearing or the ear
    There is, I am told, tactile memory as well as visual and aural memory.
  9. ascribe
    attribute or credit to
    The question of a special "sixth sense," such as people have ascribed to Miss Keller, is a delicate one.
  10. vitiate
    corrupt morally or by intemperance or sensuality
    Her mind has neither been made effeminate by the weak and silly literature, nor has it been vitiated by that which is suggestive of baseness.
  11. aversion
    a feeling of intense dislike
    She still has a childlike aversion to tragedies.
  12. adroit
    quick or skillful or adept in action or thought
    She always says exactly what she thinks, without fear of the plain truth; yet no one is more tactful and adroit than she in turning an unpleasant truth so that it will do the least possible hurt to the feelings of others.
  13. incorrigible
    impervious to correction by punishment
    Then her teacher calls her an incorrigible little sermonizer, and she laughs at herself.
  14. exposition
    a systematic interpretation or explanation of a topic
    Some of the best of her writing, apart from her fanciful and imaginative work, is her exposition in examinations and technical themes, and in some letters which she found it necessary to write to clear up misunderstandings, and which are models of close thinking enforced with sweet vehemence.
  15. idealist
    someone not guided by practical considerations
    She is an optimist and an idealist.
Created on Fri Sep 29 17:19:18 EDT 2017 (updated Mon Aug 11 12:04:31 EDT 2025)

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