The Story of My Life: Part III: Chapters 3-5

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. pedagogy
    the principles and methods of instruction
    She was her own critic, and in spite of her later declaration, made with her modest carelessness, that she followed no particular method, she was very clearly learning from her task and phrasing at the time principles of education of unique value not only in the teaching of the deaf but in the teaching of all children. The extracts from her letters and reports form an important contribution to pedagogy...
  2. sagacity
    the trait of having wisdom and good judgment
    ...only those who are familiar with the particulars of the grand achievement know that the credit is largely due to the intelligence, wisdom, sagacity, unremitting perseverance and unbending will of the instructress, who rescued the child from the depths of everlasting night and stillness, and watched over the different phases of her mental and moral development with maternal solicitude and enthusiastic devotion.
  3. approbation
    official recognition or commendation
    She accepted everything I did for her as a matter of course, and refused to be caressed, and there was no way of appealing to her affection or sympathy or childish love of approbation.
  4. transfixed
    having your attention fixated as though witchcraft
    As the cold water gushed forth, filling the mug, I spelled "w-a-t-e-r" in Helen's free hand. The word coming so close upon the sensation of cold water rushing over her hand seemed to startle her. She dropped the mug and stood as one transfixed.
  5. manifest
    reveal its presence or make an appearance
    My little pupil continues to manifest the same eagerness to learn as at first.
  6. incessantly
    with unflagging resolve
    Her every waking moment is spent in the endeavour to satisfy her innate desire for knowledge, and her mind works so incessantly that we have feared for her health.
  7. undulation
    wavelike motion
    She is able not only to distinguish with great accuracy the different undulations of the air and the vibrations of the floor made by various sounds and motions, and to recognize her friends and acquaintances the instant she touches their hands or clothing, but she also perceives the state of mind of those around her.
  8. enlightenment
    education that results in the spread of knowledge
    Surrounded by loving friends and the gentlest influences, as Helen had always been, she has, from the earliest stage of her intellectual enlightenment, willingly done right.
  9. modulation
    rise and fall of the voice pitch
    Her speech lacks variety and modulation; it runs in a sing-song when she is reading aloud; and when she speaks with fair degree of loudness, it hovers about two or three middle tones.
  10. detrimental
    causing harm or injury
    Too much stress, it seems to me, is often laid upon the importance of teaching a deaf child to articulate—a process which may be detrimental to the pupil's intellectual development.
  11. enunciate
    speak, pronounce, or utter in a certain way
    The great difficulty in the pronunciation of the r made it one of the last elements which she mastered. The ch, sh and soft g also gave her much trouble, and she does not yet enunciate them clearly.
  12. retentive
    good at remembering
    What a wonderfully active and retentive mind that gifted child must have! If she had remembered and written down accurately, a short story, and that soon after hearing it, it would have been a marvel; but to have heard the story once, three years ago, and in such a way that neither her parents nor teacher could ever allude to it or refresh her memory about it, and then to have been able to reproduce it so vividly...
  13. veracity
    unwillingness to tell lies
    She is absolutely truthful. Veracity is the strongest element of her character.
  14. intact
    lacking nothing essential, not damaged
    In this case Helen Keller held almost intact in her mind, unmixed with other ideas, the words of a story which at the time it was read to her she did not fully understand.
  15. affectation
    a deliberate pretense or exaggerated display
    It was in these early days that Dr. Holmes wrote to her: "I am delighted with the style of your letters. There is no affectation about them, and as they come straight from your heart, so they go straight to mine."
Created on Fri Sep 29 17:44:26 EDT 2017 (updated Mon Aug 11 12:25:40 EDT 2025)

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