The Story of My Life

Madeline Martell

Mrs. Illig

English, P. 5

5/7/13

Book Report

What kind of person would you say you are? Character traits make up a person’s personality, including people in books. In the memoir, The Story of My Life, written by Helen Keller, the author reflects on her life experience. In the first years of Hellen’s life, a misfortunate event took place that caused her to became blind and deaf. This event was caused by a violent fever that almost took her life away. By age seven, a blind and deaf teacher finally came into town and was able to set Helen free from her dark, fear-filled silence through knowledge. Two of Helen Keller’s main character traits are strength and curiosity.

To begin with, Helen was a very strong child. “I knew my own mind well enough and always had my own way, even if I had to fight tooth and nail for it” (21). This shows that she was very confident in persuading others to do as she pleased by taking advantage of other’s sympathy towards her. For example, her parents did many things for her since she could not see or hear. She was strong because she put a lot of work into what she wanted in life. “But the roses--they were the loveliest of all” (16). Helen lost her two senses: hearing and sight; which led to a strong smelling sense. Overall, Helen was a strong child because she fought for what she wanted.

Moreover, Helen was also a very curious child who loved to learn. “This inherited capacity is a sort of sixth sense--a soul-sense which sees, hears, feels, all in one” (141). Helen was curious because she felt she could see and hear through her mind as long as she experienced the object through her other senses. “I wrote the story when I was at home, the autumn after I had learned to speak” (78). Non-braille books had lost their meaning to Helen since she was unable to read them. When she began to explore the world because of her curiosity, she decided to write her own books. This proves she was curious because many people...