Category: English Summary

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The Story of My Life Summary Chapter 23

In this chapter, Helen writes about her feelings of gratitude to the people who had touched her life in different ways, sometimes positively, sometimes otherwise. She acknowledges the immense contribution of her friends in her life.

In this chapter, Helen expresses her gratitude to a number of people, some famous and some unknown, who enriched her life over the years. The hands of people whom she met were ‘dumbly eloquent’ to her, she could understand their moods and emotions just by the feel of their hands as they clasped hers. Some people with their ‘frosty finger tips’ were empty of joys while some hands had ‘sunbeams in them’ which warmed her heart.

She expresses her love and gratitude to Bishop Brooks, who helped her to connect with the spiritual side of life and to understand that behind all religions runs the same message of brotherhood of man and fatherhood of God. He also taught her that the greatest of all is love. She mentions friends from far and near, who showered her with love and warmth. She shares that she would distinguish between a warm, caring person and an indifferent one by the way they would clasp her hand.

She also reveals her irritation at people who tried to patronise her by doubting her intelligence and trying to talk down to her. She then makes a list of all the great literary figures she met and the impact they had on her life. She mentions Dr Alexander Graham Bell and the time spent with him. She mentions her appreciation of his work to improve the lives of deaf children. She makes a special mention of Mr Lawrence Hutton, and literary greats Dean Howells, Mark Twain, Richard Watson Gilder etc.

She reveals her struggle to keep up with their conversations and the delightful experience of reading the lips of Mark Twain as he read out his stories to her. Helen ends her autobiography by acknowledging the fact that it is her friends who have made the story of her life remarkable and turned her limitations into beautiful privileges.

The Story of My Life Summary Chapter 23 Questions and Answers

Question 1.
How was Helen impacted by people who were warm and sympathetic towards her?
Answer:
The warmth and sympathetic nature of some of the people in Helen’s life made her feel restful and helped dissolve her confusion, irritation and worries. It gave her the feeling that everything was fine.

Question 2.
Who were the people Helen tried to avoid?
Answer:
Helen tried to avoid people who asked her silly questions, like news reporters, and people who looked down on her, talking to her in a patronising and condescending manner.

Question 3.
What did Helen mean by calling the hands of people “dumbly eloquent”?
Answer:
Helen tried to make her readers aware that though hands cannot talk, they can still say a lot about the personality of a person. On shaking hands with people, Helen could differentiate between a warm, loving person and a cold, aloof person.

Question 4.
Why did Helen apologise to her “far-off friends”?
Answer:
Helen apologised to her “far-off friends” because she had never met them, yet they wrote to her from far-off places. She was grateful to them for reaching out to her. However, she was apologetic because she was not able to write back and thank them.

Question 5.
What did she learn from Bishop Brooks?
Answer:
Helen leamt a lot about the spiritual side of life from Bishop Brooks. The most important thing she learnt was that the underlying message of all religions was the same: the brotherhood of man and the importance of love.

Question 6.
Why did Dr Oliver Wendell Holmes cry during his meeting with Helen?
Answer:
When Helen recited a few lines from Tennyson’s poem, Dr Oliver Wendell Holmes was so moved that tears streamed down his cheeks and fell on Helen’s hand.

Question 7.
Why did Whittier call Miss Sullivan Helen’s “spiritual liberator”?
Answer:
Whittier recognised the great work done by Miss Sullivan in exposing Helen to the world of literature, and helping her to develop the passion to understand and appreciate it. Therefore, though she was blind she had a deep understanding of the classics, which enriched her soul.

Question 8.
Why did Helen feel indebted to Dr Edward Everett Hale?
Answer:
Helen was grateful to Dr Edward Everett Hale for his support and sympathy to her own self and Miss Sullivan, when they were disheartened and upset during their great struggle.

Question 9.
Why did Helen think that Dr Bell was not only a great scientist but an even greater human being?
Answer:
Dr Bell had many revolutionary inventions to his credit, but Helen felt, that his scientific ability was dwarfed by his human goodness, as he spent a lot of time with deaf children and made great contributions towards making their life easier.

Question 10.
What did Helen enjoy about her meetings with the literary giants of her time?
Answer:
Helen loved being part of the literary discussions with the great literary minds of her time, even though she was not able to understand everything they said. However, it was extremely enlightening for her to spend time listening to such conversations.

Question 11.
How did Helen describe Mark Twain?
Answer:
Helen found Mark Twain to be extremely positive and bright and imagined him to have a twinkle in his eye. He had the compassion and patience to read out his stories to Helen, who lip-read them. She felt that behind his cynical, droll sense of humour, lay a tender-hearted and sympathetic man.

Question 12.
Was Helen able to mention the names of all her friends? Why?
Answer:
Helen expressed her inability to mention all her friends because firstly, there were too many people she felt indebted to and there were many others who did not want their contributions to be made public.

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The Story of My Life Summary Chapter 22

Helen writes about her love for the outdoors, the countryside. She mentions her experience of being caught in a gale on a sailboat. She was disturbed to look at the huge gap that existed between the rich and the poor. She also enjoyed indoor activities like knitting, crocheting, etc.

In this chapter, Helen mentions her other interests, apart from books. She talks about her great love of the outdoors, and especially of water, whether swimming, boating, canoeing or sailing. She enjoyed taking her friends out for rowing when they visited her. Someone was made to sit in the stem and manage the rudder while she rowed. She mentions an experience when she was caught in a gale on a sailboat and talks about the excitement and fearlessness she felt as the crew struggled to keep the boat afloat.

She talks about the time spent in the countryside, especially at Wrentham, and contrasts the peaceful, simple life of the village with the glamour, hectic pace and discontent of the city. It was Mr Chamberlain from one of the charming little villages in New England who initiated her into the mysteries of trees and wildflowers. She expresses her shock at the difference in the lives of the rich and the poor in cities, as well as at the squalor and filth in which the poor live.

She wishes they would return to the simplicity and honesty of the countryside and live more noble and content lives. She also describes her enjoyment at riding a tandem bicycle and her walks in the woods with her dogs. On days when she was forced to stay indoors, she describes her enjoyment of knitting, crocheting, reading or playing games like specially designed chess or Chinese checkers.

She always enjoyed company, especially of young children, who she says were unselfconscious and had no difficulty interacting with her. She enjoyed visiting museums and stores with her mother, and found that she coufd understand the emotions and feelings of the sculptor by touching the carvings and statues. Apart from this, Helen enjoyed visiting the theatre and meeting the great actors and actresses after their performances. In the end, she mentioned that though she was forced to live in a dark, silent world, she did not let it depress her, as she had learnt to be content.

The Story of My Life Summary Chapter 22 Questions and Answers

Question 1.
How did Helen row boats even though she could not see?
Answer:
Whenever Helen rowed boats, someone was made to sit at the stem and manage the rudder, while she rowed. Sometimes, she would row without the rudder and would try to steer by the scent of the water grasses, lilies and bushes growing along the shore. The oars had leather bands which kept them in position in the oarlocks. The resistance of the water also let her know when the oars were evenly poised and when she was pulling against the current.

Question 2.
How did Helein enjoy the moonlit canoe rides?
Answer:
Even though Helen could not see the moon, she enjoyed lying back among the pillows, in the canoe, with her hand trailing in the water. She would feel the air around her and the warmth that suddenly enfolded her, though she could not be sure if it came from the trees or from the water.

Question 3.
What does the incident of the sailboat in the gale reveal about Helen’s character?
Answer:
The incident of the sailboat reveals Helen’s love for adventure and her fearlessness. She felt excited when the people around her tried to keep the boat afloat in the gale and had no fear of drowning.

Question 4.
Why does Helen enjoy spending time in the countryside?
Answer:
Helen enjoyed the countryside because there, one did not become saddened by the cruel struggle for existence that one saw in the cities. Not only was the atmosphere purer, with clean air, green earth and murmuring rivers, life itself was simple and honest.

Question 5.
Why did Helen wish that the poor would leave the city and return to the village?
Answer:
Helen failed to understand why the poor lived in hideous, sunless tenements in the city, growing into ugly, withered people with children who are half-clad and under-fed. She felt that these people lived such a tough life for very poor returns, and that they should return to the countryside where life was simpler and their children could grow into noble individuals.

Question 6.
Why did Helen enjoy interacting with little children?
Answer:
Helen liked interacting with little children because they usually liked her and took her around, showed her things. She interacted with very small children who could not write on her hand, by reading their lips or by resorting to miming actions. She also enjoyed telling them stories and teaching them games.

Question 7.
Why did Helen enjoy watching plays even more than reading about them?
Answer:
Helen enjoyed having the play described to her while it was being enacted, because she felt as if she was living in the middle of those events. Moreover, it gave her the opportunity to meet the actors and actresses and by touching their costumes, she was able to understand the characters even better.

Question 8.
How did Helen play board games like chess and checkers?
Answer:
Helen played board games, specially designed for her. In the chess boards, the squares had been cut out so that the men stood firmly on them. The chessmen were of two different sizes, so that she could follow her opponent’s manoeuvres easily. In the game of checkers, the black checkers were flat, while the white ones were curved on top. Each checker had a hole in the middle, where a brass knob could be placed, to distinguish the king from the commoners.

Question 9.
How did Helen enjoy her visits to the museum?
Answer:
Helen enjoyed her museum visits as she was able to touch the objects, which helped her learn more about the world. Touching the sculptures also helped her identify the feelings and emotions of the sculptors who had carved them.

Question 10.
Though Helen described her happy times in this chapter, yet it ends on a solemn note. What does this reveal about Helen as a person?
Answer:
At the end of the chapter, Helen hints at the limitations of her world, which is dark and silent. She also speaks of her dependence on others to perceive the world and its beauty. It reveals the struggles that she had to face on a daily basis, and her determination to look at the brighter side of things and to make the most of the opportunities that came her way.

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The Story of My Life Summary Chapter 21

Helen writes about her love for reading books. She writes about her joy at reading classics like Iliad, Shakespeare’s plays. She also loved French and German literature. She found the stories in the Bible very uplifting.

In this chapter, Helen discusses her love for reading. She remembers reading a book at the age of seven years. She used her fingertips to read as many books as she could find. She started by reading the basic ’readers’ which she read so many times that the embossed words got worn out. Sometimes Miss Sullivan ‘read’ the stories by spelling onto her hand, but she preferred reading by herself. She started reading in earnest during her visit to Boston at the Perkins Institution.

She read the bopks from the library, bringing down all the books which caught her fancy. In the beginning, she read irrespective of whether she understood each word or not. As a result, she acquired a rich vocabulary, memorising words and sentences, many of which she did not really understand. When she was an eight year-old, she was found reading The Scarlet Letter by her teacher. The teacher had asked her if she liked little Pearl and then she told her that she had a beautiful story about a little boy which she was sure to like better than The Scarlet Letter.

The name of the story was Little Lord Fauntleroy and was the first book she understood and enjoyed. It was from this book that Helen dates the beginning of her true interest in books. Whenever Miss Sullivan stopped her ‘reading’ for a break, she would get upset because she was so absorbed in the story that even a short break made her feel deprived.

Later, Mr Anagnos got the story embossed and she read it till she learnt it by heart. She mentions a lot of books that helped her connect with the outside world. She did not enjoy the books which had morals, or where animals were given human traits. She did, however, enjoy reading the Greek classics. Her introduction to the Bible was not very memorable, but over time, she found the stories very absorbing and uplifting.

She enjoyed Shakespeare’s plays and also liked, books on history. She was fascinated by classic writers such as Homer and Virgil. She also talks of her appreciation for French and German literature. Literature thus became her Utopia.

The Story of My Life Summary Chapter 21 Questions and Answers

Question 1.
Why did Helen love books?
Answer:
Helen loved books, not only because they gave her pleasure, but also because through them, she received knowledge of the world around her.

Question 2.
Why was May 1887 an important month in Helen’s life?
Answer:
May 1887 was an important month for Helen because it was the month when she started reading her first connected story.

Question 3.
Why did she not read too many books in the beginning?
Answer:
Helen could not read too many books in the beginning because there were very few books in raised print for beginners.

Question 4.
Why did Helen like reading to herself more than when Miss Sullivan read to her?
Answer:
Helen liked reading herself because she could then read the stories she liked, over and over again. It offered her independence of choice.

Question 5.
How did her first visit to the Institution in Boston fuel her love for reading?
Answer:
At the Institution in Boston, Helen was allowed to spend a lot of time in the library, where she wandered from bookcase to bookcase, taking down whatever book her fingers lighted on. Thus, she was able to read whatever she wanted, which made her keen to read more.

Question 6.
Which book did Helen read while sitting on the hammock with Miss Sullivan?
Answer:
Helen read the book Little Lord Fauntleroy while sitting on the hammock with Miss Sullivan.

Question 7.
Why did Helen feel impatient when Miss Sullivan tried to explain any part of the story?
Answer:
Helen did not like the stories to be broken up with explanations because she thought they were unnecessary. She was content to hear the story without leaping into analysis or explanation of its events.

Question 8.
Why did Helen not enjoy fables?
Answer:
Helen did not like the fact that animals were made to talk and act like human beings. She also found it difficult to believe that animals like monkeys and foxes could teach humans the truths of life.

Question 9.
What was her view about other books featuring animals?
Answer:
Helen enjoyed reading books like The Jungle Book and Wild Animals I have Known, because the animals featured in these books were not caricatures of human beings. Moreover, the morals carried by these stories were subtle.

Question 10.
What did Helen enjoy about Greek literature and history?
Answer:
Helen had a special fascination for the Greek gods and goddesses. In fact, she loved them so much she almost worshipped them.

Question 11.
Why does Helen recommend The Iliad?
Answer:
Helen recommends The Iliad because of the enjoyment she got while reading it. She felt her soul being uplifted above the narrow circumstances of her life and it made her forget the physical limitations of her world.

Question 12.
What was Helen’s view about the Bible?
Answer:
At first, Helen did not find Bible interesting, but as she continued to read it, she found it very uplifting and inspiring. However, she found some parts in it objectionable.

Question 13.
What were Helen’s views on Shakespeare?
Answer:
Helen loved reading Shakespeare’s plays from childhood. Of all his plays, she was impressed by Macbeth the most. She was also deeply impacted by characters like King Lear and Shylock.

Question 14.
What did Helen think of anti-heroes like Shylock and Judas?
Answer:
Helen felt sorry for anti-heroes as she felt that they could not be good even if they wished to, because no one seemed willing to help them or to give them a fair chance.

Question 15.
Why did Helen call literature her “Utopia”?
Answer:
In the world of literature, Helen felt the happiest, as the books were her friends who spoke to her without any barriers or awkwardness. In spite of her blindness and deafness, she could interact with them through her fingers and they would reveal the world to her in a way that her senses could not

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The Story of My Life Summary Chapter 20

Helen writes about her entry to Radcliffe College and the challenges she faced while attending lectures and writing examinations.

Helen qualified to enter Radcliffe College. However, she took another year before she finally joined it. She began her studies with eagerness. But her romantic illusions about life in college slowly disappeared, as she realised its disadvantages. The biggest disadvantage was the lack of time to think and ruminate over all the facts and figures she was exposed to during lectures. Attending lectures became a challenge, and Miss Sullivan tried hard to pass on all the information to Helen.

The lectures were spelt into her hand as rapidly as possible, but the personal style of the lecturer was lost in the effort to keep up in the race. The words just rushed through her hand and there was no time for her to commune her thoughts. The chapter also expresses Helen’s growing despondency with the typewriter.

Very few books that were required for the various courses were printed for the blind and she had no other option but to have them spelt out in her hand. Helen fondly remembers her instructor in English composition who brought literature before her in all its originality and power.

She worked hard to overcome the frustrating obstacles in the path of her attaining knowledge, especially facing examinations which according to her were the chief bugbears of her college life.

The Story of My Life Summary Chapter 20 Questions and Answers

Question 1.
Why did Helen delay her admission to college?
Answer:
Helen delayed her admission because everyone advised her to study for another year with Mr Keith before joining college.

Question 2.
How did Helen feel on entering Radcliffe?
Answer:
At first, Helen was excited and happy to have realised her dream of studying at Radcliffe, but slowly she started feeling disillusioned and realised that there were many disadvantages of going to college.

Question 3.
What was the biggest disadvantage of college, according to Helen?
Answer:
Helen felt that the greatest disadvantage of college was the lack of time to think or reflect on what they were taught.

Question 4.
What does Helen mean when she says that she prefers “present day joy to hoarding riches against a rainy day”?
Answer:
Helen felt that college studies were so exhaustive that one hardly had enough time to understand and internalise all the available knowledge. Helen wished to leam at a slower pace and enjoy the present, than store all the knowledge to be understood sometime in the future.

Question 5.
How did Helen understand the lectures given by her professors? What were the disadvantages of this method?
Answer:
The lectures were spelled onto Helen’s hand as quickly as possible. The disadvantage of this method was that she had no time to pay any attention to the core of the subject or to understand the personality of the lecturers. She lost out on the flavour in a bid to know everything.

Question 6.
How did Helen write her answers?
Answer:
Helen wrote her answers on a typewriter. She used the Hammond typewriter, which had movable type . shuttle. It could be fitted with different shuttles, each with a different set of characters: Greek, French or mathematics, according to the subject she wanted to study.

Question 7.
What were the other challenges that Helen faced?
Answer:
Helen faced several problems. Very few of the books she needed were printed in Braille, which meant that all the information had to be spelt out on her hand. This made her learning quite time consuming.

Question 8.
Why did Helen enjoy her composition classes?
Answer:
The teacher, Mr Charles Townsend Copeland was a witty and vivacious man, whose lessons were always interesting. This made Helen enjoy the composition classes.

Question 9.
What made Helen enjoy the second year of college?
Answer:
Helen enjoyed the second year in college more, because she studied subjects like economics, Elizabethan literature, Shakespeare and philosophy, which made her feel happy.

Question 10.
Why did Helen object to elaborate explanations of the lessons by her teachers?
Answer:
Helen felt that too many explanations acted as a barrier to one’s appreciation of the text. She felt that one should be allowed to enjoy the texts on one’s own rather than have them dissected and analysed.

Question 11.
What were Helen’s views on reading just to pass the examinations?
Answer:
Helen felt that if one studied only to pass the exams, then it was like taxing ones brains without really understanding anything. Hence, the mind was unable to enjoy’and appreciate the beauty of the texts one was reading.

Question 12.
Why did Helen call exams the “bugbear” of her college life?
Answer:
Helen called exams the “bugbear” of college life because the thought of appearing for examinations made her very nervous. The day before the exam was spent memorising formulae and facts, until she was completely overwhelmed by them. Finally, in the exam hall when she tried to recall the facts, she would feel like she had forgotten everything.

Question 13.
What did Helen say she had learnt from her time spent in college?
Answer:
Helen said that she had learnt the importance of patience and the fact that learning cannot be rushed. She also found that knowledge was power, because true knowledge equips one to differentiate true from false and lofty from mean. These thoughts helped her understand how man has progressed through the centuries, towards more and more elevated thought.

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The Story of My Life Summary Chapter 19

Helen writes about the problems faced in the second year at Cambridge School. Due to differences between Mr Gilman and Miss Sullivan, Helen and Mildred were removed from the school. She talks about the challenges she faced in geometry and algebra.

In this chapter, Helen talks about the problems that she faced in the second year at the Cambridge School. She terms these problems as ‘unforseen difficulties’. These included lack of embossed books, important apparatus etc. She also records the disadvantages of being taught in a large class. She felt sorry about the pressure on Miss Sullivan to act as a go-between and fill in the gaps in Helen’s studies. In the meantime, Mr Gilman suggested that Helen should complete the course over five years instead of the three years taken by other students. However, Helen did not want to do so.

This point led to differences between Mr Gilman and Miss Sullivan, as a result of which both Helen and Mildred were removed from school by their mother. Helen continued studies under Mr Keith, a mathematician at Wrentham. She received individual lessons and thrived on them. For the first time in her life, she understood mathematics. She appeared for her examinations, writing in Braille. Though Braille worked well enough in other branches of mathematics, but difficulties arose in geometry and algebra. She faced a great challenge while using symbols in geometry and algebra.

The Story of My Life Summary Chapter 19 Questions and Answers

Question 1.
What were the difficulties that Helen faced in the second year at the school?
Answer:
Firstly, the books Helen needed were not embossed in time before her classes started. Secondly, the number of students in the class was very large and the instructors were unable to give her individual attention. Moreover, she found algebra and geometry difficult to follow and problems in physics difficult to solve till they brought in a Braille writer.

Question 2.
How did Helen deal with these problems?
Answer:
Helen’s problems became easier when her embossed books arrived. In addition, she started putting in greater effort to overcome her problems.

Question 3.
“I was beginning to overcome these difficulties when an event occurred which changed everything.” What event is Helen referring to?
Answer:
Helen, here, is referring to Mr Gilman’s opinion that Helen was being forced to study too hard and that she should remain in his school for three more years. However, Helen, herself, was keen to pass with the other girls in her batch. The problem escalated into a major disagreement between Mr Gilmore and Miss Sullivan. Finally Helen and her sister Mildred left the school and started tuition under a private tutor, Mr Keith, from Cambridge.

Question 4.
How did Helen learn algebra and geometry?
Answer:
Mr Keith taught Helen algebra and geometry twice a week, along with Greek and Latin. He was very patient and took lot of pains to teach her. He repeated his lessons till Helen was able to understand the concepts.

Question 5.
Why were Helen and Mr Keith distressed before the algebra exam?
Answer:
Helen used Braille to write her exams; but there were different versions of Braille. She was comfortable with English Braille, whereas the papers that were sent to her for practice were in American Braille, which she realised two days before her exams. Even though she tried hard to understand the symbols used in the version, she found it very confusing. Moreover, she could not see what she was typing which made solving algebra sums very hard. She was used to solving the sums in her mind and she found it hard to write in the exam papers.

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The Story of My Life Summary Chapter 18

Helen describes her entry into Cambridge School for Ladies where she faced the challenge of keeping up with normal students. She talks about the efforts of Miss Sullivan and Frau Gote to help her. Her success in the examinations encouraged her to study further.

This chapter records Helen’s entry into the Cambridge School for Ladies, a school for children without disabilities, where she faced the challenge of having to keep up with normal students. Her instructors had no experience in teaching special pupils like her and her only means of conversing with them was by reading their lips.

She faced the challenge bravely with the assistance of Miss Sullivan, who painstakingly decoded the lessons to her, through her fingers. She also received support from Frau Gote, who was able to help her because of her knowledge of the finger alphabet. Another teacher, Mr Gilman, also helped her by simplifying the lessons for her. Apart from the problems associated with learning with normal children, Helen quite enjoyed interacting with other girls of her age.

She played games with them, went on long walks and even discussed studies with them. Her sister Mildred also joined the school, making Helen even happier. The chapter also records how Helen appeared for the exams, the challenges she faced and how she overcame them. Her success in the examinations gave her encouragement to carry on her studies further.

The Story of My Life Summary Chapter 18 Questions and Answers

Question 1.
Why did Helen not want to go to Wellesley?
Answer:
Helen did not want to go to Wellesley as only girls studied there.

Question 2.
What was the effect of her decision on the people in her life?
Answer:
The people in Helen’s life, felt it was going to be difficult for her to study in college alongside people who could see and hear.

Question 3.
How did Helen plan to overcome her handicap while studying in college?
Answer:
To help Helen with the lectures, she planned to have Miss Sullivan attend the classes with her and interpret the instructions given to her.

Question 4.
What were the advantages that Helen had over the other students?
Answer:
Helen had a good command over English, and a good start in French, Latin and German.

Question 5.
What were the drawbacks that Helen faced in college, and how did she overcome them?
Answer:
The first problem Helen faced was that Miss Sullivan could not spell everything on her hand and she required books. However, it was difficult to have all the textbooks embossed in a short while. Helen thus had to copy Latin into Braille. Moreover, it took the teachers a little time to understand her speech. They could then correct her mistakes. She then wrote all her compositions and translations on a typewriter.

Question 6.
Who were Frau Gote and Mr Gilman? How did they help Helen?
Answer:
Frau Gote and Mr Gilman were teachers at Cambridge School of Ladies. They were the only two teachers in the school who learned the finger alphabet and were able to instruct Helen. Mr Gilman read the lessons and explained various topics in a simplified manner. Similarly, Frau Gote spelled out her instructions in the special classes she gave Helen twice a week.

Question 7.
How did Helen enjoy herself at the Cambridge School with the other girls?
Answer:
For the first time in her life, Helen interacted with girls of her age. She enjoyed herself thoroughly, playing games like the blind man’s buff, playing in the snow, going on long walks and discussing studies with them.

Question 8.
What made her stay in Cambridge an even happier experience after Christmas?
Answer:
Helen’s sister Mildred joined the same school as Helen, and that made it one of the happiest times of her life.

Question 9.
What method was used to examine Helen?
Answer:
First of all, she was given a number by which she was identified. Then Mr Gilman read the papers to her sentence by sentence, while Helen repeated the words aloud to make sure that she had understood him perfectly. She then typed out her answers on a typewriter. Mr Gilman spelled out what she had written and Helen made changes as she thought necessary, while Mr Gilman inserted the changes. Finally, he sent her written work to the examiners, with a letter certifying that Helen, i.e., candidate 233, had written the papers.

Question 10.
What helped her before her Latin examination?
Answer:
On the day of her Latin exam, Helen’s teacher informed her that she had passed her German exam satisfactorily; this had a very positive effect on her. She felt motivated to do well in the Latin paper as well.

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The Story of My Life Summary Chapter 17

Helen recounts the time spent at the Wright Humason School for deaf, in New York where she found the teachers very dedicated and sincere. She talks about the death of her friend Mr Spaulding.

Helen recounts the time spent at the Wright Humason School for the deaf, in New York City, in 1894. She learnt vocal culture, lip reading, arithmetic, physical geography, French and German. She found French more difficult than German because her German teacher could use the manual alphabet whereas her French teacher could not use it manually. She could not learn to speak as quickly as she wanted to, and hence was disappointed.

She also found arithmetic difficult. Although these disappointments caused her great depression, she pursued other studies with interest, especially physical geography. But for these drawbacks, she found the teachers at the school very dedicated and looked back at the two years spent there with fondness.

She remembers her walks to Central Park and how she loved to have it described to her each time she went there. The chapter ends with Helen’s encounter with yet another death, that of her friend, Mr John Spaulding. His passing away left an irreplaceable void in her life.

The Story of My Life Summary Chapter 17 Questions and Answers

Question 1.
Why was Helen sent to the Wright-Humason School in New York City?
Answer:
Helen was sent to Wright-Humason School to be trained in vocal culture and lip reading. Along with that, she studied subjects like arithmetic, physical geography, French and German.

Question 2.
Why did Helen find it easier to learn German?
Answer:
The German teacher was able to use the manual alphabet and since Helen had already acquired some proficiency in it, they were able to talk in German easily. Soon, she was able to read the book Wilhelm Tell.

Question 3.
What were the disappointments that Helen had to face at the Institute?
Answer:
Helen’s skill in lip-reading and speech did not improve as quickly as everyone had expected. Hence there was a sense of disappointment for Helen.

Question 4.
Which subject proved the most difficult for Helen? How did she deal with it?
Answer:
Helen found it very difficult to do arithmetic. She tried to deal with it by guessing the answers or jumping at conclusions, but it only aggravated her difficulties.

Question 5.
What did Helen remember of the teachers at Wright-Humason School?
Answer:
Helen remembered her teachers at the school as very dedicated; they tried their best to give their students whatever advantage possible to lead them out of the confined lives they led.

Question 6.
What does Helen mean by saying, “Before I left New York these bright days were darkened by the greatest sorrow”?
Answer:
Helen, here, refers to the death of Mr John P Spaulding of Boston, who had been a great friend of Helen and Miss Sullivan.

We have decided to create the most comprehensive English Summary that will help students with learning and understanding. A Photograph Summary Explained in this article

A Photograph Summary in English by Shirley Toulson

A Photograph by Shirley Toulson About the Poet

Name	Shirley Toulson
Born	20 May 1924, Henley-on-Thames, United Kingdom
Died	15th May 2014
Education	B.A Literature from Brockenhurst College in London
Books	The Drovers, The Celtic Year a Celebration of Celtic Christian Saints Sites and Festivals More

A Photograph Summary in English

The poet views the photograph, taken before she was bom, of her mother and her two cousins. It was of the three girls, when they went to the beach. The two cousins were younger than the narrator’s mother, who was about twelve years old then. Both the cousins were on either side of the mother holding her hands. The three of them smiled at the camera as the uncle clicked the photograph. The camera had caught them smiling as the breeze ruffled their hair.

The poet notices her mother’s sweet face of a time before she was bom. Her face had changed much, unlike the sea which had remained unchanged. The sea washed their unbearably short-lived feet. The mother is now dead. The poet recalls how twenty or thirty years later her mother would look at the photograph and recall with amusement how, as young girls, they had been dressed for the beach. She had been out for a holiday to the beach years ago and felt nostalgic about it, just as the poet felt when she relived the memories of her mother. She recalled with pain the memories of her mother’s laughter. She found it difficult to come to terms with her mother’s death. She remembers her mother who died a long time ago: she has now lived without her for almost half of her life; and this fact overwhelms her into silence.

A Photograph Summary Questions and Answers

Read the lines and answer the questions that follow.

Question 1.
The cardboard shows me how it was
When the two girl cousins went paddling,
Each one holding one of my mother’s hands,
And she the big girl—some twelve years or so.
All three stood still to smile through their hair
At the uncle with the camera….

a. What does the ‘cardboard’ denote?
Answer:
It is a photograph.

b. What is seen on the cardboard?
Answer:
On the ‘cardboard’ three girls can be seen—one of whom is the poet’s mother.

c. What were they doing?
Answer:
They were playing in water near the seashore.

d. Why were the girls holding the poet’s mother’s hand?
Answer:
The poet’s mother was a little older than the two of her cousins, around twelve years old, and was thus holding on to their hands.

e. What was the uncle doing?
Answer:
The uncle was clicking their photograph.

f. Where is the mother now?
Answer:
The poet’s mother is dead.

g. “All three stood still to smile through their hair.” What does this suggest?
Answer:
They were smiling with tousled hair over their faces because of the breeze.

h. Who were the other two girls?
Answer:
The two girls were the poet’s mother’s cousins—Betty and Dolly.

2. A sweet face,
My mother’s, that was before I was born.
And the sea, which appears to have changed less,
Washed their terribly transient feet.

a. Who is the ‘I’ in these lines?
Answer:
The poet is the ‘I’ in these lines.

b. What did she feel about her mother?
Answer:
The poet thought her mother had a sweet face.

c. What has not changed?
Answer:
The sea has remained unchanged over the years.

d. What has changed?
Answer:
The faces of the people have changed. They are older. The poet’s mother is dead.

e. What is suggested by the words ‘transient feet’?
Answer:
The words suggest the transience of life.

f. Name the poetic device used in the line: “Washed their terribly transient feet.”
Answer:
(a) transferred epithet
(b) synecdoche

3. Some twenty—thirty—years later
She ’d laugh at the snapshot. ‘See Betty
And Dolly, ’ she ’d say, ‘and look how they
Dressed us for the beach. ’ The sea holiday
Was her past, mine is her laughter, Both wry
With the laboured ease of loss.

a. Who is the ‘she’ in these lines?
Answer:
The poet’s mother is referred to as ‘she’ in these lines.

b. What was she looking at?
Answer:
She was looking at her photograph that was clicked twenty to thirty years back.

c. Who were Betty and Dolly?
Answer:
Betty and Dolly were cousins of the poet’s mother.

d. Why was she amused?
Answer:
She was amused at the way she and her cousins were dressed for the beach.

e. What are the two things that are ‘a matter of the past’?
Answer:
(a) To the poet’s mother, her childhood is a thing of the past.
(b) To the poet, her mother’s laughter was a thing of the past.

f. What is suggested by ‘the laboured ease of loss’? Name the poetic device used.
Answer:
It was a painful effort to recall the time that has so easily slipped away. The poetic device used is oxymoron.

4. Now she’s been dead nearly as many years
As that girl lived. And of this circumstance
There is nothing to say at all.
Its silence silences

a. Who had been dead many years?
Answer:
The mother has been dead for many years.

b. Who is that girl?
Answer:
The young girl is the mother, aged twelve.

c. Why does the poet say “As that girl lived”?
Answer:
To the mother, the little girl was the past that was true a long time back just as the mother was a living reality to the poet years back.

d. Explain: “Its silence silences”. Name the poetic device used.
Answer:
The stillness of the photograph and the overwhelming sense of her mother’s loss mutes the poet. The poetic device used is paradox.

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The Voice of The Rain Poem Summary in English by Walt Whitman

The Voice of The Rain Poem by Walt Whitman Poet

Name	Walt Whitman
Born	31 May 1819, West Hills, New York, United States
Died	26 March 1892, Camden, New Jersey, United States
Poems	Leaves of Grass, Song of Myself, O Captain! My Captain!
Awards	Golden Kite Award for Picture Book Illustration

The Voice of The Rain Poem Summary in English

The poet gazed at the gentle spell of rain and asked of the rain who it was. Much to the surprise of the poet, it answered him. The rain said that it is the poetry of the earth. It is never-ending. It is intangible as it rises out of the land, from the endless sea before it ascends towards heaven. There it changes its form, yet, in essence, it is the same. It once again comes down to earth to refresh the dry earth, to bathe tiny particles and settle the dust-layers of the world. As it falls on the earth, the seeds that hitherto lay dormant and lifeless, spring to life. The rain says that the earth is its creator and it gives back life to it. Rain makes the globe wholesome and beautifies it.

Thus, the rain takes a full circle and comes back to its creator, just like the song that originates from its birthplace and after completion, travels around the earth, whether one takes heed of it or not, and then comes back to its place of origin with love.

The Voice of The Rain Poem Summary Questions and Answers

1. And who art thou? said I to the soft-falling shower,
Which, strange to tell, gave me an answer, as here translated:
I am the Poem of Earth, said the voice of the rain,

a. Who are the two people in conversation?
Answer:
The poet and the rain are the two people in conversation.

b. What did the poet ask?
Answer:
The poet asked the rain who it was.

c. Why was it ‘strange to tell’?
Answer:
The rain replied to the poet’s query and gave an extraordinary answer.

d. What does the rain call itself? Why?
Answer:
The rain calls itself the rhyme of the earth. Like a song, it travels back to its source.

2. Eternal I rise impalpable out of the land and the bottomless sea,
Upward to heaven, whence, vaguely form’d, altogether
changed, and yet the same,
I descend to lave the droughts, atomies, dust-layers of the globe,
And all that in them without me were seeds only, latent, unborn;
And forever, by day and night, I give back life to my own origin,
And make pure and beautify it,

a. Where does the rain rise from?
Answer:
The rain rises from the land and the sea.

b. Why is it impalpable?
Answer:
It is intangible—in the form of vapour.

c. Where does it rise to?
Answer:
It rises upward towards heaven.

d. What happens there?
Answer:
The cloud changes its form.

e. What impact does it have on earth?
Answer:
The rain, once again, comes down to earth to wash away paucity, to bathe tiny particles and the dust- layers of the world.

f. What is the effect on seeds?
Answer:
The rain puts life into the seeds; helps them germinate.

g. What is the impact on earth?
Answer:
The rain purifies and beautifies the earth.

h. How does the rain complete its cycle?
Answer:
The rain sets out from the land; goes heavenwards; and comes back again to the land.

3. (For song, issuing from its birth-place, after fulfilment, wandering,
Reck’d or unreck’d, duly with love returns.)

a. What does the song do?
Answer:
The song sets out, wanders, completes its journey and comes back.

b. How is it like the rain?
Answer:
It comes back after a full cycle and so is like the rain.

c. What do the words ‘reck’d or unreck’d’ suggest?
Answer:
Cared or uncared.

d. How does a song seek its fulfilment?
Answer:
A song seeks its fulfilment by roaming; travelling places before it returns.

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From the Diary of Anne Frank Summary | The Diary of a Young Girl Summary

The Diary of a Young Girl is the diary kept by Anne Frank, a Jewish girl, for the two years during which she was in hiding because of the Nazi persecution of the Jews in Europe. Between June 1942 and August 1944, from Anne’s thirteenth birthday until shortly after her fifteenth birthday, she recorded her feelings, emotions, thoughts, as well as the events around her, in the diary which she got as a birthday present.

Anne’s diary entries began on June 12, 1942, her thirteenth birthday, when her parents gifted her with a diary. She was excited about her gift as she had always wanted someone, or something, in which she could confide all of her secret thoughts. She gave a brief description of her personal history, mentioning her birth in Frankfurt, Germany, her family, their emigration to Holland after Hitler’s rise to power and his persecution of the Jews in Germany, the Nazi occupation of Holland and other European countries. In a matter-of-fact way, she also described the various, severe restrictions imposed on the Jews. In the midst of all those hardships, Anne’s descriptions were a record of her girlhood experiences, writing about daily events, her friendships with other girls, her crushes on boys, and her academic performance at school. Despite having had an active social life, Anne felt misunderstood by everyone she knew.

The Franks moved to the Netherlands in the years leading up to World War II to escape persecution in Germany. When Margot, Anne’s sister was called to appear before the authorities, Anne and her family went into hiding in a small section of her father’s office building. The entrance to this ‘Secret Annex’ was hidden behind a swinging bookcase. The employees from Otto Frank’s firm helped to keep them hidden, and supplied them with food, medicine and information about the outside world at a risk to their own lives.

For two years, the Frank family lived in this Secret Annex. Mr and Mrs van Daan and their son Peter (who is a few years older than Anne) were also there in hiding with them. Later, Mr Dussel, an elderly dentist moves in, and Anne had to share her bedroom with him.

Much of Anne’s diary recorded the daily routine of the occupants of the attic. Anne described in detail, the characters of Anne’s father, mother, and sister, as well as the three van Daans and Mr Dussel, who shared the attic with them.

Luckily, the Franks had a lot of reading material and a radio and Anne increased her knowledge of politics and literature. She put a lot of energy into studying and writing. The residents of the annex paid close attention to every development of the war by listening to the radio. Bits of news that caught Anne’s attention made their way into her diary, providing a vivid historical context for her personal thoughts.

Anne’s difficult situation is made more complicated by her own adolescence. Her maturing process, coupled with the misery of her cramped quarters and her constant fear of discovery and capture, is clearly seen in the pages of the diary. She wrote of her conflicts with her mother and sister, the support she received from her father, the love that developed between her and Peter van Daan, the constant bickering of the inhabitants of the attic, and the deprivations that she endured while in hiding. At the same time, Anne grew further and further away from the other members of the Annex.

She often wrote about her feelings of isolation and loneliness. She had a tumultuous relationship with the adults in the annex, particularly her mother, whom she considered lacking in love and affection. She adored her father. She was frequently scolded and criticised by Mr and Mrs van Daan and Mr Dussel. Though Anne thought that her sister, Margot was smart, pretty, and agreeable, she did not feel close to her and does not write much about her. A real change is seen in her when she eventually developed a close friendship with Peter van Daan. She found him sensitive and caring, and they talked about everything, including sex. Mr Frank did not approve, however, and Anne’s infatuation became less intense. Eventually their relationship changed tracks. Anne and Peter’s passion turned into a friendship and a source of comfort for them both.

Anne matured considerably through the course of her diary entries, moving from detailed accounts of basic activities to deeper, more profound thoughts about humanity and her own personal nature.

She found it difficult to understand why the Jews were being singled out and persecuted. Anne also confronted her own identity. Another big change for Anne happened when the war seemed to have ended. She got to know that personal accounts such as her diary would be in demand once the war ended. She returned to her earlier optimism and began editing her diary with vigour and excitement. During the two years recorded in her diary, Anne dealt with confinement and deprivation, as well as the complicated and difficult issues of growing up in the brutal circumstances of the Holocaust.

Her diary described a struggle to define herself within this climate of oppression. Anne’s diary ends without comment on 1 August 1944 as the Frank family is betrayed to the Nazis and arrested on 4 August 1944.

Anne Franks’s diary is filled with conflicting emotions, ranging from depression and despair to cheerfulness and pleasure. Anne constantly tried to see the good side of things and to have hope in spite of the misery and fear she faced on a daily basis. She even tells of some humorous incidents that occurred within the annex. When the air raids and bombings came closer to the office building, however, it was harder for her to be positive. But she tried her best to rally her courage and find a zest for living. When she fell in love with Peter, she gained a new lease of life and a strong desire to survive. Anne’s father, Otto Frank, the sole survivor of the members of the Secret Annex, recovered.

Anne’s diary from Miep and fulfilled Anne’s wishes by publishing the diary. Anne’s diary is one of the few accounts that described the unimaginable horror of the Holocaust from a young person’s perspective.

From the Diary of Anne Frank Chapter Wise Summary | The Diary of a Young Girl Chapter Wise Summary

From the Diary of Anne Frank Summary Sunday, June 12, 1942—Wednesday, June 24, 1942
The entries dating from 14 June to 5 July were written in Anne’s home in Amsterdam, Holland, where she spent her last few weeks of freedom. Anne, a fun-loving girl who enjoyed life, had just turned thirteen. Among the many things that she received, a diary with a red-check cover was her favourite. She believed that ‘paper has more patience than people ’ and so decided to make entries in her diary and hoped it would become her best friend and called it ‘Kitty. ’

From the Diary of Anne Frank Summary Wednesday, July 1, 1942—Friday, July 10, 1942
This section brings out the contrast between Anne’s innocence and the seriousness of her family’s situation. As a typical teenager, Anne focused on friends, grades and her relationships with boys.

She also talked about the issue of discrimination. Anne’s father thought it best to go into hiding soon, earlier than planned. Anne was greatly dismayed by her father’s plans. Her parents prepared a secret hiding place for such an eventuality. Anne called their hiding place the ‘Secret Annex ’.

From the Diary of Anne Frank Summary Saturday, July 11, 1942—Monday, September 21, 1942
Anne wrote of her everyday struggle in her life in hiding. Though the rest of the family were happy to be together, Anne felt like a misfit. The arrival of the van Daans brought new sources of conflict. Anne witnessed a terrible quarrel between Mr and Mrs van Daan over a trivial thing. She also did not think very highly of young Peter van Daan, who struck her as being lazy and boring.

Though the Franks and the van Daans lived in constant fear of capture, they had many simpler, more immediate problems. They often tried to find ways to escape boredom. Because they were in such close quarters, the residents were often annoyed with one another’s quirks and habits.

From the Diary of Anne Frank Summary Friday, September 25, 1942—Friday, October 9, 1942
Pim, Anne’s father, had written a letter to Mr Broks, which he decided to insert in an envelope that came from southern Zealand, so that it looked like they were abroad. Mrs van Daan liked to criticise Anne and ‘compare her to Margot constantly.’ Anne wrote of her lack of privacy and the unsanitary conditions they sometimes had to endure. She was also frightened by the news she had heard from the outside, that their Jewish friends are being hauled away in dozens to the German concentration camps.

From the Diary of Anne Frank Summary Wednesday, October 14, 1942—Friday, November 20, 1942
Anne spent her time reading. Anne had abandoned most of their nice things too but there was no use grumbling about it now. Otto Frank had measles and they couldn’t call a doctor, and if he coughed, they feared he might give them away. During this time, they planned to light the stove for the first time and cook a meal. German’s inability to capture Stalingrad from the Russians was perceived as good news by them. The family had decided that they should try to rescue one more Jew as they were getting reports of the dreadful things being done to the Jews. Mr Dussel was pleased with the offer of hiding from them but he insisted on waiting for a couple of days.

Mr Dussel talked about the atrocities committed outside, including the murders of women and children and it shocked Anna to the core.

From the Diary of Anne Frank Summary Thursday, March 4, 1943—Tuesday, June 13, 1943
The black market was doing a booming business. If the family had enough money, they could have bought more food. Everybody was sick of eating beans. Anne reflected on how the Germans treated Jews worse than animals. Anne’s mother wanted to say prayers with Anne but she refused as she said her prayers with her father which upset her mother. Martial law had been declared in Holland as the Dutch were being punished for the workers’ strikes. Anne was horrified by the drastic decline of her own quality of life.

From the Diary of Anne Frank Summary Tuesday, June 15, 1943—Tuesday, August 3, 1943
One of the protectors, Mr Voskuijl, was diagnosed with terminal cancer and did not have long to live. Everyone in the country was trying to get hold of a small radio so that they could access the British news. Anne tried to be helpful and good to everyone in the annex. Anne mentioned again how very important books were to her as being shut in the annex, there were no other amusements but reading, studying and listening to the radio. The Allies had landed in Sicily which was another step closer to defeating of the Germans. Air raids happened not just by night but also by day.

From the Diary of Anne Frank Summary Wednesday, August 4, 1943—Thursday, November 11, 1943
Sometimes the guns went off during the night. On this occasion too, Anne crept into her father’s bed. Anne called her father the most modest person at the table. On Wednesday, 8 September, Italy surrendered unconditionally. The stockroom manager, Mr van Maaren, was becoming suspicious of the Secret Annex. The strained relations between the members of the group continued and there was trouble brewing with the van Daans. Mr Frank was furious because they are cheating on the others by holding back meat and other things. Anne painted a very vivid account of her fears and nightmares, and remarked that although she talked about the concept of ‘after the war, ’ she could not imagine the world ever being normal again for them.

From the Diary of Anne Frank Summary Wednesday, November 17, 1943—Saturday, January 22, 1944
There was an outbreak of diphtheria at Bep’s house and she could not make it to the annex for six weeks. Anne was filled with guilt at not being able to help her best friend Lies who was enduring tremendous suffering due the war. Anne came down with flu and being sick in the annex was dreadful as she had to put her face under the blanket every time she coughed to prevent it from getting heard. She longed for a free life but she and her family were trapped in the annex. Anne mourned the loss of her Grandma. To Anne, Lies was symbolic of the suffering of Jews in general and while praying for Lies’s safety, Anne was actually praying for the safety of the Jews. She was coming to the realisation that in the discussions and arguments that happened in the annex the Franks were not always right and the van Daans were not always wrong.

The Diary of a Young Girl Summary Monday, January 24, 1944—Monday, February 28, 1944
Anne ‘s maturity was slowly increasing with each passing day. She managed to have a conversation with Peter about sex. Many Jewish families were going into hiding. Resistance groups, such as Free Netherlands, forged identity cards, provided financial support to those in hiding. Anne appreciated the efforts of these generous and unselfish people who risked their own lives to help others. Anne applauded their Dutch helpers who risked their own lives to save the Franks, van Daans, and Mr Dussel. Politics was a big topic of discussion in the house. The probability of an invasion of Europe by the Allies was increasing. Anne wrote fatalistically about reaching a stage where she did not care much whether she lived or died. Anne wrote about a change taking place.

It was about Peter who, according to her, was not looking at her in the usual way. She felt glad that she sensed a feeling of fellowship with Peter. Anne was plagued with doubts about whether Peter liked her or was he being just polite.

The Diary of a Young Girl Summary Wednesday, March 1, 1944—Friday, March 31, 1944
There was another burglary in the office which alarmed the inmates of the annex as they thought that the burglar might report them. She finally admitted to herself that her feelings for Peter were near to being in love but wondered if she would ever be able to tell him that. The police had arrested a man who had been supplying the group with potatoes, butter and jam. The people who sold them illegal food coupons were caught, so they had just the five ration books they bought on the black market – no coupons, no fats and oils. Everyone around them were falling ill, Bep was down with a bad cold, Miep hadn’t gotten over her flu, and Mr Kleiman’s stomach bled so much that he lost consciousness. Anne heard a suggestion on the news made by Mr Bolkestein, the Cabinet Minister, speaking on the Dutch broadcast from London, that after the war, people would be quite interested in reading diaries of how people lived in the war. She now thought about the idea of getting her diary published. She got excited about the idea of publishing her journal and started describing the kind of war events she thought readers might be interested to know how they lived. There was a mood of optimism as the Russians had reached the Polish border and Romania. Every night they expected a declaration from Stalin. The Germans had now invaded Hungary. There were still a million Jews living there and they were doomed.

The Diary of a Young Girl Summary Saturday, April 1, 1944—Friday; April 28, 1944
Anne gave a detailed description of the food situation as it had become a matter of great difficulty. She decided to work hard at her school work again so that she could become a journalist. Anne realised that she wanted more from life than being just a homemaker. Writing was also an escape for Anne. One day Anne understood by the way the men were talking that there had been a break-in. The men told the women to switch off the lights as they expected the police to arrive any moment. They cried with relief when they saw Jan and Miep who had shown up to fix the broken plank. From they on, they couldn’t open any windows or flush the toilet after 9:30 pm.

Anne was more scared of death. She decided that after the war she would become a Dutch citizen because she loved Holland and the Dutch. The British hadn’t advanced beyond Cassino and there had been a lot of unbelievably heavy air raids. Anne received her first kiss from Peter. The longer the war lasted, the harder it was for the residents of the annex to imagine being liberated from this place. Anne was not clear about her feelings for Peter and feared that she was giving herself to him too soon.

The Diary of a Young Girl Summary Tuesday, May 2, 1944—Wednesday, May 31, 1944
Anne and Peter discussed and decided that she should talk to her father about them. Anne found this attitude of Peter sensible. When she discussed her relationship with Peter with her father, he cautioned Anne to be careful since they were living in such close quarters. The prices were rising and the cost of everything was shooting up. Everyone from the errand boys to policemen were trading in the black market. Life was very dangerous for girls of fifteen, sixteen, seventeen and older who were disappearing every day. Anne wanted to publish a book called ‘The Secret Annex ’ and was sure that her diary would help in writing the book. She was writing a work of fiction ‘Cady’s Life’ that she claimed was based on her father’s life. Many Dutch people were beginning to express anti-Jewish sentiments. Mr van Hoeven, who supplied vegetables, was arrested for hiding two Jews in his house.

This was a heavy blow for them as the poor Jews were once again in danger. His arrest was a great ‘ loss to the inmates of the annex as they would have to go hungry. Anne mentioned about how much responsibility and tensions their protectors Miep and Mr Kugler carried for keeping them safe and bringing provisions for them. Mr Anne wondered if it would have been better to die rather than suffer so much.

The Diary of a Young Girl Summary Friday, June 2, 1944—Tuesday, August 1, 1944
The United States Army had captured Rome. No one was buying dollars or gold. Rations were dwindling and the group in the annex was running out of money. BBC announced at twelve that it was D-Day! The invasion had begun. The news of the Allied invasion of Europe revived the optimism of the group. The gifts and food items that Anne received as presents on her fifteenth birthday, was a blessing in disguise as for a couple of months she was eating rotten lettuce and endives. The Allied forces had captured many French towns. Anne was finally getting optimistic.

At last, things were going well. An assassination attempt had been made on Hitler’s life by a German general. Unfortunately, Hitler managed to get away with just a few scratches and bums. Anne reflected on the fact that her personality was a ‘bundle of contradictions.’ She wanted to show her quiet and serious side to everyone.

The Diary of a Young Girl Summary Afterward

On the morning of 4 August 1944, sometime between ten and ten-thirty, a car pulled up at 263 Prinsengracht. Several figures emerged; an SS sergeant, Karl Josef Silberbauer, in full uniform, and at least three Dutch members of the Security Police, armed but in civilian clothes. Someone must have tipped them off.

They arrested the eight people hiding in the annex, as well as two of their helpers, Victor Kugler and Johannes Kleiman— though not Miep Gies and Elisabeth (Bep) Voskuijl—and took all the valuables and cash they could find in the annex.

After the arrest, Kugler and Kleiman were taken to a prison in Amsterdam. On 11 September, 1944, they were transferred, without benefit of a trial, to a camp in Amersfoort (Holland). Kleiman, because of his poor health, was released on 18 September 1944. He remained in Amsterdam until his death in 1959.

Kugler managed to escape his imprisonment on 28 March 1945, when he and his fellow prisoners were being sent to Germany as forced labourers. He immigrated to Canada in 1955 and died in Toronto in 1989.

Elisabeth (Bep) Voskuijl Wijk died in Amsterdam in 1983. Miep Santrouschitz Gies is still living in Amsterdam; her husband Jan died in 1993.

Upon their arrest, the eight residents of the annex were first brought to a prison in Amsterdam and then transferred to Westerbork, the transit camp for Jews in the north of Holland. They were deported on 3 September 1944, in the last transport to leave Westerbork, and arrived three days later in Auschwitz (Poland).

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The Story of My Life Summary Chapter 16

Helen writes about her attempts to learn French and improve her speech. She also began to learn Latin from Mr Irons.

This chapter recounts Helen’s attempts at learning French and improving her speech. She had already read the histories of Greece, Rome and the United States. In order to improve her speech, she read aloud to Miss Sullivan and recited passages of her favourite poets. For the first time in her life, she began to take fixed lessons at fixed times.

She started learning Latin from Mr Irons whom she describes as a man of rare, sweet nature and of wide experience. She learnt critical appreciation of literature and enjoyed her Latin lessons. Miss Sullivan helped her in her lessons by spelling into her hand whatever Mr Irons said and looking up new words for her.

The Story of My Life Summary Chapter 16 Questions and Answers

Question 1.
What does Helen mean when she says that earlier she had studied various subjects in a “desultory manner”?
Answer:
Helen confessed that there had been no fixed pattern to her learning. She had leamt various subjects them in a haphazard manner.

Question 2.
How do we know that Helen was determined to improve her speech?
Answer:
Helen spent a considerable amount of time reading out aloud to Miss Sullivan and reciting passages from her favourite poems which she had memorised. This reflected her urge to improve her speech.

Question 3.
What was the change that occurred from October 1893?
Answer:
The change that occurred in October 1893 was that Helen’s lessons became more structured and she began to have lessons in special subjects at fixed hours.

Question 4.
What did Mr Irons teach Helen?
Answer:
Mr Irons was a Latin scholar. He taught Helen Latin grammar and arithmetic. He taught her critical appreciation of the texts that she read and to recognise the writer’s style.