Answer the following question based on prescribed novel text for extended reading in about 200- 250 words.

The Story of My Life

In the life of Helen Keller, “Ms. Anne Sullivan acts as an inspiration”. Justify with suitable instances from the text.

OR

Give a pen portrait of Dr. Alexander Graham Bell.

Ms. Anne Sullivan was Helen’s dedicated caretaker, teacher and a life-long friend. Anne taught Helen how to communicate using sign language and this had a transformative impact on the young girl as it gave her complete access to the world and human connections. Ms. Sullivan was Helen’s lifeline. Without Anne Sullivan, Helen would have been walled in a dark and hopeless world. When Anne began her learning Ms. Sullivan was very patient with her. She made raised letters for Helen to learn the alphabet. She also used real objects, such as fossils to teach about dinosaurs so that Helen would have something to touch, allowing her to make connections with the time period and concepts. Even Helen once said, “All the best of me belongs to her”. Ms. Sullivan stood by Helen as a defender in every situation. At Gilmer School when Helen became slightly ill, Mr. Gilmer made such changes in her coursework that would prohibit her from taking her final examination. Ms. Sullivan carried this incident to Helen’s mother who withdrew Helen and her sister’s name from that school. She also guided her in Radcliffe College where there were few devices available for the blind. She would spell out what the professor said on Helen’s hands. Even after she got married she didn’t leave Helen. After Anne’s divorce she travelled along with Helen to tell people around the world about Helen’s struggle and success stories.

OR

Helen’s association with Dr. Alexander Graham Bell started when she was just 6 years old. It was a fortunate moment as her parents had approached him to get his expert advice on how to educate Helen. Dr. Bell advised them to contact the Perkins Institute for the blind. He remained a friend of Helen and he accompanied her and Miss Anne Sullivan on a trip to the world’s fair. Many things in the fair fascinated Helen. Dr. Bell showed her the telephones, auto phones and other inventions. His attitude towards Helen was tender and sympathetic. He was a teacher of the deaf and this passion and professional expertise made him develop on the nature of sound that enabled him to invent the telephone. He was also poetic and humorous which made him work for the physically challenged children. He remained a good friend of Helen throughout her life.