The Story of My Life: With her letters (1887-1901) and a supplementary account of her education, including passages from the reports and letters of her teacher, Anne Mansfield Sullivan, by John Albert MacyKeller, Helen
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The Story of My Life: With her letters (1887-1901) and a supplementary account of her education, including passages from the reports and letters of her teacher, Anne Mansfield Sullivan, by John Albert Macy
Keller, Helen
Deafblind women -- United States -- Biography; Keller, Helen, 1880-1968
* In this paper Miss Sullivan says: "During this winter (1891-92) I went
with her into the yard while a light snow was falling, and let her feel
the falling flakes. She appeared to enjoy it very much indeed. As
we went in she repeated these words, 'Out of the cloud-folds of his
garments Winter shakes the snow.' I inquired of her where she had read
this; she did not remember having read it, did not seem to know that
she had learned it. As I had never heard it, I inquired of several of
my friends if they recalled the words; no one seemed to remember it. The
teachers at the Institution expressed the opinion that the description
did not appear in any book in raised print in that library; but one
lady, Miss Marrett, took upon herself the task of examining books of
poems in ordinary type, and was rewarded by finding the following lines
in one of Longfellow's minor poems, entitled 'Snowflakes':
'Out of the bosom of the air, Out of the cloud-folds of her garments shaken,
Over the woodlands brown and bare, Over the harvest-fields forsaken,
Silent, and soft, and slow Descends the snow.'
"It would seem that Helen had learned and treasured the memory of this
expression of the poet, and this morning in the snow-storm had found its
application."
In the hope that I may be pardoned if I appear to overestimate the
remarkable mental capacity and power of comprehension and discrimination
which my pupil possesses, I wish to add that, while I have always known
that Helen made great use of such descriptions and comparisons as appeal
to her imagination and fine poetic nature, yet recent developments in
her writings convince me of the fact that I have not in the past been
fully aware to what extent she absorbs the language of her favourite
authors. In the early part of her education I had full knowledge of all
the books she read and of nearly all the stories which were read to her,
and could without difficulty trace the source of any adaptations noted
in her writing or conversation; and I have always been much pleased to
observe how appropriately she applies the expressions of a favourite
author in her own compositions.
The following extracts from a few of her published letters give evidence
of how valuable this power of retaining the memory of beautiful language
has been to her. One warm, sunny day in early spring, when we were at
the North, the balmy atmosphere appears to have brought to her mind the
sentiment expressed by Longfellow in "Hiawatha," and she almost sings
with the poet: "The ground was all aquiver with the stir of new life. My
heart sang for very joy. I thought of my own dear home. I knew that in
that sunny land spring had come in all its splendour. 'All its birds and
all its blossoms, all its flowers and all its grasses.'"
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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