Characters
This girl narrates the autobiography and describes discovering language.
Who is Helen Keller?
Miss Sullivan first spells this word into Helen’s hand.
What is “doll”?
Helen first plays with the doll in this room belonging to her teacher.
What is Miss Sullivan’s room?
Helen feels this emotion when she successfully imitates spelling.
What is pride (or childish pleasure)?
This word means to copy someone’s actions.
What is imitate?
This teacher spells words into Helen’s hand to teach her language.
Who is Miss Sullivan (Anne Sullivan)?
Helen imitates this finger movement when learning letters.
What is spelling words into her hand?
Helen and her teacher walk down a path to this small building with a well.
What is the well-house?
Helen reacts with this action when frustrated with learning the words.
What is breaking the doll?
This word means something puzzling or difficult to understand.
What is mystery?
Who are the little blind children?
These students from the Perkins Institution sent Helen the doll.
What is that everything has a name?
Helen eventually understands this important idea about objects.
This sweet-smelling plant covers the well-house.
What is honeysuckle?
What is sorrow or repentance?
After understanding language, Helen feels this emotion about breaking the doll.
These are obstacles that prevent progress.
What are barriers?
Who is Laura Bridgman?
This person dressed the doll that Helen received.
Helen confuses these two words earlier in the story.
What are “mug” and “water”?
Helen feels water flowing over her hand from this part of the well.
What is the spout?
What are light, hope, and joy?
When Helen understands the word “water,” the text says her soul is awakened with these feelings.
This word describes Helen’s strong burst of emotion when she throws the doll.
What is an outburst?
These family members were among the first words Helen learned after discovering language.
Who are mother, father, sister, and teacher?
What is when water flows over her hand at the well while Miss Sullivan spells “water”?
This moment helps Helen finally understand the “mystery of language.”
What is a still, dark world?
The story describes Helen living in this type of world before learning language.
At the end of the day, Helen feels this emotion as she thinks about learning new words.
What is happiness?
This word describes the sweet smell that attracted Helen to the well-house.
What is fragrance?