Helen Keller Chapter Notes | English for Class 4 PDF Download

Detailed Summary

In the summer of 1880, a healthy baby girl named Helen Keller was born in a small town in Alabama. Her parents loved her very much. But one day, Helen became very sick, and her fever stayed high for many days. Everyone in the family tried to help her get better, but they feared she might not survive.

Luckily, Helen did survive, but she was not the same after her illness. Her mother noticed that something was very wrong. Eventually, they found out that Helen could no longer see or hear. As she grew into a little girl, her parents felt sad for her. Helen often cried and clung to her mother. Her father would say, "Give the poor child what she wants."

Even though Helen could not hear or see, she was a smart little girl. Some people thought Helen couldn’t learn anything, but her mother disagreed. She believed that Helen was very smart but didn’t know how to reach her because Helen was "locked up inside herself."

As Helen grew older, she became more difficult. She wouldn’t let anyone comb her hair, and her clothes were always dirty. She often got angry and sometimes threw tantrums by kicking her feet on the floor. Her parents decided that they needed to find a teacher for her.

Miss Sullivan, a young teacher, agreed to help Helen learn about the world. She gave Helen a doll and spelled the word "D_O_L_L" by making special hand signs into Helen's hand. Helen copied the signs and spelled "D_O_L_L" too, but she didn’t understand what it meant.

Helen liked Miss Sullivan because she was strict but also kind. Miss Sullivan worked hard, spelling words into Helen's hand day and night, trying to help her understand.

One day, Miss Sullivan made Helen put her hand under running water. Then she spelled "W_A_T_E_R" into Helen’s hand. Suddenly, Helen understood that "W_A_T_E_R" meant the wet, cool thing running over her hand. She realized that words were the most important things in the world because they could tell her everything she wanted to know.

Key Points of the Story

1. Helen's Illness – Helen became very sick as a baby, and after that, she couldn’t see or hear.
2. Helen's Struggles – Helen's parents felt sad for her, and as she grew, she became difficult to manage because she couldn’t communicate.
3. Miss Sullivan – A young teacher named Miss Sullivan came to teach Helen and help her learn about the world.
4. Learning Words – Miss Sullivan taught Helen how to spell words using hand signs, but Helen didn’t understand their meaning at first.
5. Understanding Words – Helen finally understood that words have meaning when Miss Sullivan spelled "W_A_T_E_R" while water ran over her hand.

Theme

Difficult Words

1. Illness - Being very sick.
2. Fever - When your body is too hot because you are sick.
3. Survive - To stay alive, especially after being very sick.
4. Locked up - Unable to get out or communicate.
5. Strict - Very serious and firm in making rules.
6. Tantrums - Fits of anger where a person loses control and acts out.
7. Hand signs - Movements made with the hands to show letters or words.