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Genre
Explanation and Analysis:
First published in 1903, The Story of My Life is best described as a memoir. As Keller states in the first chapter, she writes "the history of [her] life." Though she admits that "fact and fancy look alike" during childhood, she strives to accurately depict her earliest impressions of life. She does not describe every moment, instead choosing "interesting and important" events and presenting them in chronological order. This gives the text a reliably realistic feel and gives the reader a good idea of what her life was really like, as well as which events she believed were most formative.
Memoirs typically contain a strong theme, physical or emotional obstacles, an emotional journey, and revelatory honesty. The Story of My Life contains all of these; Keller gives a strong sense of her own resilience while remaining honest about how difficult it was to live without sight or hearing. She uses exactly one sentence to describe her illness, and she spends much more time on "the spirit of resistance" within her, as well as her journey toward being able to communicate and cooperate with all kinds of people. Her teacher Anne Sullivan and Dr. Alexander Graham Bell greatly influenced her education and contact with other children of similar backgrounds, and Helen credits them with helping her throughout her life.
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