海伦凯勒《我的一生》英文书评

The proper use of metaphor

——book review of the Story of My Life

Fascinating historians,filmmakers,social scientists and writers,the life of Helen Keller has inspired biographies,films,essays,articles and theatrical performances. It can not be praised too much. The Story of My Life is a story of courage and determination,of persistence in the face of great odds,of never giving in and remaining cheerfully optimistic no matter what the circumstances. Whatever,what I want to talk about is the use of metaphor which impresses me most and contributes a lot to this book as well.

In the book,Helen uses metaphor to indicate her determination which gives me a deep impression again and again.

I slipped back many times,I fall,I run against the edge of hidden obstacles,I lose my temper and find it again and keep it better,I trudge on,I gain a little,I feel encouraged,I get more eager and clime higher and I reach the widening horizon. Every struggle is a victor.One more effort and I reach the luminous cloud,the blue depths of the sky, the uplands of my desire.

This paragraph describes her real situation in Harvard University. It was her first year in Harvard. At that time,she could hardly found any special textbooks for the blind. It was extremely difficult for her to learn anything. She struggled with the help of others,sorrowfully. It’s obvious for us that she suffered a lot. However,she never gave up. She refused to surrendered to destiny. A persistent person who was putting her every effort into managing her idea comes up to my mind. All these phrases

such as “slip back,trudge on,blue depth and uplands” touch my heart. It was her willpower indicated by metaphor that moved me deeply. Helen proves us that where there is a will,there is a way by her deeds.

In the Story of My Life,she also expresses her love by using beautiful and positive words. It also is a kind of metaphor.

At first I did not realize what had happened; but when I put my hand in the cage and pretty wings did not meet my touch or his small pointed claws take hold of my finger, I know that I should never see my sweet little singer again.

As we all know,Helen is a deaf and blind woman. She can only fell the pretty bird given by her teacher as a Christmas gift. Her reorganization to the bird is so vague. However,I can really feel her happiness and her love to her sweet little bird even though there is no a word “love” being written. She expresses her love by using words“pretty,sweet” instead of using“love”directly. Here is another example.

She realized that a child’s mind is like a shallow brook which ripples and dances merrily over the stony course of its education and reflects here a flower,there a bush, yonder a fleecy cloud;and she attempted guide my mind on its way,knowing like a brook it should be fed by mountain steams and hidden springs,until in broadened out into a deep river,capable of reflecting in its surface,billow hills the luminous shadows of trees and the blue heavens as well as the sweet face of a little flower.

Comparing a child’s mind to shallow brook which should be fed by

small streams,Helen shows us the great influence education have on children. In other word,by doing so,the great influence from Anne

Sullivan stands out. Anne Sullivan taught Helen alphabet but instead of spelling single words. She spelled whole sentences into her hands. Sullivan is her stream and helps her grow into a brook even a considerable ocean.

Examples indicate that Helen writes with metaphor can be found throughout the book. I contend that if we pay our attention to such sentences,we can have a better understanding of metaphor and make good use of it. All in all,the Story of My Life is definitely worth reading and appreciating.