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The Story of My Life

by Helen Keller

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Student Question

Could there be an alternative title for Helen Keller's "Story of My Life"?

Quick answer:

Yes, alternative titles could exist for Helen Keller's "The Story of My Life." Potential options might include "My Struggle," highlighting her challenges, or "How I See the World," emphasizing her personal perspective. Titles like "Through Darkness and Silence" could convey the profound obstacles she faced, while a single-word title like "Perseverance" might capture her resilient spirit. The choice of title can significantly influence the focus and perception of her autobiography.

Expert Answers

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I believe that the question is asking if it is possible that there could be an alternative title to Helen Keller's autobiography The Story of My Life.

Yes, there could be alternative titles.  

I'm sure Helen Keller thought of multiple titles before choosing the final title.  

Helen Keller did not have an easy life because of her multiple disabilities, but she overcame a great deal.  A possible title could have been My Struggle. Perhaps then Hitler would have been forced to rethink his autobiography's title.  

Since Helen Keller used "my" in the title, it appears that she wanted the title to focus on herself.  Perhaps How I See the World would have worked for a title.  Or How I See Things would work, but it is very similar to the previous title.  

The alternative title could remove the "I," "me," or "my" from the title and go for something mysterious and catchy.  I had a student suggest Through Darkness and Silence as a possible title.  I like that title a lot, but it does make me think of submarine warfare.  The story of Louis Zamperini, written by Laura Hillenbrand, went with a one word title -- Unbroken.  The title captures the unbreakable spirit of the man.  An alternative title to Helen Keller's book could do the same one word idea.  I like Perseverance as a possible title.   

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