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In The Story of My Life, how did Helen react when she had her first trip to the ocean?

Helen and Miss Sullivan traveled to Massachusetts to visit the Perkins Institute for the Blind. While in the state, they took a day trip to Plymouth so that Helen could experience the ocean. Helen also rode on a steamboat. In Plymouth, Helen "was more interested... in the great rock on which the Pilgrims landed than in anything else in Plymouth" (The Story of My Life, Chapter 9).


When Helen visited the beach, she was fascinated by the sand. She loved the tiny grains of sand and how they mixed with shells and kelp. Unafraid, Helen ran into the cold Massachusetts ocean waters. Helen loved the motion of the ocean waves:



The buoyant motion of the water filled me with an exquisite, quivering joy. Suddenly my ecstasy gave place to terror; for my foot struck against a rock and the next instant there was a rush of water over my head (The Story of My Life, Chapter 10).



Helen was eventually able to get out of the water. After this frightening experience, Helen preferred to sit on the water's edge to be near the ocean. She loved the feeling of the sea spray on her face.

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