Why is it important for the reader to understand Keller's state of mind in the days preceding the events she describes?

Because in this way the reader understands that Keller was not really a bad person, but that he was suffering from his own emotions and feelings and that he was unable to control them because they were too intense.

Explanation:

Keller shows that he did very bad, insensitive and disastrous things with the people around him and even innocent people who did not deserve any of this. However, it shows that these actions were the result of a strong mental imbalance. It is important for the reader to understand this, so that he knows Keller deeply and sees that too destructive and intense feelings must be dealt with, so that they do not interfere with the environment and people. Keller shows that she was distressed, needy and extremely angry and melancholy, she says that these feelings only dissipated and her behavior changed when she felt that she was loved.

yes this is def an analogy

a comparison between two things

explanation:

the underline word is basically like a prepositional phrase.