Helen Keller

Helen Keller:

Biography by Emma Detwiler

INTRODUCTION

My biography/report is about Helen Keller I chose her because I thought she had a very interesting life. One reason why I think that is because she visited soldiers when they were sick just because she liked the country that was fighting America. I really like Helen Keller's quotes this is one of my favorite quotes it was: The only thing worse than being blind is having sight but no vision. The reason I like this quote is because she's saying its like you have sight but you have no vision or goals. Helen Keller was one of the most important people in our history she stood for rights for women and the blind.When she was little she was very interested in all the things around her. Even though it seemed impossible for her to do anything she became one of the most important people in history.

EARLY LIFE

When Helen was born on June 7 , 1880 she was a very healthy baby with very loving parents and by the age 3 months she knew how to say water and pronounced it ‘wa-wa’ she also knew how to say ‘how do ye do’. She had two half brothers and her mother and father. Their names were Kate Adams Keller and Captain Arthur Keller. She adored her mother hanging on to her skirts as she went about her daily work. She also loved her father very much she loved imitating him reading the newspaper because he was the editing his own newspaper. She loved to eat and she loved visitors very much because she would always love to get up and greet them.

LOSS OF SIGHT AND HEARING

When Helen was 19 months old, she lost her sight and hearing. She had a horrible fever which the doctor called acute fever to the brain and stomach (which doctors now think was Scarlet Fever). When the fever finally passed over, Kate Keller held her daughter close, grateful she survived. But Kate and the doctor didn’t know what the fever had done to Helen. Later one sunny afternoon, Helen and Kate were playing outside when the dinner bell rang. Helen usually loved to eat and would drop everything she was holding and run for the house. But this time she just kept on playing. Kate noticed this and shook a homemade rattle close by Helen's ear. Helen didn’t notice one bit Kate shook it again a little louder still Helen took no notice. Another day she was lying in her cradle and sunlight was shining in her face but she wasn’t looking away nervous Kate shined a lamp in her daughter's face she didn’t move away from the light. The fever had made Helen blind and deaf. Kate just sighed thinking about the difficulties ahead. When Helen lost her sight and hearing she lost the ability to talk. The idea to educate a deaf- blind child when Helen was alive seemed impossible.

LONG QUIET DARKNESS

The Kellers lived in Tuscumbia, Alabama in a house called Ivy Green. The Kellers had many servants and Helen loved playing with the cook’s daughter, Martha Washington. They loved to play together. One time, Helen and Martha were cutting out paper dolls and when they got bored of that they started cutting their shoelaces and flowers. Then Helen took the scissors and cut of one of Martha’s curls off then Martha took the scissors and cut off one of Helen’s curls. After that Kate came over and stopped the game before both children were completely bald. Sometimes, Helen had temper tantrums where she kicked and screamed until she was exhausted. She hated being held by anyone but her mother after she lost her sight and hearing. But her being blind and deaf made her more curious than ever. She came up with a lot of hand signals a few of them are touching her cheek for her mother shivering for ice cream and pretending to put on glasses.

ANNE SULLIVAN

Anne Sullivan was born to poor Irish immigrants Alice and Nicholas Sullivan nevertheless the family was a happy one. Alice was sweet and gentle and Nicholas funny and jolly they were a very happy family.But when Anne was three years old she started scratching at her left eye, she had an infection the Sullivans were very poor and couldn't afford a doctor so they waited to see if Anne's infection got better, but it got worse and worse so the Sullivan's finally took her to the doctor. The doctor knew the Sullivan's couldn't pay for a doctor to take care of Anne’s eye so he gave them some medicine to put on her eye. But, it didn't help. So they gave up. A few years later Alice was diagnosed with tuberculosis and it wouldn't go away. Then she got pregnant with a boy when the baby was born he had a bad hip and Alice still had tuberculosis when she got pregnant again. By this time Nicholas had become distant and angry and he drank. The second baby's name was Jimmy and the newborn baby's name was Mary she was a happy healthy baby.When Alice finally died the three children stayed with their father at first but, when he drank more and more the children moved in with an aunt and uncle. After a while the aunt and uncle didn't want the sick children the one with the infected eye and horrible temper and the one with the bad hip. So Jimmy and Anne moved to the poorhouse in Tewksbury. The poorhouse had horrible conditions, the food and beds had bugs. Anne and Jimmy clung to each other terrified in the woman's ward. There were no other children except the newborns in the nursery ward. Then after a few months in the poorhouse Jimmy died Anne was on her own. Then, after a few weeks Anne heard from one of the older women in the woman's ward that people from the Perkins Institution for the Blind were coming to visit the poorhouse. Anne's hopes soared ‘Maybe, they'll let me in?’ She thought. When the people came she begged them for a place in their school but they just ignored her. Anne was devastated she went to her bed and wept. But, the next week someone came over, they told Anne to pack her bags. She was going to Perkins! When Anne got there she felt like she was in a dream. But, Anne couldn't read or write or do math so Perkins put her in kindergarten. She felt humiliated. The older students teased her about being in kindergarten. She yelled back at them and ,sometimes lost her temper and started hitting others. Michal Agnos the director of Perkins wondered if he should send Anne back to the poorhouse but something held him back. Anne's teacher taught Anne to be gentle and kind to others. Slowly Anne began to mimic her speaking quietly and gently to others. When Anne graduated from Perkins a friend invited a Anne to stay in Cape Cod for the summer. Anne had no idea what she was going to do to earn herself a living but over the summer Michal Agnos sent a letter to Anne asking her to teach Helen. She had no idea if she was up to teaching a deaf blind child but she decided it was worth a try.

THE STRANGER

Helen sensed something was going on, the guest bedroom was being cleaned her mother was getting ready to go out Helen tugged at her skirts but she just shook her away and put on her gloves she walked out the door and into the carriage and rode away. When Kate got to the station she waited in the sun to meet Anne. When Anne got off the train she was in a bad mood the ticket master had sold her tickets for a train the stopped every station in between Boston and Tuscumbia but she looked around for the Kellers and saw Kate she walked over and introduced herself but was most interested to see Helen. When she inquired where Helen was Kate said that Helen was at home. Anne was disappointed that Helen was not there but if she had waited this long she could wait a little longer. When Helen sensed the carriage coming she ran onto the porch and stood there when she sensed people getting out of the carriage she ran up to the new person and thinking it was her mother stretched out her arms for a hug. Helen suddenly sensed it wasn’t her mother and started flailing around. A surprised Anne tightened her grip until the Kellers told her to let go and explained that Helen didn't like to be held by anyone but her mother since she was blind and deaf. But when Anne was unpacking in her room Helen came in and felt around until she found her bag Helen reached inside and grabbed a doll Anne felt this was a good point to start. She touched the doll in Helen’s hand and finger spelled the word doll into Helen’s hand. On the first morning Anne was having breakfast with the Keller’s and noticed that Helen was eating with her hands then when she was done Helen went around the table and stole other people's food when she was at Anne’s place at the table she sniffed sausage ‘yum’ and she reached out to grab it but Anne was faster she pressed Helen's hand under hers. The Kellers pleaded to let Helen have what she wanted but Anne wouldn't give in. The Kellers left the room so Anne could do work with Helen. At first, Helen went back to her seat and started eating with her bare hands Anne got up and forced a spoon into Helen's hand Helen threw the spoon on the floor Anne forced Helen down and made her pick up the spoon finally Helen started eating her breakfast with her spoon. Anne knew that was the first of the battles but it wasn't the last.

LATER LIFE/CONCLUSION

Helen learned a lot in the whole process and she suffered it was an ordeal as a little kid. Imagine learning the ABC’s when your two and then imagine 100 x that that's what Helen had to go through. She had an interesting life and is still respected today. Some of the things that are interesting about Helen are that even though her house was burned down when she was a grown up, it had notes and letters in it that she was using for a book. She still wrote that book and got it published. Another thing is she helped the wounded when pearl harbor was bombed. Also she relied on vaudeville when she needed money. I think that Helen had an eventful life full of difficulties and wondrous things. She became one of the most respected women in the world. She visited different states and countries and they respect her and she loved them in return. And was one of the most helpful people to help educate the blind and deaf and was a wonderfully symbolic person and encouraged many others to do the same. She is a world role model and she was a leader in our world. Even though she had to rely on someone else she still was an awesome person, leader and role model. She loved helping others and inspiring others to do the same. When Helen was little she met Alexander Graham Bell and one her quotes in later life was ‘ I did not dream that interview would be the door through which I should pass from darkness into light.’- Helen Keller.

Bibliography

1. Garret, Leslie. Helen Keller: A Photographic Story of a Life. New York: DK

Publishing, 2004. Print.

2. Sullivan, George. Helen Keller. New York: Scholastic, Inc., 2004. Print.