ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Helen Keller was an author, lecturer, and crusader for the handicapped. Born physically normal in Tuscumbia, Alabama, Keller lost her sight and hearing at the age of nineteen months to an illness now believed to have been scarlet fever. Through her teacher, Anne Mansfield Sullivan’s extraordinary instruction, the little girl learned to understand and communicate with the world around her. She went on to acquire an excellent education and to become an important influence on the treatment of the blind and deaf. During her junior year at Radcliffe she produced her first book, The Story of My Life, still in print in over fifty languages. Keller published four other books of her personal experiences. She also spoke and wrote in …show more content…
She is only partially-sighted herself. Helen recognizes Annie's contribution throughout her life as teacher, interpreter, friend, companion and motivator. Annie never misses an opportunity to teach Helen, whether it be academically or life skills. She teaches Helen an appreciation in even the smallest detail:”Annie has the capacity to help Helen connect with nature and "made her feel that 'birds, flowers and she were happy peers”. She helps Helen make the connection between the abstract and the physical concepts. She explains the concept of love beautifully by saying "you feel the sweetness that it pours into everything.” She in turn makes Helen think about these abstract concepts herself, thus Helen understands all the concepts well. Miss Anne Sullivan makes every subject so real that Helen could not help remembering." So profound is the impact that Annie Sullivan has on Helen that she states “her being is inseparable from my own, and (that) the footsteps of my life are in …show more content…
Her father was Captain Arthur H Keller and her mother was Kate Adams who was the second wife of her father and was many years younger to him. The Keller homestead, where the family lived, was called "Ivy Green" because the house and the surrounding trees and fences were covered with beautiful English ivy. Its old-fashioned garden was the paradise of her childhood. But these happy days did not last long .she was struck with an illness which left her blind and deaf. The doctors called it acute congestion of brain and stomach, now known as scarlet fever. Helen accepted the fact that she was different from others. She was very intelligent and learnt to convey her basic needs. For example she wanted her mother to make ice-cream for dinner she made the sign for working the freezer and shivered, indicating cold. In those days a little coloured girl, Martha Washington, and Belle, an old setter, were her constant companions. Helen's desire to express herself grew, and so did the severity of her tantrums. In the summer of 1886, Helen's parents took her to a famous eye doctor in Baltimore. At Baltimore, Dr. Chisholm said that there was nothing he could do about Helen’s sight. He advised Helen’s father to consult Dr. Alexander Graham Bell of Washington, who would be able to guide them in regards to the education of
Helen Keller was an author, lecturer, and crusader for the handicapped. Born physically normal in Tuscumbia, Alabama, Keller lost her sight and hearing at the age of nineteen months to an illness now believed to have been scarlet fever. Through her teacher, Anne Mansfield Sullivan’s extraordinary instruction, the little girl learned to understand and communicate with the world around her. She went on to acquire an excellent education and to become an important influence on the treatment of the blind and deaf. During her junior year at Radcliffe she produced her first book, The Story of My Life, still in print in over fifty languages. Keller published four other books of her personal experiences. She also spoke and wrote in …show more content…
She is only partially-sighted herself. Helen recognizes Annie's contribution throughout her life as teacher, interpreter, friend, companion and motivator. Annie never misses an opportunity to teach Helen, whether it be academically or life skills. She teaches Helen an appreciation in even the smallest detail:”Annie has the capacity to help Helen connect with nature and "made her feel that 'birds, flowers and she were happy peers”. She helps Helen make the connection between the abstract and the physical concepts. She explains the concept of love beautifully by saying "you feel the sweetness that it pours into everything.” She in turn makes Helen think about these abstract concepts herself, thus Helen understands all the concepts well. Miss Anne Sullivan makes every subject so real that Helen could not help remembering." So profound is the impact that Annie Sullivan has on Helen that she states “her being is inseparable from my own, and (that) the footsteps of my life are in …show more content…
Her father was Captain Arthur H Keller and her mother was Kate Adams who was the second wife of her father and was many years younger to him. The Keller homestead, where the family lived, was called "Ivy Green" because the house and the surrounding trees and fences were covered with beautiful English ivy. Its old-fashioned garden was the paradise of her childhood. But these happy days did not last long .she was struck with an illness which left her blind and deaf. The doctors called it acute congestion of brain and stomach, now known as scarlet fever. Helen accepted the fact that she was different from others. She was very intelligent and learnt to convey her basic needs. For example she wanted her mother to make ice-cream for dinner she made the sign for working the freezer and shivered, indicating cold. In those days a little coloured girl, Martha Washington, and Belle, an old setter, were her constant companions. Helen's desire to express herself grew, and so did the severity of her tantrums. In the summer of 1886, Helen's parents took her to a famous eye doctor in Baltimore. At Baltimore, Dr. Chisholm said that there was nothing he could do about Helen’s sight. He advised Helen’s father to consult Dr. Alexander Graham Bell of Washington, who would be able to guide them in regards to the education of