Research Paper On Helen Keller

The Woman Who Saw All As individuals we often take our eyesight for granted because we do not know how hard our lives would be without it. Many of us do not realize the struggles that come with such physical limitations; what if we had to live without sight and hearing? We would have to rely solely on our other senses to manage. This was the life of Helen Keller. At 19 months, Helen Keller contracted a disease, thought to be scarlet fever, that left her blind and deaf (2). At a young age her parents were not able to provide much support for her disabilities and she had little help throughout her childhood (1). However, when she was six years old, her dad took her to Alexander Graham Bell, a Scottish scientist, inventor, engineer, …show more content…
Sullivan always believed in Keller and was her main supporter. Through all of the hate and rude comments that Keller received, Sullivan told her to block it out and focus on being herself. Sullivan saw the need to discipline Keller in order for her to become stronger. As a result, Sullivan got permission to take Helen from her house and to live alone with her in a nearby cottage where she could teach Helen obedience. Sullivan placed much force on Keller, even for the simplest tasks, however, this helped Keller learned faster and gave her a more solid foundation. When Keller was older she went to Radcliffe college to get a degree in arts. She ended up graduating with honors in German, with the support of Alexander Graham Bell (2). She also learned to speak French along the way and could speak more languages than an average person. Another part of Keller’s learning experience included mimicking daily activities in the mirror (3). Such activities included putting on a hat or opening a door, which she soon learned to do easily. Much of this mimicking was taught by Anne Sullivan, who made her do such actions repeatedly until she got the hang of it. Without this added pressure, Keller may have never learned how to perform daily tasks and would have struggled severely if she tried to perform them. At least three times during her life Helen Keller was assaulted by accusation, doubt, and disbelief (3). People did not agree on her attendance at Radcliffe because some people didn't believe women should go to college. And others thought it would be impossible for a blind and deaf person to manage. People said to her, “No deaf-blind person has ever taken a college course, why do you attempt what no one else has ventured?” People said that even if she succeeded