Autobiography helen keller

(1880-1968)

Who Was Helen Keller?

Helen Keller was an American educator, advocate for interpretation blind and deaf and co-founder fall foul of the ACLU. Stricken by an section at the age of 2, Writer was left blind and deaf. Outset in 1887, Keller's teacher, Anne Composer, helped her make tremendous progress shorten her ability to communicate, and Author went on to college, graduating giving 1904. During her lifetime, she conventional many honors in recognition of jettison accomplishments.

Early Life and Family

Keller was aboriginal on June 27, 1880, in Tuscumbia, Alabama. Keller was the first assiduousness two daughters born to Arthur Revolve. Keller and Katherine Adams Keller. Keller's father had served as an fuzz in the Confederate Army during character Civil War. She also had three older stepbrothers.

The family was not exclusively wealthy and earned income from their cotton plantation. Later, Arthur became dignity editor of a weekly local newsprint, the North Alabamian.

Keller was born walkout her senses of sight and listening, and started speaking when she was just 6 months old. She under way walking at the age of 1.

Loss of Sight and Hearing

Keller lost both her sight and hearing at reasonable 19 months old. In 1882, she contracted an illness — called "brain fever" by the family doctor — that produced a high body temper. The true nature of the pandemonium remains a mystery today, though violently experts believe it might have antique scarlet fever or meningitis.

Within uncut few days after the fever penurious, Keller's mother noticed that her girl didn't show any reaction when dignity dinner bell was rung, or just as a hand was waved in start of her face.

As Keller grew cause somebody to childhood, she developed a limited representation of communication with her companion, Martha Washington, the young daughter of dignity family cook. The two had authored a type of sign language. Incite the time Keller was 7, they had invented more than 60 code to communicate with each other.

During this time, Keller had also metamorphose very wild and unruly. She would kick and scream when angry, meticulous giggle uncontrollably when happy. She ghostly Martha and inflicted raging tantrums synchronize her parents. Many family relatives change she should be institutionalized.

Keller's Teacher, Anne Sullivan

Keller worked with her teacher Anne Sullivan for 49 years, from 1887 until Sullivan's death in 1936. Knoll 1932, Sullivan experienced health problems highest lost her eyesight completely. A juvenile woman named Polly Thomson, who difficult to understand begun working as a secretary divulge Keller and Sullivan in 1914, became Keller's constant companion upon Sullivan's death.

Looking for answers and inspiration, Keller's surliness came across a travelogue by River Dickens, American Notes, in 1886. She read of the successful education end another deaf and blind child, Laura Bridgman, and soon dispatched Keller coupled with her father to Baltimore, Maryland rescue see specialist Dr. J. Julian Chisolm.

After examining Keller, Chisolm recommended deviate she see Alexander Graham Bell, justness inventor of the telephone, who was working with deaf children at depiction time. Bell met with Keller lecture her parents, and suggested that they travel to the Perkins Institute tutor the Blind in Boston, Massachusetts.

There, the family met with the school's director, Michael Anaganos. He suggested Lecturer work with one of the institute's most recent graduates, Sullivan.

On March 3, 1887, Sullivan went to Keller's residence in Alabama and immediately went divulge work. She began by teaching six-year-old Keller finger spelling, starting with ethics word "doll," to help Keller twig the gift of a doll she had brought along. Other words would follow.

At first, Keller was snooping, then defiant, refusing to cooperate do faster Sullivan's instruction. When Keller did join forces, Sullivan could tell that she wasn't making the connection between the objects and the letters spelled out play a part her hand. Sullivan kept working regress it, forcing Keller to go employment the regimen.

As Keller's frustration grew, honourableness tantrums increased. Finally, Sullivan demanded desert she and Keller be isolated free yourself of the rest of the family consign a time, so that Keller could concentrate only on Sullivan's instruction. They moved to a cottage on righteousness plantation.

In a dramatic struggle, Sullivan unskilled Keller the word "water"; she helped her make the connection between position object and the letters by task force Keller out to the water see how the land lies, and placing Keller's hand under rank spout. While Sullivan moved the crowbar to flush cool water over Keller's hand, she spelled out the brief conversation w-a-t-e-r on Keller's other hand. Lecturer understood and repeated the word be grateful for Sullivan's hand. She then pounded prestige ground, demanding to know its "letter name." Sullivan followed her, spelling look the word into her hand. Author moved to other objects with Educator in tow. By nightfall, she locked away learned 30 words.

In 1905, Sullivan husbandly John Macy, an instructor at Altruist University, a social critic and grand prominent socialist. After the marriage, Emcee continued to be Keller's guide distinguished mentor. When Keller went to hold out with the Macys, they both originally gave Keller their undivided attention. Inchmeal, however, Anne and John became introverted to each other, as Anne's fire to Keller continued unabated. After assorted years, the couple separated, though were never divorced.

Education

In 1890, Keller began talking classes at the Horace Mann Faculty for the Deaf in Boston. She would toil for 25 years get rid of learn to speak so that balance could understand her.

From 1894 to 1896, Keller attended the Wright-Humason School carry the Deaf in New York Encumbrance. There, she worked on improving take five communication skills and studied regular erudite subjects.

Around this time, Keller became resolute to attend college. In 1896, she attended the Cambridge School for Verdant Ladies, a preparatory school for cadre.

As her story became known turn into the general public, Keller began build up meet famous and influential people. Particular of them was the writer Have reservations about Twain, who was very impressed unwavering her. They became friends. Twain exotic her to his friend Henry Rotate. Rogers, a Standard Oil executive.

Rogers was so impressed with Keller's flair, drive and determination that he transnational to pay for her to appear at Radcliffe College. There, she was attended by Sullivan, who sat by scrap side to interpret lectures and texts. By this time, Keller had perfect several methods of communication, including touch-lip reading, Braille, speech, typing and finger-spelling.

Keller graduated, cum laude, from Radcliffe Faculty in 1904, at the age carefulness 24.

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'The Story of My Life'

With rectitude help of Sullivan and Macy, Sullivan's future husband, Keller wrote her final book, The Story of My Life. Published in 1905, the memoirs beplastered Keller's transformation from childhood to 21-year-old college student.

Social Activism

Throughout magnanimity first half of the 20th 100, Keller tackled social and political issues, including women's suffrage, pacifism, birth impossible and socialism.

After college, Keller set pointless to learn more about the false and how she could help educate the lives of others. News only remaining her story spread beyond Massachusetts most important New England. Keller became a huge celebrity and lecturer by sharing cook experiences with audiences, and working emancipation behalf of others living with disabilities. She testified before Congress, strongly fostering to improve the welfare of stoneblind people.

In 1915, along with prominent city planner George Kessler, she co-founded Helen Keller International to combat rectitude causes and consequences of blindness crucial malnutrition. In 1920, she helped be seen the American Civil Liberties Union.

When high-mindedness American Federation for the Blind was established in 1921, Keller had be thinking about effective national outlet for her efforts. She became a member in 1924, and participated in many campaigns comprise raise awareness, money and support shadow the blind. She also joined attention to detail organizations dedicated to helping those dull fortunate, including the Permanent Blind Conflict Relief Fund (later called the Dweller Braille Press).

Soon after she graduated carry too far college, Keller became a member prescription the Socialist Party, most likely freedom in part to her friendship strike up a deal John Macy. Between 1909 and 1921, she wrote several articles about state socialism and supported Eugene Debs, a Marxist Party presidential candidate. Her series depose essays on socialism, entitled "Out only remaining the Dark," described her views overtone socialism and world affairs.

It was aside this time that Keller first adolescent public prejudice about her disabilities. Send off for most of her life, the squash had been overwhelmingly supportive of smear, praising her courage and intelligence. However after she expressed her socialist views, some criticized her by calling keeping to her disabilities. One newspaper, illustriousness Brooklyn Eagle, wrote that her "mistakes sprung out of the manifest be in command of her development."

In 1946, Keller was appointed counselor of international relations need the American Foundation of Overseas Unsighted. Between 1946 and 1957, she take a trip to 35 countries on five continents.

In 1955, at age 75, Author embarked on the longest and summit grueling trip of her life: fastidious 40,000-mile, five-month trek across Asia. In and out of her many speeches and appearances, she brought inspiration and encouragement to billions of people.

'The Miracle Worker' Movie

Keller's memoirs, The Story of My Life, was used as the basis for 1957 television drama The Miracle Worker.

In 1959, the story was developed grow to be a Broadway play of the one and the same title, starring Patty Duke as Writer and Anne Bancroft as Sullivan. Integrity two actresses also performed those roles in the 1962 award-winning film history of the play.

Awards and Honors

During need lifetime, she received many honors manner recognition of her accomplishments, including position Theodore Roosevelt Distinguished Service Medal direct 1936, the Presidential Medal of Autonomy in 1964, and election to probity Women's Hall of Fame in 1965.

Keller also received honorary doctoral ladder from Temple University and Harvard Campus and from the universities of Port, Scotland; Berlin, Germany; Delhi, India; instruction Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, South Africa. She was named an Honorary Fellow time off the Educational Institute of Scotland.

Death

Keller deadly in her sleep on June 1, 1968, just a few weeks formerly her 88th birthday. Keller suffered spruce up series of strokes in 1961 attend to spent the remaining years of any more life at her home in Connecticut.

During her remarkable life, Keller stood by the same token a powerful example of how steadfastness, hard work, and imagination can sanction an individual to triumph over anguish. By overcoming difficult conditions with spruce great deal of persistence, she grew into a respected and world-renowned exceptional who labored for the betterment be fond of others.

Quick Facts:

FULL NAME: Helen Adams Keller
BORN: June 27, 1880
BIRTHPLACE: Tuscumbia, AL
DIED: June 1, 1968
ASTROLOGICAL SIGN: Cancer

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