Life of Helen Keller
The life story of Halen Keller (Admas) is an object lesson in courage, determination, patience and perseverance. She was born a normal baby girl with all her facilities intact. But soon at the age of 18 months she suffered from Brain fever, and it left her blind, deaf, dumb and without a sense of smell. It looked a very hopeless case without any possibility of regaining any of these facilities.
Nobody ever expected that this unfortunate child would be able to overcome these serious handicaps and raise above all these tragic circumstances. But she really did a miracle and conquered all these handicaps by her diligence. She is one of the examples that show how one can be the maker of one’s destiny.
Her success story amidst gloom and so serious physical deficiencies can be great source inspiration, encouragement and stimulus all of us. The secret of success lies in relentless struggle and strong will power as we see in the case of Helen Keller.
She was her handicaps, limitations as well as the latent potentialities. She developed her latent skills, capabilities and achieved great heights of the sweet success. Her success was neither a freak of fortune, not fluke of nature, but a fruit of hard labour. Her success story very well highlights her immense capacity to labour hard and limitless patience.
Who is Helen Keller? What are they Interests and what is Her Success Story
She never admitted defeat even in the face of heavy odds. She knew well the possibilities and then transformed the into sure success and achievements with proper help, guidance and cooperation of others. She had confidence and firm faith in herself and so did wonders.
Helen Keller was born 27Th June, 1880 in a small town of Tuscumbia, Albama. The name of her father was Arthur Keller and that of her mother Katherine. She was born a normal child with all her facilities intact but tragedy struck her one day when she suffered off from a stroke of brain fever and consequently lost all her facilities of seeing, hearing, speaking and smell. She was suddenly plunged into fathomless doom and desperation. She became totally suddenly handicapped and dependent on others.
She was considered a hopeless case, beyond any help, communicating only with tantrums and wild laughter. It reduced her living organism destined for ever to the confines of abysmal gloom, hopelessness and seclusion sans any ray of light, colour or a single note of music. But then there came an unexpected breakthrough in the form of Annie Sullivan totally changed Helen Keller’s attitude of her life and living.
Who is Anne Sullivan? What is the Role of Anne Sullivan in Helen Keller Life?
She was filed with hope, confidence and ambition to live a meaningful life. Among other things, success is also a matter of attitude. It is to be able to make and shape your own destiny, of achieving what you think you are capable of. It about futuristic planning and thinking and also about doing things carefully and persistently in the face of heavy odds and adversity.
Hope and success go together. Hope generates confidence and happiness. The coming of Anne Sullivan filed Helen Keller’s days and nights with hope and happiness. Her thinking became positive and strong. She became free from nagging doubts about her bright and hopeful future. Her mental and emotional health improved dramatically and there were wonderful results. Anne Mansfield Sullivan encouraged her and taught her so many things. She remained Helen Keller’s interpreter and companion until her death in 1936.
Anne Mansfield Sullivan’s own life had been full of handicaps as well. She was born in Feeding Hills. Massachusetts, USA and was almost blind from her childhood fever. Her mother died when she was eight years old and her father later deserted her and so she was sent to Massachusetts State Infirmary.
In 1880 she was admitted to Perkins Institution in Waltham, Massachusetts for her education. It was eyesight to a workable level and she graduated from the institute from the institute. At the age of 21 Sullivan was given the charge of Helen Keller. It was a stupendous task and challenges to her help her seven old wards to improve her general condition.
How Anne Teaches to Helen
Sullivan was well equipped and very well understood her responsibilities. First of all she established a strong emotional bond with Helen Keller. She gave her a droll and spelled out the world “d-o-1-1” on her hand. Gradually she was able to break Helen Keller’s isolation and desperation.
Her immense love, labour and dedication soon captivated Helen’s heart and mind she began to imitate her teacher and guide. A perfect understanding and rapport was established between the two.
One day Sullivan took Helen to the pump house and poured a mug of water on her hands and then spelled the world “w-a-t-e-r” into her hand and it had a wonderful effect and Helen began to communicate with others.
Later about it she wrote. “Once I knew only darkness and stillness… my Life was with past or future…. But little word from the fingers of another fell into my hand that clutched at emptiness and my heart leaped to the rapture of living. “Sullivan taught her student the finger –tip or manual alphabet as well as Braille.
By placing her sensitive fingers on the lips and throats of her teacher, Helen felt their vibrations and learned to hear other speak. Three years after mastering the manual alphabet, she began to speak herself. This beginning of Helen’s new life was full of thrill, excitement and great expectation for both of them.
About this new life Sullivan observed. “The eagerness with which she absorbs ideas is delightful. Helen not learnt how to write but also developed beautiful writing. Later she sent a letter to her cousin in legible and correct language.
Anne School and College Life
When Helen was 20, she went to Radcliffe College in 1900 and received Bachelor of Arts degree with honors in 1904. She read textbooks in brail and Sullivan attended classes with her, spelling the lectures into her hand. Thus, she was full tutored and trained. By this time Helen and became well known person and had many admires and fans. She was in correspondence with many well-known and many personalities.
She then began to deliver public lectures for the benefit of handicapped people. She helped in founding the Massachusetts Commission for the blind.
In recognition of her great services of the humanity, she was showered upon with awards and honors’ from government and non-government bodies of great repute. She inspired blinds, dumbs and Deafs through her own example. She died at her house on June 1, 1968.
Some Great Collection by Helen
Helen wrote many books which were published in many languages besides in Braille, they reveal the beauty and wonder of life taken for granted by those who can see, her and speak.
- Story of My Life (1903)
- Optimism (1903)
- The World I live in (1908)
- Out of the Dark (1913)
- Midstream, My Late Life (1929)
- Journal ( 1938)
- Let Us Have Faith (1940)
The motion pictures’ The unconquered” (1954) and the play” The Miracle Worker” empowerment of women. She is and would remain for many generations to come a model of success and achievement among the severely handicapped people.