Helen+Keller

Introduction "Everything has its wonders, even darkness and silence, and I learn, whatever state I may be in, therein to be content" -Helen Keller (BrainyQuotes). A world of darkness and silence is something I don't think anybody would like to be apart of, but when its the only option you've got, you have to live life to its full potential. The woman who really lived her life to its full potential was Helen Keller. She is the indefinite example of inspiration. Though Helen Keller struggled, she overcome many obstacles. She was always optimistic and never gave up. Helen Keller, she is a true historical figure, showing that any situation can be conquered.

Personal Background Helen Keller was a remarkable woman, who didn’t let anything get in the way of her dreams. “Helen Keller was deaf, blind, and mute by the time she was 19 months old”(Nielsen). “The illness that made her blind and deaf almost killed her” (D’Andrea). “She got sick to what was referred to as, acute congestion of the stomach and brain”. “She walked at the age 1, and played happily in the vibrant colors and sounds” (Goddy). “Helen Keller’s house was small and simple”. “She went to a First Presbyterian Church”(Stuckey). “She was just like any other child, she played and climbed trees”(Stuckey). Helen Keller grew up in a world full of impressions (Stuckey).

“Her teacher, Anne Sullivan, really impacted her life” (D’Andrea). “She discovered that everything had a name after feeling the cold liquid flowing over her hand” (Herrmann). Helen discovered this life changing experience with the help of her teacher, Anne Sullivan. Helen Keller had some good times, and some bad times. “She was accused of plagiarism and had to undergo several investigations at the age of eleven”. “This accusation made her feel betrayed and suicidal” (Kleege). Although she faced many obstacles in her life, she never gave up.

As she became older “she was involved in the socialist party”. “Helen Keller graduated cum laude(with honors) from Radcliffe” (Herrmann). “Helen Keller was an educator, activist for the blind, and a journalist” (Nielsen). She was a very multitalented woman, who “succeed as a published writer” (Goddy). Helen Keller also “helped to fund the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU)” (Nielsen). Helen Keller lived a life full of incredible experiences, she is woman to remember.

Personality Traits Helen Keller was a person with a strong personality with “beautiful fair skin and hair” (Kleege). “As a child, Helen Keller was uncontrollable” (D’Andrea). “Keller got wild, unruly, and angry when she was frustrated that she couldn’t hear or see” (Goddy). Helen Keller also “got violent when she didn’t get what she wanted” (Nielsen). Learning how to read and write was hard for her. Helen Keller was willing to learn but when she got irritated that she couldn’t get it she was a bit unmanageable. Although she was an uncontainable child, she did very well in her studies. “Helen Keller was a very smart student in school” (Herrmann). Keller had a mind of her own and “Helen was an independent thinker” (D’Andrea).

“Helen Keller was a believer in god with an optimistic look on life” (Stuckey). Even if things weren’t going as planned she stayed positive. “Keller was always determined to master any under taking (Herrmann). Helen Keller might have been “an impatient person”, but “she was ambitious” (Nielsen) (D’Andrea). “Keller also represented bravery and purity” (Goddy). Helen proved that deaf and blind people can do so much despite having disabilities.

When and if “she prevailed adversity and hardship”, Keller did not give up, she kept on going (Goddy). “Helen Keller was a forgiving person” when faced with a conflict (Kleege). Keller was confronted with many harsh obstacles. However, Helen was a very headstrong person and did not let these obstacles get the best of her or bring her down. “Keller had integrity because she had the courage to learn and grow from her disabilities” (Nielsen). Life for Helen Keller wasn’t always sunshine and rainbows, but she made the best of it.

Obstacles  Helen Keller was a woman who defiantly went through challenging and life changing obstacles, but she did not let those obstacles discourage her. Helen Keller was not only deaf and blind, “she was also mute” (Nielsen). Helen couldn’t talk which “limited her with trying to communicate with people” (Stuckey). Keller had to try different ways of learning. “The only way she learned to speak was by placing her hand inside the instructor’s mouth and feeling the tongue and lip position” (Herrmann). “Helen Keller also had to learned Braille and sign language” (Nielsen).

 “Her epiphanies, when she finally figured out what something was, were once in a while” (D’Andrea).Even though they were once in a while she wasdetermined and never gave up. “Doctors had said that Helen would not live past her illness” (Goddy). She proved them wrong because she lived to be eighty eight. “Helen Keller had to be watched and helped every second of her life” (Stuckey). Although she had to be watched all the time, she still lived a life full of joy and happiness. “Helen Keller also had trouble fitting in with everybody else”, but she did not let this get the better of her (Nielsen). Helen Keller might have had some difficult times, but she always had a smile on her face. She really showed many people how to stay positive no matter what happens in life. Helen Keller is a miracle to the world because she showed that with determination and belief in oneself anything can be accomplished, despite having challenges.

Historical Significance  Helen Keller is a person who is undeniably a historical figure. She is true inspiration because “she inspires people to never give up” (Herrmann). “Keller gives hope to people who might be in a similar situation” (D‘Andrea). If there’s one thing Helen Keller never did, its that “she didn’t let her illnesses get in her way” (Kleege). No matter what was going on in her life “she never stopped learning” (D‘Andrea). “It was a miracle that Keller learned so much” (Nielsen).

 Keller changed people’s perspectives of many blind men and woman when she graduated college from Radcliffe. “She was the first blind-deaf person to graduate college” (Nielsen). “Helen, despite her disabilities, earned an English Degree from Radcliffe” (Goddy). She also “helped deaf-blind people by constructing organizations and groups”. One of the many organizations was named “Helen Keller National Center for Deaf Blind Youths and Adults” (Stuckey). “Helen Keller was very interested in socialism”. She was also “involved in the International Workers of the World Party” (Goddy). Not to forget, “Helen also wrote an autobiography” (Kleege). Keller seemed to have been an extremely busy person,. She was an unstoppable woman who always looked on the brighter side and didn’t get down when things got a little rough.

 “Helen was a very determined person who didn’t let her problems limit her from doing anything in life” (Kleege). As you know, Keller didn’t live the easiest life, but she sure lived life happy with a smile on her face. Keller undoubting “had trouble fitting in with others” because communication was difficult for her. “She had to learn how to communicate with sign language and Braille” (Nielsen). Helen had the courage to learn an incredible amount of things that would surprise most people. Even if she failed to learn or do something right, she did not surrender. Keller proved that no matter the circumstances or situations of a person, they can always become successful. Helen Keller made the impossible, possible. Therefore, Helen Keller, an amazing woman, will never be forgotten.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 180%;">References <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 130%;">D'Andrea, Frances Mary. "Helen Keller." Re:View 31 no. (1999) eLibrary. Web. 15 Oct. 2014. SE#3

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 130%;">Goddy, Sonya."The woman behind the miracle." Literary Cavalcade. 01 Nov. 2003: 22. eLibrary. Web. 11 Dec 2014. SE#6

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 130%;">Heppermann, M, Christine "The World at her Fringertips: The Story of Helen Keller." Horn Book Magazine. 01 Mar. 2001: 227. eLibrary. Web. 07 Nov. 2014. SE#4

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 130%;">Kleege, Georgina. "The Helen Keller Who Still Matters." Raritan 1(2004):100. eLibrary. Web. 03 Oct. 2014. SE#2

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 130%;">Nieslen, E Kim. "The Southern Ties of Helen Keller." Journal of Southern History 4(2007):783. eLibrary. Web. 19 Sep. 2014. SE#1

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 130%;">Stuckey, Kenneth. "In Search of Helen Keller." Re:View 31 no. (1999) eLibrary. Web. 18 Nov. 2014. SE#5