Helen Keller
By: Anna Villarreal
“Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.” Helen Keller was a very inspirational woman, winning The Presidential Medal of Freedom and International 2014 Karris Prize in Leadership. Helen is a very important and famous American and made a huge impact on the world by showing with determination you can overcome any obstacle.
Helen Keller was born June 27th 1880 in Tuscumbia, Alabama. At the age of 19 months old, she had gotten a disease that the doctors explained, “An acute congestion of the stomach and brain,” which left her blind and deaf. Helen had to be educated so she went to a special school, Perkins school for the blind. Her teacher, Anne Sullivan, thought that she needed to teach her discipline, but not crush, the spirit of her young charge. Helen’s hobbies were playing in the garden and feeling the texture of the flowers. She was taught to communicate by putting her hand in someone else’s and do sign language. Her first word was w-a-t-e-r. To learn it, Anne Sullivan took Helen outside to the water pump and had her hold a mug under the spout. She poured water into the mug until it was dripping into Helen’s hands. She spelled w-a-t-e-r in her hands slowly and then faster and faster. Within a few weeks, she learned the words doll, pin, key, dog, hat, cup, box, candy, eye, fingers, toe, head, cake, baby, mother, sit, stand, walk, knife, fork, spoon, saucer, tea, papa, bed, run, mug, and milk.
Helen wanted to go to Radcliffe University for college, but the dean, Agnes Irwin, believed there were too many difficulties in Helen. Helen wrote to the chairman of the academic board: “I realize that the obstacles in the way of my receiving a college education are very great- to others they may seem insurmountable; but, dear Sir, a true soldier does not acknowledge defeat before the battle." And that is how she got into college. She began her freshman year at Radcliffe in September 1900. Never before had 1 of the students been both blind and deaf. Helen was entering a college where she was not wanted and where she would be expected to keep up with hearing and sighted students. During her 2nd year at Radcliffe, she began to write English compositions based on her life. Her English professor encouraged Helen to write about her unique experiences. Before long, editors at the Ladies’ Home Journal learned about Helen’s compositions. The magazine was offering to pay $3,000 for her biography. Her articles were published into a book, and The Story of My Life was published March 1903. She graduated from college on June 28, 1904. She was the first blind and deaf person to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree. Helen and Anne made their home in a farmhouse in Wrentham. They had bought it just before her graduation for $2,700.
" Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing."
Helen Keller inspired many by overcoming difficult obstacles in life and never giving up. Even though she was blind and deaf, that didn’t stop her from learning and accomplishing great things in her life.
Fun Facts
1. Helen loved hot dogs
2. Helen visited 39 countries around the world in her lifetime
3. Helen won an Oscar for the documentary of her life, " Helen Keller in Her Story "
4. Helen wrote to 8 presidents and got letters back from all of them
5. Helen's middle name is Adams