IndexIntroduction to the authorSummaryThemesConclusionIntroduction to the authorHelen Keller was a writer, educator and activist for people with disabilities. Tuscumbia, Alabama, is where she was born on June 27, 1880. She became blind and deaf at the age of nineteen months due to an illness now believed to be scarlet fever. Five years later, on the advice of Alexandra Graham Bell, her parents sought a teacher at the Perkins Institute for the Blind in Boston and from there Anne Mansfield Sullivan was hired. The little girl learned to understand and communicate with the world around her thanks to Sullivan's exceptional guidance. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Keller learned to read and write Braille from Sullivan, as well as to use deaf-mute hand gestures, which only she could understand by touch. His subsequent attempts to learn to speak were less successful and he needed an interpreter to make himself understood during public engagements. Nonetheless, she had enormous influence as an educator, organizer and fundraiser, and was responsible for numerous advances in public services for disabled people. Keller studied in schools for the deaf in Boston and New York City, with Sullivan repeating lessons in hand, and graduated with honors from Radcliffe College in 1904. Her notable achievements in overcoming her disabilities made her a celebrity in her youth age; he published an autobiographical sketch in Youth's Companion at the age of twelve, and in his final year at Radcliffe he published The Story of My Life, which is still in print in more than fifty languages. Keller also wrote four other novels about her life, as well as a book on religion, a book on contemporary social issues, and a biography of Anne Sullivan. He has also contributed to numerous national publications. Keller supported herself and Sullivan on the vaudeville stage for the next two years, in addition to her numerous appearances on the lecture circuit. Keller made a Hollywood film, Deliverance, in 1918, to dramatize the plight of the blind. She also supported women's rights and other liberal causes, and in 1940 she strongly supported U.S. participation in World War II. Keller became a consultant and fundraiser for the newly formed American Foundation for the Blind in 1924. Her international reputation and pleasant nature allowed her to gain the assistance of a number of wealthy people, including Henry Ford, John D Rockefeller and movie industry executives. Helen Keller International was the name given to the AFB branch for the blind in other countries. Keller and Sullivan were the subjects of William Gibson's Pulitzer Prize-winning play The Miracle Worker, which premiered in New York in 1959 and was adapted into a popular Hollywood film in 1962. Keller, who received high honors throughout the world and was welcomed to the White House by every president of the United States, from Grover Cleveland to Lyndon B. Johnson, he changed the world's perspective on the abilities of disabled people. Her courage, knowledge and determination combined to make her a symbol of the victory of the human spirit over adversity more than any other action in her long life. Summary Helen Keller was born in the small town of Tuscumbia, Alabama, on June 27, 1880. She was diagnosed with an illness that left her blind and deaf when she was one year old. Even with her family it was difficult for her to communicate in the first years following her illness; she lived in complete darkness, sometimes angry and disappointed that no one could understand her. Everything changed in March 1887, whenHelen's teacher, Anne Sullivan, moved the family to Alabama and completely transformed Helen's life. Miss Sullivan taught Helen how to name objects by handing them to her and having her spell the letters inside their names. Helen learned to write these sentences by emulation without realizing what she was doing, but gradually she realized that everything had a name and that Miss Sullivan was teaching her how to write it. Helen learned the language immediately; she especially enjoyed studying in nature, where she and her teacher took walks and she asked questions about her surroundings. Helen learned to read soon after, thanks to Miss Sullivan, who taught her by giving her strips of cardboard with embossed letters and then making her read them. Helen went to Boston with her mother and her teacher in May 1888. She studied for a while at the Perkins Institute for the Blind and quickly made friends with other blind girls her age. Helen got her first taste of the ocean while they vacationed in Brewster, Cape Cod. From then on they spent virtually every winter up north. Helen was determined to learn to speak after learning to read. Her teacher and many others thought she would never be able to speak normally, but she was determined to get there. Helen began studying with Miss Sarah Fuller at Horace Mann School in 1890, and learned by feeling the position of Miss Fuller's lips and tongue as she spoke. His first words, "It's hot," were a powerful memory for her: she was overjoyed at the idea of ​​finally being able to communicate with her family and friends. Helen experienced a difficult time throughout the winter of 1892. She created a narrative called "The Frost King", apparently inspired by the delightful autumn foliage around her, and sent it as a gift to her teacher at the Perkins Institute. Helen's narrative was later discovered to be quite similar to that contained in a published book entitled "The Frost Fairies". Helen had been told the original story as a young girl, and the jokes had become so ingrained in her mind that she had unknowingly plagiarized them when she wrote her own. For a long time, Helen's relationship with her Perkins Institute teacher, Mr. Anagnos, was tainted by this, and she began to question her own way of thinking and the originality of her thoughts. Helen began studying formal courses such as history, Latin, French, German, and arithmetic at the Wright-Humanson School for the Deaf in New York City in 1894. She began her studies at the Cambridge School for Young Ladies in Massachusetts in 1896, with the goal to attend Radcliffe College, a women's college affiliated with Harvard University. . This was her first year at school and she was excited to be among girls who could see and hear rather than deaf or blind children. He persevered despite the difficulties; however, her mother eventually withdrew her from Cambridge School so that she could continue her education at Radcliffe with a private tutor. Helen uses the closing chapters of her memoir to talk about things that are meaningful to her, such as her love of literature, her favorite activities, and the friends who have shaped her life. Helen's personal letters written during her childhood, as well as further comments from her publisher and a first-hand description of Helen's teacher, Anne Sullivan, are included in two additional sections of the autobiography. Themes The value of perseverance is emphasized in "The Story of My Life".' It also honors the “never say die” spirit of overcoming insurmountable challenges and barriers in life. Helen Keller, a deaf and dumb girl, learned to speak and connect meaningfully with the outside world.