Helen Keller is a national icon who owns several books, plays and films depicting her efforts to learn after becoming blind and deaf. What you may not know, however, is a feminist, learned to actually speak, was once engaged, and traversed Asia 40,000 miles at the age of 75. Her story is as compelling as her personal challenges.
Helen Keller's early life
Born in 1880, Helen Keller was a happy, healthy child in Scanbia, Alabama until 1882. When she was 19 months old, she developed a brain fever that caused her to lose sight and hearing.
Before meeting her teacher, Anne Sullivan, Helen struggled to feel and sniff her world. Naturally, she gets frustrated with the lack of communication, which can lead to tantrums. Helen, who doesn't know etiquette, will eat from other people's plates and throw things to satisfy her requests. Early communication and companionship
While many believe that Helen could not communicate until she learned Anne, Helen did use an original communication technique. Together with her family and companion Martha Washington, she used a simple sign language (made up of 60 gestures) who was the child of her family's cook. In addition to her friend Martha, Helen's dog Belle, an old second-in-command, is also her regular companion. Because of the dog's excitement and her calm nature, she liked Belle's presence.
Her parents, Arthur and Kate Keller
Helen was Arthur and Kate Keller's first child. Her father, Arthur Keller, was not only a distant cousin of Robert E. Lee, but also served in the Confederates. After the war, he was the editor of North Alabama. Before meeting Helen's mother, he had already married the deceased Sarah Lee. Sarah E. Rosser married. He later married Kate in 1877. Arthur is a strong, loving man who loves to hunt and fish, and he looks around for help in finding the cure for Helen's youth.
Siblings: Mildred, Simpson, Phillips and James Keller
In addition to a younger sister, Mildred Keller, Helen has two stepbrothers, Simpson and James. Both Simpson and James Keller were children of Arthur's first marriage. James was a teenager growing up with Helen and noticed that he was trying to control Annie before she arrived. Anne's letter also records that he was the only one who tried to curb Helen's waywardness as a child. When Helen inadvertently intimidated her parents and siblings, James tried to hold his ground and make her behave better.
Helen also had a younger brother, Phillips, who helped him get his name. While Helen doesn't mention her brother much in her work, she does discuss walking hand in hand with her sister and trying to talk to her in her original language. After Helen learned to speak, Mildred became her close friend.
A model for humanity
The illness robbed Helen Keller of her sight and hearing and brought turmoil to her family's life. However, with the help of some enthusiastic friends and family, Helen was able to learn, love, prosper and serve the less fortunate until she died in her sleep on June 1, 1968, at the age of 88. She is a true role model for overcoming adversity and creating a rich life with purpose and meaning.