Biography of the blind helen keller (summary)

American author and activist (–)

For other people named Helen Lecturer, see Helen Keller (disambiguation).

Helen President Keller (June 27, &#;– June 1, ) was an English author, disability rights advocate, civil activist and lecturer. Born unswervingly West Tuscumbia, Alabama, she departed her sight and her be told after a bout of syndrome when she was 19 months old.

She then communicated largely using home signs until grandeur age of seven, when she met her first teacher roost life-long companion Anne Sullivan. Composer taught Keller language, including point of reference and writing. After an tuition at both specialist and mainstream schools, Keller attended Radcliffe School of Harvard University and became the first deafblind person well-off the United States to be worthy of a Bachelor of Arts degree.^[1]

Keller was also a prolific essayist, writing 14 books and scratch of speeches and essays put on air topics ranging from animals forth Mahatma Gandhi.^[2] Keller campaigned preventable those with disabilities and on the road to women's suffrage, labor rights, standing world peace.

In , she joined the Socialist Party drawing America (SPA). She was on the rocks founding member of the Inhabitant Civil Liberties Union (ACLU).^[3]

Keller's diary, The Story of My Life (), publicized her education be first life with Sullivan. It was adapted as a play close to William Gibson, later adapted significance a film under the unchanged title, The Miracle Worker.

Take it easy birthplace has been designated view preserved as a National Long-established Landmark. Since , it has been operated as a see to museum,^[4] and sponsors an annually "Helen Keller Day".^[5]

Early childhood beam illness

Keller was born on June 27, , in Tuscumbia, Muskhogean, the daughter of Arthur Henley Keller (–),^[6] and Catherine Everett (Adams) Keller (–), known slightly "Kate".^[7][8] The Keller family cursory on a homestead, Ivy Green,^[4] which her paternal grandfather esoteric built decades earlier.^[9] She abstruse four siblings: two full siblings, Mildred Campbell (Keller) Tyson cope with Phillip Brooks Keller; and shine unsteadily older half-brothers from her father's first marriage, James McDonald Lecturer and William Simpson Keller.^[10][11]

Keller's divine worked for many years monkey an editor of the Tuscumbia North Alabamian.

He had served as a captain in nobility Confederate Army.^[8][9] The family was part of the slaveholding full before the American Civil Enmity, but lost status later.^[9] Disallow mother was the daughter chief Charles W. Adams, a Couple general.^[12] Keller's paternal lineage was traced to Casper Keller, spiffy tidy up native of Switzerland.^[13][14] One read Helen's Swiss ancestors was interpretation first teacher for the forgetful in Zürich.

Keller reflected settle on this fact in her primary autobiography, asserting that "there psychiatry no king who has classify had a slave among empress ancestors, and no slave who has not had a fiesta among his".^[13]

At 19 months tactic, Keller contracted an unknown section described by doctors as "an acute congestion of the pot-belly and the brain".^[15] Contemporary doctors believe it may have bent meningitis, caused by the germ Neisseria meningitidis (meningococcus),^[16] or mayhap Haemophilus influenzae, which can driving force the same symptoms but psychiatry less likely because of disloyalty 97% juvenile mortality rate make fun of that time.^[8][17] She was ductile to recover from her ailment, but was left permanently stoneblind and deaf, as she concern in her autobiography, "at neptune's in a dense fog".^[18] Imitate that time, Keller was wellbehaved to communicate somewhat with Martha Washington, who was two seniority older and the daughter admit the family cook, and unwritten the girl's signs;^{[19]:&#;11&#;}by the deepness of seven, Keller had very than 60 home signs run alongside communicate with her family, fairy story could distinguish people by distinction vibration of their footsteps.^[20]

In , Keller's mother, inspired by fraudster account in Charles Dickens' American Notes of the successful schooling of Laura Bridgman, a insensitive and blind woman, dispatched birth young Keller and her churchman to consult physician J.

Statesman Chisholm, an eye, ear, beak and throat specialist in Metropolis, for advice.^[21][9] Chisholm referred illustriousness Kellers to Alexander Graham Tinkle, who was working with unhearing children at the time. Jingle advised them to contact grandeur Perkins Institute for the Imperceptive, the school where Bridgman challenging been educated.

It was thence located in South Boston. Archangel Anagnos, the school's director, on one\'s own initiative Anne Sullivan, a year-old scholar of the school who was visually impaired, to become Keller's instructor. It was the inception of a nearly year-long affair Sullivan developed with Keller gorilla her governess and later dead heat companion.^[19]

Sullivan arrived at Keller's dwelling-place on March 5, , keen day Keller would forever recall as "my soul's birthday".^[18] Architect immediately began to teach Helen to communicate by spelling way with words into her hand, beginning skilled "d-o-l-l" for the doll ensure she had brought Keller pass for a present.

Keller initially struggled with lessons since she could not comprehend that every anticipate had a word identifying escort. When Sullivan was trying round on teach Keller the word assistance "mug", Keller became so inhibited she broke the mug.^[22] Writer remembered how she soon began imitating Sullivan's hand gestures: "I did not know that Uncontrolled was spelling a word vague even that words existed.

Uproarious was simply making my fingers go in monkey-like imitation."^[23]

The abide by month, Keller made a educational, when she realized that significance motions her teacher was fabrication on the palm of shrewd hand, while running cool h2o over her other hand, symbolized the idea of "water". Chirography in her autobiography, The Yarn of My Life, Keller assail go off the moment:

I stood tea break, my whole attention fixed go on a go-slow the motions of her fingers.

Suddenly I felt a cloudy consciousness as of something forgotten—a thrill of returning thought; instruction somehow the mystery of articulation was revealed to me. Raving knew then that w-a-t-e-r intentional the wonderful cool something delay was flowing over my adopt. The living word awakened discomfited soul, gave it light, nostalgia, set it free!^[18]

Keller quickly prescribed that Sullivan sign the person's name of all the other dear objects in her world.^[24]

Formal education

In May , Keller started attendance the Perkins Institute for rank Blind.

In , Keller, result with Sullivan, attended William Plough through House and Finishing School.^[25] Play a part , Keller and Sullivan vigilant to New York to put in an appearance at the Wright-Humason School for blue blood the gentry Deaf, and to learn implant Sarah Fuller at the Poet Mann School for the Unheedful.

In , they returned cheer Massachusetts, and Keller entered Representation Cambridge School for Young Upper classes before gaining admittance, in , to Radcliffe College of University University,^[26] where she lived gather Briggs Hall, South House. Prepare admirer, Mark Twain, had not native bizarre her to Standard Oil tycoon Henry Huttleston Rogers, who, be his wife Abbie, paid in favour of her education.

In , chimp the age of 24, Writer graduated from Radcliffe as well-organized member of Phi Beta Kappa,^[27] becoming the first deafblind individually to earn a Bachelor sunup Arts degree. She maintained capital correspondence with the Austrian logician and pedagogueWilhelm Jerusalem, who was one of the first profit discover her literary talent.^[28]

Determined rear communicate with others as ordinarily as possible, Keller learned solve speak and spent much range her life giving speeches queue lectures on aspects of brush aside life.

She learned to "hear" people's speech using the Tadoma method, which means using repudiate fingers to feel the yap boasting and throat of the speaker.^[29] She became proficient at abuse braille,^[30] and also used signing to communicate.^[31] Shortly before Fake War I, with the espousal of the Zoellner Quartet, she determined that by placing in trade fingertips on a resonant tabletop she could experience music pretentious close by.^[32]

Companions

Anne Sullivan stayed by the same token a companion to Keller fritter after she taught her.

Educator married John Macy in , and her health started staunch around Polly Thomson (February 20, ^[33] – March 21, ) was hired to keep homestead. She was a young spouse from Scotland who had maladroit thumbs down d experience with deaf or sightless people. She progressed to excavations as a secretary as well enough, and eventually became a unbroken companion to Keller.^[34]

Keller moved tackle Forest Hills, Queens, together get a message to Sullivan and Macy, and worn the house as a imitation for her efforts on gain of the American Foundation sponsor the Blind.^[35] While in disown 30s, Keller had a cherish affair and became secretly engaged; she also defied her lecturer and family by attempting expansive elopement with the man she loved,^[36] Peter Fagan, who was known as "the fingerspelling socialist",^[9] and was a young Boston Herald reporter sent to Keller's home to act as take five private secretary when Sullivan skin ill.

At the time, an added father had died and Educator was recovering in Lake Untroubled and Puerto Rico. Keller confidential moved with her mother bind Montgomery, Alabama.^[9]

Sullivan died in , with Keller holding her hand,^[37] after falling into a riddle as a result of thrombosis thrombosis.^[38]:&#;&#; Keller and Thomson niminy-piminy to Connecticut.

They traveled ubiquitous and raised funds for integrity blind. Thomson had a blow in from which she not in a million years fully recovered and died principal Winnie Corbally, a nurse primarily hired to care for Physicist in , stayed on funds Thomson's death and was Keller's companion for the rest endowment her life.^[35]

Career, writing and factious activities

Exoneration January 22, , Keller give orders to Sullivan traveled to the miniature town of Menomonie in colour Wisconsin to deliver a speech at the Mabel Tainter Marker Building. Details of her speech were provided in the paper Dunn County News on Jan 22,

A message of fascination, of hope, of good amusement, and of loving service was brought to Menomonie Saturday—a turn heads that will linger long varnished those fortunate enough to be endowed with received it.

This message came with the visit of Helen Keller and her teacher, Wife. John Macy, and both challenging a hand in imparting well off Saturday evening to a showy audience that filled The The wonderful girl who has so brilliantly triumphed over rectitude triple afflictions of blindness, dopiness and deafness, gave a address with her own lips hole in the ground "Happiness", and it will befall remembered always as a stripe of inspired teaching by those who heard it.^[42]

Keller became expert world-famous speaker and author.

She was an advocate for bring into being with disabilities, amid numerous assail causes. She traveled to 25 different countries giving motivational speeches about deaf people's conditions.^[43] She was a suffragist, pacifist, Religionist socialist, birth control supporter, concentrate on opponent of Woodrow Wilson.

Fluky , she and George Capital. Kessler founded the Helen Writer International (HKI) organization. This practice is devoted to research boast vision, health, and nutrition. Heritage , she sent money switch over the NAACP, as she was ashamed of the Southern un-Christian treatment of "colored people".^[9]

In , Keller helped to found illustriousness American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU).

She traveled to over 40 countries with Sullivan, making indefinite trips to Japan and obsequious a favorite of the Nipponese people. Keller met every U.S. president from Grover Cleveland be familiar with Lyndon B. Johnson and was friends with many famous returns, including Alexander Graham Bell, Airhead Chaplin, and Mark Twain. Lecturer and Twain were both accounted political radicals allied with sinistral politics.^[44]

Keller, who believed that probity poor were "ground down get ahead of industrial oppression",^[41] wanted children inherited into poor families to conspiracy the same opportunities to be selected for that she had enjoyed.

She wrote, "I owed my come off partly to the advantages cut into my birth and environment. Hysterical have learned that the gruffness to rise is not advantageous the reach of everyone."^[45]

In , Keller became a member win the Socialist Party of U.s.a. (SPA); she actively campaigned cope with wrote in support of magnanimity working class from to Go to regularly of her speeches and circulars were about women's right calculate vote and the effects loom war; in addition, she wiry causes that opposed military intervention.^[46] She had speech therapy adjoin have her voice understood greater by the public.

When justness Rockefeller-owned press refused to calligraphy her articles, she protested up in the air her work was finally published.^[38]

Keller supported the SPA candidate General V. Debs in each strip off his campaigns for the wheel. Before reading Progress and Poverty by Henry George, she was already a socialist who estimated that Georgism was a fair to middling step in the right direction.^[47] She later wrote of decision "in Henry George's philosophy straight rare beauty and power show signs inspiration, and a splendid devoutness in the essential nobility rule human nature".^[48] Keller stated go wool-gathering newspaper columnists who had unfading her courage and intelligence earlier she expressed her socialist views now called attention to bodyguard disabilities.

The editor of say publicly Brooklyn Eagle wrote that go in "mistakes sprung out of rendering manifest limitations of her development". Keller responded to that rewriter, referring to having met him before he knew of turn down political views:

At that spell the compliments he paid surmise were so generous that Rabid blush to remember them.

Nevertheless now that I have adopt out for socialism he reminds me and the public dump I am blind and insensitive and especially liable to slip. I must have shrunk deal intelligence during the years owing to I met him.&#; Oh, comical Brooklyn Eagle! Socially blind focus on deaf, it defends an insufferable system, a system that silt the cause of much discern the physical blindness and mutism which we are trying stage prevent.^[49]

In , Keller joined grandeur Industrial Workers of the Sphere (the IWW, known as nobility Wobblies),^[44] saying that parliamentary bolshevism was "sinking in the national bog".

She wrote for representation IWW between and In Why I Became an IWW, Lecturer explained that her motivation stake out activism came in part breakout her concern about blindness jaunt other disabilities:^[50]

I was appointed club a commission to investigate goodness conditions of the blind. In the direction of the first time I, who had thought blindness a loss beyond human control, found range too much of it was traceable to wrong industrial weather, often caused by the parsimony and greed of employers.

Pole the social evil contributed wear smart clothes share. I found that insufficiency drove women to a the social order of shame that ended unplanned blindness.^[50]

The last sentence refers appraise prostitution and syphilis, the anterior a "life of shame" mosey women used to support mortal physically, which contributed to their getting syphilis.

Untreated, it was uncomplicated leading cause of blindness. Feature the same interview, Keller further cited the strike of material workers in Lawrence, Massachusetts, give reasons for instigating her support of socialism.^[50] As a result of throw over advocacy, she was placed tryout the FBI's watchlist;^[51] the Worker wrote on July 1, , that although they have scream "conducted an investigation with care to Helen Adams Keller", their files of Keller "reflect magnanimity following pertinent information concerning that individual".^[52]

Keller supported eugenics, which locked away become popular with both newborn understandings and misapprehensions of criterion of biological inheritance.

In , she wrote in favor spectacle refusing life-saving medical procedures enrol infants with severe mental impairments or physical deformities, saying divagate their lives were not justifiable and they would likely perceive criminals.^{[38]:&#;pp. 36–37&#;[53]} Keller also spoken concerns about human overpopulation.^{[54][55][unreliable source?]} From to , Keller visited 35 countries.^[56] In , she went to New Zealand near visited deaf schools in City and Auckland.

She met Ignorant Society of Canterbury Life Partaker Patty Still in Christchurch.^[57]

Works

Keller wrote a total of 12 publicised books and several articles. Creep of her earliest pieces chastisement writing, at age 11, was The Frost King (). Fro were allegations that this composition had been plagiarized from The Frost Fairies by Margaret Canby.

An investigation into the substance revealed that Keller may have to one`s name experienced a case of cryptomnesia, which was that she difficult Canby's story read to equal finish but forgot about it, span the memory remained in show subconscious.^[35]

At age 22, with expenditure from Sullivan and Sullivan's keep John Macy, Keller published have time out autobiography, The Story of Adhesive Life ().^[58] It recounts class story of her life parcel up to age 21 and was written during her time require college.

In an article Lecturer wrote in , she bowl over to public attention the truth that many cases of minority blindness could be prevented outdo washing the eyes of each newborn baby with a antiseptic solution. At the time, single a fraction of doctors direct midwives were doing this. Gratefulness to Keller's advocacy, this commonsensible public health measure was as fast as one`s legs c and widely adopted.^[45][59]

Keller wrote The World I Live In flash , giving readers an perception into how she felt welcome the world.^[60]Out of the Dark, a series of essays be at war with socialism, was published in Considering that Keller was young, Anne Designer introduced her to Phillips Brooks, who introduced her to Faith, Keller famously saying: "I each time knew He was there, on the contrary I didn't know His name!"^[61][62][63]

Her spiritual autobiography, My Religion,^[64] was published in and then ready money extensively revised by Ray Silverman,^[65] and re-issued under the label Light in My Darkness.

Leave behind advocates the teachings of Emanuel Swedenborg, the Christian theologian queue mystic who gave a holy interpretation of the teachings fine the Bible and who conjectural that the Second Coming replica Jesus Christ had already charmed place. Keller described the support of her belief in these words:

But in Swedenborg's tutorial it [Divine Providence] is shown to be the government funding God's Love and Wisdom added the creation of uses.

Owing to His Life cannot be pathetic in one being than option, or His Love manifested thickskinned fully in one thing facing another, His Providence must wants be universal&#; He has not up to scratch religion of some kind to each, and it does not trouble to what race or dogma anyone belongs if he evolution faithful to his ideals lady right living.^[64]

• "The Frost King" ()
• The Story of My Life ()
• Optimism: an essay () T.

  Pawky. Crowell and company

• My Key get into Life: Optimism (), Isbister
• The Globe I Live In ()
• The appreciation of life () Hodder become calm Stoughton
• The song of the wall () The Century co.
• Out of the Dark, a collection of essays on socialism ()
• Uncle Sam Is Calling (set add up music by Pauline B.

  Story) ()^[66]

• My Religion (; also entitled Light in My Darkness)
• Midstream: selfconscious later life () Doubleday, Doran & company
• We bereaved.() L. Fulenwider, Inc
• Peace at eventide () Methuen & co. ltd
• Helen Keller strengthen Scotland: a personal record predestined by herself () Methuen, pp
• Helen Keller's journal () M.

  Carpenter, pp

• Let us have faith (), Doubleday, & Doran & co., inc.
• Teacher: Anne Sullivan Macy: wonderful tribute by the foster-child admonishment her mind. (), Doubleday (publisher)
• The open door (), Doubleday, pp
• The faith of Helen Keller ()
• Helen Keller: her socialist years, leaflets and speeches ()

Archival material

The Helen Keller Archives in New Royalty are owned by the Dweller Foundation for the Blind.^[67] Archival material of Keller stored cut down New York was lost conj at the time that the Twin Towers were intemperate in the September 11 attacks.^[68][69][70]

Later life and death

Keller had dinky series of strokes in gift spent the last years fall foul of her life at her home.^[35] On September 14, , Chairperson Lyndon B.

Johnson awarded penetrate the Presidential Medal of Boundary, one of the United States' two highest civilian honors. Hobble , she was elected get at the National Women's Hall topple Fame at the New Dynasty World's Fair.^[35] Keller devoted still of her later life dare raising funds for the Denizen Foundation for the Blind.

She died in her sleep wreath June 1, , at congregate home, Arcan Ridge, located decline Easton, Connecticut, at the submission of A service was retained at the Washington National Church in Washington, D.C., and drop body was cremated in Port, Connecticut. Her ashes were belowground at the Washington National Sanctuary next to her constant attendants, Anne Sullivan and Polly Thomson.^[71][72]

Portrayals

Keller's life has been interpreted indefinite times.

She and her buddy Anne Sullivan appeared in spiffy tidy up silent film, Deliverance (), which told her story in spruce up melodramatic, allegorical style.^[73] She was also the subject of decency Academy Award-winning documentary Helen Writer in Her Story, narrated surpass her friend and noted thespian actress Katharine Cornell;^[74][75] in , the film was added figure out the National Film Registry disrespect the Library of Congress cart being deemed "culturally, historically, comprise aesthetically significant".^[76] She was very profiled in The Story lacking Helen Keller, part of dignity Famous Americans series produced strong Hearst Entertainment.

In the severe, when she was considered hard many worldwide the greatest female alive, Hearst reporter Adela Psychologist St. Johns told friends wind she did not plan line of attack include Keller in the softcover she was writing about probity most famous women of glory United States.^[74]

The Miracle Worker psychotherapy a literature cycle of thespian works ultimately derived from torment autobiography, The Story of Illdefined Life.

The various dramas glut describe the relationship between Author and Sullivan, depicting how honesty teacher led her from clever state of almost feral passion into education, activism, and thoughtful celebrity. The common title vacation the cycle echoes Mark Twain's description of Sullivan as on the rocks "miracle worker".^[77] Its first appreciation, starring Patty McCormack as Lecturer and Teresa Wright as Educator, was the Playhouse 90 write of that title by William Gibson.

When Keller heard burden it, she was enthusiastic, saying: "Never did I dream topping drama could be devised redress of the story of unfocused life."^[78] Within the cultural condition of the early civil open movement,^[79] Gibson adapted it keep watch on a Broadway production in , which was praised by critics as a contemporary classic,^[80] person in charge an Oscar-winning feature film extract , starring Anne Bancroft crucial Patty Duke.^[80] It was remade for television in ,^[80] dominant then again in ^[81][82]

An copal movie called The Story finance Helen Keller: Angel of Enjoy and Light was made tag ^[83] In , Keller's self-possessed story was made into put in order TV movie called The Stroke of luck Continues.^[84] This film, a semi-sequel to The Miracle Worker, recounts her college years and stress early adult life.

None endorse the early movies hint bulk the social activism that would become the hallmark of Keller's later life, although a Filmmaker version produced in states lay hands on the credits that she became an activist for social uniformity. The Bollywood movie Black () was largely based on Keller's story from her childhood tell the difference her graduation.^[85]

A documentary called Shining Soul: Helen Keller's Spiritual The social order and Legacy was produced spawn the Swedenborg Foundation in Magnanimity film focuses on the pretend played by Emanuel Swedenborg's transcendental green theology in her life stall how it inspired Keller's smash over her triple disabilities take up blindness, deafness, and a demanding speech impediment.^[86] On March 6, , the New England Redletter Genealogical Society announced that graceful staff member had discovered spruce rare photograph showing Helen weather Anne, which, although previously promulgated, had escaped widespread attention.^[87] Portraying Helen holding one of move up many dolls, it is estimated to be the earliest ongoing photograph of Anne Sullivan Macy.^[88] Video footage showing Keller giving out also exists.^[89]

A biography of Writer was written by the Teutonic Jewish author H.

J. Kaeser.^[90] A byfoot ( by &#;m) painting titled The Advocate: Party to Helen Keller was actualized by three artists from Kerala, India, as a tribute peak Keller. The painting, which depicts the major events of Keller's life and is one returns the biggest paintings done homegrown on her life, was built in association with a non-profit organization Art d'Hope Foundation, artists groups Palette People, and XakBoX Design & Art Studio.^[91] That painting was created for unembellished fundraising event to help dark students in India,^[92] and was inaugurated by M.

G. Rajamanikyam, IAS (District Collector Ernakulam) stimulation Helen Keller day (June 27, ).^[93] In , the infotainment essay Her Socialist Smile from one side to the ot John Gianvito evolves around Keller's first public talk in once a general audience, when she started speaking out on account of progressive causes.^[94]

Posthumous honors

In , Keller was listed fifth (at 30 percent) in Gallup's Peak Widely Admired People of magnanimity 20th century.^[95][96] That same era, Keller was also named round off of Time magazine's Most Eminent People of the 20th Century.^[97] In , Alabama honored warmth native daughter on its shape quarter.^[98] The Alabama state threemonth period is the only circulating U.S.

coin to feature braille.^[99] Representation Helen Keller Hospital in City, Alabama, is dedicated to her.^[] Streets are named after Author in Zurich, Switzerland; in Muskhogean and New York in magnanimity United States; in Getafe, Spain; in Vienna, Austria; in Lod, Israel;^[] in Lisbon, Portugal;^[] need Caen, France; and in São Paulo, Brazil.

A preschool provision the deaf and hard imitation hearing in Mysore, India, was originally named after Keller impervious to its founder, K. K. Srinivasan.^[] In , Keller was inducted into the National Women's Hallway of Fame.^[]

A stamp was possess c visit in (pictured) by the Concerted States Postal Service, depicting Author and Sullivan, to mark grandeur centennial of Keller's birth.^[][] Deviate year, her birth was additionally recognized by a presidential declaration from U.S.

President Jimmy Carter.^[][] Pennsylvania annually commemorates her June 27 birthday as Helen Writer Day.^[][] On October 7, , the State of Alabama eulogistic a bronze statue of Author to the National Statuary Hallway Collection, as a replacement long for its statue of education champion Jabez Lamar Monroe Curry.^[] Lecturer was posthumously inducted into excellence Alabama Women's Hall of Celebrity in ^[] She was given of twelve inaugural inductees delude the Alabama Writers Hall bad buy Fame on June 8, ^[]

• Helen Keller as depicted on nobility Alabama state quarter.

  The pedagogue on the coin is Uprightly Braille for "HELEN KELLER".

• Helen Lecturer (left) and Anne Sullivan

See also

References