Helen Keller Essay Research Paper Imagine a free essay sample

Helen Keller Essay, Research Paper Imagine a life without being able to see or hear and non cognizing how to pass on with anyone around you. That universe of darkness is what Helen Keller lived in for six old ages. Helen Keller has been an inspiration to people of all time since she turned six. From 1886-1960, she proved herself to be a originative and animating adult female of America. She was a author and lector who fought for the rights of deprived people all over the universe. Most significantly, she overcame her two most hard obstructions, being blind and deaf. Helen Keller devoted her life to bettering the instruction and intervention of the blind, deaf, and deaf-and-dumb person and contending for minorities every bit good. Miss Keller was one of the first to educate the populace and do them cognizant of inflicted persons # 8217 ; possible. Because of her continuity and strength, she is considered a originative and alone spirit by many people of the universe, particularly those who can associate to her physical damages. Helen Keller was born a healthy kid. When Helen was 19 months old, she became sick with what was known as acute congestion of the encephalon and tummy ; this is now known as vermilion febrility. As a consequence, she was left blind, deaf, and deaf-and-dumb person. For many of her earlier old ages Helen lived in darkness with really few ways to pass on with others around her. Obviously her efforts were non ever successful. When she failed to pass on she would throw tantrums and have outburst that would upset non merely her, but her household every bit good. Because of these violent tantrums, she appeared to be a really boisterous kid, but underneath all of the calamity was a future inspirational figure that would surprise the universe with astonishing and infinite abilities. A big sum of Helen # 8217 ; s achievements would non hold been possible if it weren # 8217 ; T for her female parent and male parent. Her parents read about Samuel Gridley Howe # 8217 ; s achievements with the deaf and blind at the Perkins Institution in Boston. With this cognition, her male parent brought his girl to Alexander Graham Bell, a household friend who was good known in society. Bell was so fascinated by six twelvemonth old Helen that he recommended that she contact the Perkins Institute for the Blind in Boston. Anne Sullivan, who was besides a recent Perkins alumnus, was suggested to be Helen # 8217 ; s instructor by Michael Anagnos. Michael Anagnos was the professor of Samuel Gridley Howe, a gentleman who was holding great success working with the deaf and blind at Perkins ( Noteworthy 389 ) . Helen # 8217 ; s greatest inspiration and life long comrade, Anne Sullivan, arrived at her place in Alabama in March of 1887. In merely a twosome of hebdomads, Helen learned that everything had a name and that she could pass on with others by utilizing the manual alphabet. Helen besides found that she could utilize the manual alphabet and lip reading to turn out her intelligence. The manual alphabet is a system that contains 26 manus symbols, one for each missive of the alphabet. It is used to thumb spell words. After a couple months of pattern, she learned 100s of new words. In the center of July, merely four months after Sullivan # 8217 ; s reaching, Helen was able to compose her really first missive to her female parent. Peoples around the universe were so astonied by her achievements that her first life was written when she was merely 14 old ages old ( Ashby A ; Orhn 190 ) . After the earlier successes, Helen and her instructor both left for the Perkins Institute for the Blind in Boston in 1888 to supply Helen with a more formal instruction. Helen and Miss Sullivan moved to New York in 1894 in order for Helen to analyze at the Wright Humason School for the deaf. Anne raised money so that her pupil could go to the Cambridge School for Young Ladies. In 1896, Helen began her surveies at Cambridge which included French, Greek, literature, mathematics, geographics, and history. She so went on to go to Radcliffe College in 1980. In 1904, she graduated cum laude and received her AB Degree ( Noteworthy 390 ) . Not merely did Helen assist the organisations for the blind, but she helped persons every bit good. Helen reached out to assist a immature four twelvemonth old male child who, like her, was deaf, blind and deaf-and-dumb person. His name was Tommy Stringer. Helen convinced Michael Anagnos to acknowledge him into Perkins. She besides raised a fund for the immature male child. Over clip, Helen has accumulated a enormous sum of awards. These awards include: Brazil # 8217 ; s Order of the Southern Cross, Japan # 8217 ; s Sacred Treasure, the Philippine # 8217 ; s Golden Heart, Lebanon # 8217 ; s Gold Medal of Merit, and the Presidential Medal of Freedom. The National Institute of Arts and letters elected her rank as good. In 1952, during the Louis Braille Centennial Commemoration, Helen was made a Chevalier of the Gallic Legion of Honor ( # 8221 ; Hero # 8221 ; 2 ) She had eventually received all the acknowledgment and award that she deserved. Aside from being one of the earliest blind, deaf, and muffle individual to go active in society, Helen was besides an writer. Her first autobiography, The Story of My Life, was published in 1902 with the aid of Ann Sullivan and John Macy. The Narrative of My Life be came a global best-seller and was translated into 50 linguistic communications. Before she had even graduated college in 1903, Helen wrote a 7,500-word essay called Optimism. Optimism reflected the goodness that Helen saw in life. After she graduated in 1904, she became even more involved in society. In 1906 Massachusetts instituted it # 8217 ; s State Commission for the Blind. Gov. Curtis Guild, Jr. appointed Helen to the committee ( Noteworthy 390 ) . The World I Live In was published in 1909. It was a aggregation of essays about Helen # 8217 ; s perceptual experiences of the universe around her. Besides that twelvemonth, she became a member of the Socialist party. She was an aggressive suffragist and preferred strong and self-asserting tactics. During this clip she besides promoted a fabric work stoppage that took topographic point in Lawrence, Mass. The work stoppage was led my the Industrial Workers of the World. Bing a socialist made Helen # 8217 ; s life more thrill and gave her life more of a intent. Her beliefs were reflected through her work of this period. In 1910 A Song of the Stone Wall was published. This loyal verse form was 600 lines long. This was the last of her great verse form. It is sai d that, # 8220 ; After Anne Sullivan and John Macy # 8217 ; s matrimony ended Keller neer once more wrote with such lyric power, # 8221 ; ( Noteworthy 390 ) . Besides, a aggregation of socialist essays entitled, Out of the Dark, was published in 1913. Helen became active in political relations one time once more when the President relinquished neutrality in World War I ( Noteworthy 391 ) . She was against war and supported the Industrial Workers of the World one time once more. Helen besides began to back up many other motions during this clip such as the abolishment of capital penalty and kid labour, the birth control motion, and besides the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. Her engagement with this peculiar group seemed to be the most controversial and it infuriated her household and friends back in her place province of Alabama. The American Foundation for the Blind was founded in 1924 and asked Helen to assist raise financess for the foundation. Helen agreed to run for the American Foundation for the Blind. She raised two million dollars and distribute public consciousness ( Briggs 307 ) . In 1929, the 2nd volume of her autobiography, Midstream: My Later Life, was published. Helen continued to alter the universe during the 1930s. She began to press the populace in Washington for statute law for the blind. She was highly successful and got the Pratt measure passed. The Pratt measure provided federal funded reading services for the blind. She besides became the vice-president of the Royal National Institute for the Blind in the United Kingdom in 1932. In 1935 she helped implement Title X in the 1935 Social Security Act. This recognized the blind as a group to have federal grant aid. After the bombardment of Pearl Harbor in World War II, Helen supported President Roosevelt # 8217 ; s determination to fall in with the democracies. She showed her support by touring military infirmaries. After 1960, Helen retired from her public speech production and travelling. Her wellness was get downing to worsen. She had a shot in October of 1961 which caused her to take herself from the outside universe. She was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1964 but sent her household to accept the award in Washington. In 1968, Helen Keller died of arteriosclerotic bosom disease in her place in Westport, Connecticut. Helen became known world-wide as # 8220 ; one of the most singular kids in being # 8221 ; by the terminal of 1887 ( Noteworthy 389 ) . Her life-long end was to assist the deprived, peculiarly the blind and the deaf. She had a immense impact on Perkins. Her difficult work and devotedness helped her to get the better of her disabilities and besides inspired others to get the better of theirs. Helen pushed for the rights of the blind. She was a helper to adult females # 8217 ; s right to vote and the international peace motion before World War I. Many bureaus and establishments have been named after Helen Keller as good. Helen Keller International was set-up to contend sightlessness in the universe. Currently, Helen Keller International is one of the biggest organisations that works with the blind overseas ( # 8221 ; The Life # 8221 ; 3 ) . In 1986, the Industrial Home for the Blind was renamed to Helen Keller Services for the Blind. This bureau provides particular services for the blind in New York. Because of her efforts and battles, the blind now have better attention, preparation, and employment. # 8220 ; I am a donee of her work. Because of her illustration, the universe has given manner a small, # 8221 ; says David Jackson, a unsighted wind vocalist ( Shuur 2 ) . Ashby, Ruth, and Deborah Gore Orhn. Herstory. New York: The Penguin Group, 1995. Briggs, ASA. A Dictionary of twentieth Century World Biographies. New York: Oxford, 1992. Shuur, Diane. # 8220 ; The Miracle: Helen Keller. # 8221 ; Time. 1999 hypertext transfer protocol: //www.time.com ( 2 Feb. 2000 ) # 8220 ; The Life of Helen Keller. # 8221 ; RNIB. 1999 hypertext transfer protocol: //www.rnib.org.uk ( 28 Jan. 2000 ) # 8220 ; The Life of Helen Keller: An American Hero. # 8221 ; Helen Keller International. 1999 hypertext transfer protocol: //www.hki.org ( 4 Feb. 2000 )