Skip to main content

What circumstances led Helen Keller to be accused of plagiarism?

Helen tells us this story in Chapters 14 and 15. She was about 12 years old when she wrote a story she originally called “Autumn Leaves” and then re-titled as “The Frost King.” She sent it to Mr. Anagnos at the Perkins Institution for the Blind in Boston, and he chose to publish it in a school report. Unfortunately, it turned out Helen’s story was quite similar to a story called “The Frost Fairies,” written...

Helen tells us this story in Chapters 14 and 15. She was about 12 years old when she wrote a story she originally called “Autumn Leaves” and then re-titled as “The Frost King.” She sent it to Mr. Anagnos at the Perkins Institution for the Blind in Boston, and he chose to publish it in a school report. Unfortunately, it turned out Helen’s story was quite similar to a story called “The Frost Fairies,” written by Margaret T. Canby and first appearing in a book called Birdie and His Fairy Friends, originally released in 1874. Evidently, the Hopkins house had a copy of this old book; and once when Helen was staying there, someone read the story to her. She was used to assimilating everything she read and learned, and she hadn’t realized the story she wrote wasn’t her own work. She didn’t remember having ever heard the tale before. Perkins launched an investigation. Helen had to appear before a committee without Anne Sullivan to help her. She was nervous and upset, and the members thought she was guilty of deliberately copying the Canby story. While Mr. Anagnos later maintained that he always believed in her innocence, Helen was sad to sense a definite change in his attitude whenever she was in his presence afterward. For a long while, Helen felt she had to question every one of her “original” ideas. “I am not sure it is mine,” she said.

Popular posts from this blog

In chapter one of The Great Gatsby, what advice does Nick's father give him? How does this make him a good person to tell this story?

Nick says that his father advised him that, before "criticizing anyone," he "remember that all the people in this world haven't had the same advantages" as Nick.  As a result, Nick claims that he is "inclined to reserve all judgments," presenting himself to the reader as a fair and dispassionate arbiter of character, and thus, a reliable narrator.   The problem is that Nick immediately reveals himself as anything but reliable, as he then launches... Nick says that his father advised him that, before "criticizing anyone," he "remember that all the people in this world haven't had the same advantages" as Nick.  As a result, Nick claims that he is "inclined to reserve all judgments," presenting himself to the reader as a fair and dispassionate arbiter of character, and thus, a reliable narrator.   The problem is that Nick immediately reveals himself as anything but reliable, as he then launches into a discussion of how pe...
Post a Comment
Read more

How and why does James Gatz become Jay Gatsby? Describe the young Gatsby/Gatz.

James Gatz, a poor Midwestern boy of probable Jewish lineage, becomes Jay Gatsby, a presumed WASP and wealthy socialite, when he moves to New York City and acquires his fortune. It is wealth that has allowed Gatz to transform himself into Gatsby. However, those who know his background (e.g., Daisy and Tom Buchanan) never allow him to forget that he is nouveau riche -- that is, an upstart who has just recently made his fortune,... James Gatz, a poor Midwestern boy of probable Jewish lineage, becomes Jay Gatsby, a presumed WASP and wealthy socialite, when he moves to New York City and acquires his fortune. It is wealth that has allowed Gatz to transform himself into Gatsby. However, those who know his background (e.g., Daisy and Tom Buchanan) never allow him to forget that he is nouveau riche -- that is, an upstart who has just recently made his fortune, whereas they arose from well-to-do families. Gatz became Gatsby through determination and discipline. At the end of the novel, the narr...
Post a Comment
Read more

Explain and discuss how the definitions of freedom change for the nation, for the freedmen and for southern whites after the Civil War.

After the Civil War, the definition of freedom changed in the nation, as slavery was ended with the 13th Amendment to the Constitution in 1865. The practice of slavery was disallowed, but definition of the freedom that would take its place was a subject of controversy, ongoing debate, and even violence in the decades to come.  For freedmen, freedom often meant reconciling with their families, who were broken up by slavery; choosing which church to... After the Civil War, the definition of freedom changed in the nation, as slavery was ended with the 13th Amendment to the Constitution in 1865. The practice of slavery was disallowed, but definition of the freedom that would take its place was a subject of controversy, ongoing debate, and even violence in the decades to come.  For freedmen, freedom often meant reconciling with their families, who were broken up by slavery; choosing which church to belong to without being ordered to attend religious services (or not to attend) by their mast...
Post a Comment
Read more