Skip to main content

How are Helen Keller's parents portrayed as role models for other parents in The Story of My Life?

Arthur and Kate Keller were determined to find help for their daughter, Helen.  Helen became deaf and blind when she was one year old.  In the 1880s, children with such severe disabilities were often sent away to live in asylums or at boarding schools.  They were sometimes not expected to learn or live normal lives.  Helen's parents did not feel this way.


As Helen grew older and tried to communicate, Mr. and Mrs. Keller "were...

Arthur and Kate Keller were determined to find help for their daughter, Helen.  Helen became deaf and blind when she was one year old.  In the 1880s, children with such severe disabilities were often sent away to live in asylums or at boarding schools.  They were sometimes not expected to learn or live normal lives.  Helen's parents did not feel this way.


As Helen grew older and tried to communicate, Mr. and Mrs. Keller "were deeply grieved and perplexed."  They wanted to help their daughter, but they did not know how.  They began to research options.  They did not live anywhere near a "school for the blind or the deaf."  Helen's mother read "American Notes" by Charles Dickens.  She read about "his account of Laura Bridgman, and remembered vaguely that she was deaf and blind, yet had been educated."  Her father discovered an "eminent oculist in Baltimore."  They traveled there "to see if anything could be done for [Helen's] eyes."  When they arrived in Baltimore, Helen's parents were disappointed to find out that the doctor could not do anything to fix Helen's eyes.  He did, however, recommend that the Kellers contact the inventor Alexander Graham Bell.  He might know about ways to educate the deaf and blind.


They "went immediately to Washington to see Dr. Bell."  He was able to direct them as to ways to educate Helen.  Alexander Graham Bell was helpful and he "advised [her] father to write to Mr. Anagnos, director of the Perkins Institution in Boston."  It was through Mr. Anagnos that Anne Sullivan was sent to the Keller homestead to be Helen's teacher.  This changed her life.  Helen's parents were determined and did not give up until they found a way to educate their daughter.  Other parents who have children with disabilities can look at their perseverance and hopefully be inspired.

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...

How did the United States become an imperial power?

"Imperial power" is a bit of a vague label. It tends to mean several things at once, so let's unpack it. In the sense of "this country was built on conquest by force," the "imperial power" part of America actually predates the United States proper. The territories that would become the United States were imperial colonies, established by the great European empires of the 17th and 18th centuries. Much of the US Constitution and American governance generally goes back to England, history's largest and most successful imperial power, but vital aspects of American culture come from other imperial powers, such as France and Spain. Much of American culture comes from sources other than the old empires, but they were key influences on what the United States became. In the sense of "this country treats conquest by force as a fundamental component of its culture, economy and politics," the United States has always been an imperial power. Even earl...

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...