Alexander Graham Bell

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"When one door closes, another opens; but we often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door that we do not see the one which has opened for us" ("Alexander Graham Bell Quote"). This quote illustrates the fact that there is always another opportunity, and that's why Bell should be viewed as a hero. Alexander Graham Bell was from a Scottish family that had a history of teaching the deaf to speak. For example, Bell's grandfather created a system of symbols to represent shapes of the mouth during speech. After the tragic death of two of his brothers, Bell's family traveled to America, where he began inventing an assortment of different machines that could produce the sound of a human voice. To be an inspiring hero, you must possess good character and a desire to help others. Alexander Graham Bell exemplifies these qualities.

Alexander Graham Bell had great character. Bell would much rather help others than accumulate wealth and sit on it. "In 1880, he won the French government's Volta Prize for his telephone. With the $10,000, he established the Volta Laboratory for research, invention, and work for the deaf" ("Alexander Graham Bell"). Bell always wanted to help the deaf communicate better. So with the prize money from his invention of the telephone, he started research just for them, showing that he is truly dedicated to helping people with disabilities. The Volta Laboratory improved on the phonograph, as well as built voice recorders that recorded sound on cylinders. Bell's character made him very capable of working in groups with others. "Early in 1874, Bell met Thomas A. Watson (1854-1934), a young machinist at a Boston electrical shop. Watson became Bell's indispensable assistant, bringing to Bell's experiments the crucial ingredient that had been lacking--his technical expertise in electrical engineering" ("Alexander Graham Bell.") Bell was able to share his work with Watson. That takes character; it shows how he doesn't care for fame, he just wants to make the world a better place. Watson became good friends with Bell. Bell's character led him to find friends and coworkers, and to have the ability to help others even more than he already had.

Alexander Graham Bells Telephone (http://www.design-technology.org/telephone.htm ())

Alexander Graham Bell constantly tried to help others. Before he began inventing things, he taught the deaf to better communicate with hearing people. "Bell joined the Boston School for the Deaf--the first such school in the world in 1871. Shortly afterwards, he became a professor of vocal physiology and speech at Boston University and also tutored private pupils" ("Alexander Graham Bell"). Bell wanted to help people, specifically those who are deaf, whom he taught how to speak and read lips. Although he did very well with his inventions, and became very wealthy, he never forgot about helping people with disabilities work in society better. "Bell opened his own school in Boston for training teachers of the deaf" ("Alexander Graham Bell"). He founded an institution dedicated to helping those with auditory disabilities. Bell never stopped working to better communication between people.

Heroes are people who inspire others with their character and their desire to help others. Lots of wealthy people want nothing more than to continue accumulating; however, Bell always gave back. He taught the deaf how to speak and read lips. He aided people with communication, whether with a telephone or with speech. Alexander Graham Bell is inspiring for making it possible for communication to extend worldwide, and his family made it possible for the deaf to communicate with hearing people. Today's world would be completely different if Bell had not done his work for the improvement of communication.

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