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Anne Sullivan

by Brooke from San Diego

(www.biography.com ())
(www.biography.com ())

As a child, Anne Sullivan had an eye disease called trachoma which is caused by bacteria. This disease damaged her eyes causing her to lose her eyesight throughout her early life. On top of that her mother died when she was only eight years old causing her father to take care of her and her brother. He soon realized that he couldn't take of them on his own so he abandoned them. Anne and her younger brother were sent to live in the poorhouse in Tewksbury. Sullivan then left to attend the Perkins school for the blind to better herself and get an education. Sullivan later graduated in 1886 as class valedictorian. As the Perkins school for the blind states "During the summer of 1886, Captain Keller of Alabama wrote to Perkins Director Michael Anagnos, asking him to recommend a teacher for his young daughter Helen, who had been deaf and blind since the age of 19 months." Anagnos recommended Sullivan for the job, she agreed . In 1887, Sullivan went to Tuscumbia, Alabama, to work for the Keller family and to begin a new journey. Anne Sullivan is more than a teacher she is a hero because of her perseverance through her disease, patience in helping others, and willingness to help others around her.

Anne Sullivan was perseverant because she had to overcome many obstacles as a young child. One of the reasons she was perseverant was having to overcome this disease "At the age of five, Anne contracted an eye disease called trachoma, which severely damaged her sight. Her mother, Alice, suffered from tuberculosis and had difficulty getting around after a serious fall. She died when Anne was eight years old." (biography.com) This shows that Anne was perseverant because she had to overcome this horrible disease as a young child causing her to go nearly blind and well all of this was going on her mother was suffering from an illness causing her die when Anne was only eight years old. She also had to deal being abandoned and left to live on her own "Anne and her infirm younger brother, Jimmie, were sent to live at the Tewksbury Almshouse, a home for the poor. Some reports say that Sullivan also had a sister who was sent to live with relatives. Tewksbury Almshouse was dirty, rundown, and overcrowded. Sullivan's brother Jimmie died just months after they arrived there, leaving Anne alone." (biography.com) This shows that Anne had to live without both her mother and brother, also her father felt that it was to much to have to take care of Anne and her brother Jimmie so he abandoned them causing her to have to go to a dirty house for the poor. Anne Sullivan was perservant because of the disease she had to overcome and her brother and mother dying, causing her to have to gain more patience in her life.

(www.bostonglobe.com ())
(www.bostonglobe.com ())

Anne had to gain patience with helping Helen Keller through her difficulties. One of the reasons she was patience was when she had to help Helen get over her frustration about the world. "Sullivan showed great maturity and ingenuity in teaching Keller. She wanted to help Keller make associations between words and physical objects, and worked hard with her rather stubborn and spoiled pupil." (biography.com) Sullivan learned to teach Helen in ways that she understood and to have patience in trying to teach someone with such a stubborn personality. Anne also had to have patience with her relationship with her ex husband. "A Harvard instructor, John Albert Macy, worked with Helen to edit the book. Eventually, he and Sullivan fell in love and were married in the living room of the Wrentham home. However, Sullivan found it difficult to spend time away from Helen, and John Macy grew discouraged at having to share his wife with her blind student. The couple stayed together for eight years, separating in 1913. While they did not live together after that time, the couple remained married." Anne grew patience with learning to have to devote her attention to both her husband and her Helen. All though John Macy didn't understand fully he later left her after being together for eight years it remained to be married.

Anne was a very caring and generous person who was willing to help teach Helen. This is showed in the following " After isolating Keller from her family in order to better educate her, Sullivan began working to teach Keller how to communicate with the outside world. During one lesson, she finger-spelled the word "water" on one of Keller's hands as she ran water over her student's other hand. Keller finally made her first major breakthrough, connecting the concept of sign language with the objects around her." (Biography.com) This shows that Anne was determined to teach Helen to learn sign language and how to communicate with others around her. Secondly Helen tried to "On this day in 1887, Anne Sullivan begins teaching six-year-old Helen Keller, who lost her sight and hearing after a severe illness at the age of 19 months. Under Sullivan's tutelage, including her pioneering "touch teaching" techniques, the previously uncontrollable Keller flourished." (history.com) Anne was very good at deciding what worked for Helen and what didn't she was a generous young lady who wanted to see her student strive for the best.

Anne Sullivan is more than a teacher she is a hero because of her perseverance through her disease, patience in helping others, and willingness to help others around her. As Perkins School for the Blind says "Both Keller and Sullivan are revered at Perkins. Helen Keller has served as an inspiration for what is possible for young people who are deafblind; Anne Sullivan has served as an inspiration for the teachers who help these students achieve their potential. Perkins School for the Blind is proud and grateful to have contributed to the education of the great humanitarian Helen Keller and her brilliant teacher Anne Sullivan.

Works Cited

 

"Anne Sullivan Macy - Anne Sullivan Macy Biography." Anne Sullivan Macy - Anne   

Sullivan Macy Biography. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 Feb. 2016.

"Anne Sullivan Macy." World of Health. Gale, 2007. Biography in Context. Web. 5 Feb. 2016.

"Anne Sullivan." Perkins School for the Blind. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Jan. 2016.

Bio.com. A&E Networks Television, 2016. Web. 26 Jan. 2016.  

"Helen Keller Meets Her Miracle Worker." History.com. A&E Television Networks, n.d.

Web. 29 Jan. 2016.

Page created on 2/13/2016 12:00:00 AM

Last edited 9/24/2018 11:06:18 PM

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