Helen Keller

Helen Keller at the age of 19 months. (http://gardenofpraise.com/images2/hkell.jpg)

The Life of A Brave, Dedicated Woman

Helen Adams Keller was a truly magnificent women. She was born on June 20, 1880 in Tuscumbia, Alabama. She became blind and deaf when she was only nineteen months old, yet she still managed to change the way we live today. What she endured was more than any single human could possibly handle, but she took the challenge, and showed that even though she wasn't like most of us, she could still contribute a tremendous amount to the world. When I first learned about Helen, I was about nine years old, and I thought to myself, "How could someone like her make such a huge difference to the world we live in today?" She is much more than a normal human being in my eyes. Helen influenced many by what she did in her lifetime. She was a political activist, even though she had to endure so much in her life, starting from such a young age. She also launched an organization called the 'Helen Keller International (HKI) Organization'. What makes Helen a true hero is that she fought for the rights of others, while risking her own safety. Helen Keller was a hard-worker, who did what she could, to help individuals around the world.

Her hard work and her sense of never giving up had gotten her what she deserved. Helen's ability to give motivational speeches was one of the reasons that made her such a good political activist. She was a speaker for people with disabilities, women's rights, and worker's rights. Helen had a strong belief in pacifism. As a pacifist, she was against any type of violence, especially war. Helen gave lectures on what she believed was right. As an individual, she contributed a great deal to women's rights, and also to treating people who are at a disadvantage mentally with the same respect as others. All this work she put into helping others, was truly extraordinary.

As a writer, Helen was very successful. She wrote twelve books, and many other articles. Many of her books demonstrated how she mentally and physically saw the world. One of her books, 'The Story of My Life', was an autobiography of her childhood and teen years. She wrote this novel when she was only 21 years old. It's remarkable how Helen learned to read and write. She learned to read and write in Greek, German, French, Latin, and Braille. She used 2 types of typewriters to write her books; Normal, and Braille. Helen learned Braille from her instructor, who stood alongside her for a remarkable 50 years. The bond that they shared was amazing, but it wasn't always like that. In the start, Helen would have tantrums, but eventually they went away. Helen's success as a writer was only a minor part of her career. She did many other amazing things, such as create an organization to prevent childhood blindness.

The HKI (Helen Keller International) organization. (http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_vRoPWmzh7ps/ScYvDZ2rtaI/AAAAAAAAAFI/lFvGK-RTX-s/s400/HKI-logo.jpg)

This organization that Helen had created alongside George Kessler had a purpose. It was made for researching health, nutrition and vision. George Kessler was a wealthy New York merchant who survived the sinking of the Lusitania. While he was recovering in London, he thought of dedicating the rest of his life to helping soldiers that were blinded in warfare. He asked Helen for help, and she happily agreed. She wanted people like her to live their lives with a better knowledge and understanding of how to read and write, by using Braille, and sign language. Another thing she wanted to achieve was to lower the overall childhood blindness rate. This organization still exists today and restorers the eyesight of millions of children. This small dream, turned into reality, and from there it went on to become tremendously successful. The HKI Organization is thought to be one of the best organizations that deals with blindness prevention. The people of today have made this even greater then it was when it first started. Her countless contributions to this organization helped make what it is today.

Helen Keller has been a great influence to people all around the world. She made a difference that will last for generations to come, by learning from herself others. She also affected the lives of many including blind children and the rights for voting for women. She has done so much for society, and I don't think anyone could have done what she had, while suffering from a disease that changed her life forever. She portrays courage, and perseverance throughout her life. She has taught us to never give up, and her hard work proved that. Overall, Helen Adams Keller was one of the most inspiring women in all of history because what she accomplished in the past, changed the future significantly.