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Helen Keller

by Laura from Texas

What would life be like if you couldn't see or hear anything? Helen Adams Keller had to deal with this almost her entire life. Even though she was disabled, Helen was a strong-willed and courageous woman. She visited 39 countries in her lifetime and eventually grew up to write great novels that are now sold in 5 languages. Helen Keller overcame her own disabilities and inspired many people to never give up.

Helen Keller  (http://www.osmanian.com/2011/02/hellen-keller-biog ())
Helen Keller (http://www.osmanian.com/2011/02/hellen-keller-biog ())

Helen was born on June 27, 1880 in Tuscumbia, Alabama. Her family consisted of her mother, Kate Adams Keller, and her father, Arthur H. Keller. When Helen was about 7, her parents decided that she needed help because she was really struggling and was getting very frustrated. They hired a private tutor named Anne Sullivan. Anne was a wonderful tutor, and in just a couple days, Helen had learned tons of words in sign language. The only problem was, she had no clue what the words meant. One day while at the water pump, Anne held Helen's right hand under water, and spelled out W-A-T-E-R on her left palm. Helen smiled like she seemed to understand, and on that very day, she learned over 30 words!

Helen Keller learned to talk by feeling Anne's mouth while she talked, and even though it was tough to understand her, she never gave up and eventually became a great speaker! Helen learned French, English, Spanish, Greek, and Latin in Braille, and wrote eleven books. Helen visited 5 continents, giving speeches and helping raise money for several charities helping people who are blind or deaf. She was given several awards, one of which being the Presidential Medal of Freedom, a huge honor. Two Oscar award-winning movies were filmed about her life and people everywhere began to realize that if they put their mind to something, they could achieve their dreams.

Helen Keller demonstrated heroism when she overcame her lifelong struggle of being blind and deaf, and despite these difficulties, gave great speeches and wrote books. She was persistent even when the times got tough, and never gave up until she was satisfied. She was eager and ready to learn new things, and encouraged others to do the same. Helen was courageous and was ready to dive into a situation and make the best of it. She believed that with a lot of hard work and good effort, even the blind could see and the deaf could hear.

Helen Keller once said, "The best and most beautiful things cannot be seen or even touched. They must be felt with the heart." I agree with this because what really matters in life are not material things, like clothes, because Helen could not see these things and she turned out much better and kinder than the most people. Instead, we should focus on the people we love, on God, and on getting to Heaven, which is the main reason we are here on Earth. Helen Keller is my hero because she was strong in tough times and never gave up.

Page created on 4/25/2013 12:00:00 AM

Last edited 4/25/2013 12:00:00 AM

The beliefs, viewpoints and opinions expressed in this hero submission on the website are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the beliefs, viewpoints and opinions of The MY HERO Project and its staff.