Helen Keller

Have you ever hated the dark?  Silence? What about both? Well for some people have to spend most or all of their life in darkness and silence. I am writing about Helen Keller because even though she was both deaf and blind she pushed through to become an author.

Helen Keller was born on June 27, 1880 she lived on a farm in Tuscumbia, Alabama. Her parents are Captain and Kate Keller. Helen Keller had 2 brothers. Some of Helen’s first words were “tea” and “wah-wah”. She could walk at a very early age.

But when Helen was 2 years old she became very sick. When she was sick there was little medicine. Helen’s doctor thought Helen would die. But finally, Helen got better. But when Helen's mother was bathing her and she moved her hand in front of her eyes Helen did not blink. Every evening there was a bell that signaled dinner but Helen did not notice the bell. Then her mother called her husband and his sister. They tried everything that made noise but Helen did not notice. They took her to the doctor but he could not do anything, Helen was deaf and blind. 

Helen found her way around by clinging to her mother’s skirts Helen communicated by making signals with her hands. Helen started to play tricks one day she locked her mother in the pantry. She was there for 3 hours. Helen had only 2 friends, a young servant named Martha and her family had a family dog named Belle.

When Helen was 6 years old she went to Alexander Graham Bell. He told her family to write a letter to the Perkins Institute for the Blind in Boston, Massachusetts. A letter came back saying that Helen Keller could have a teacher named Anne Sullivan. One day Anne realized that to continue Helen's learning they would need to live alone together. On April 5, 1887 when Anne spelled water on her hand. In May 1888 Helen went to Perkins School.  On her way, she went to the White House to see President Grover Cleveland.

In 1936 Anne Sullivan died; she had been Helen’s teacher for 50 years. Helen had a new teacher named Polly Thomson. Helen became the ambassador for the blind so she met with many famous people. Helen toured Japan in the 1930s. When she told her stories many did not believe her. Helen helped people who were blind by touring Japan. Helen Loved dogs so the Japanese gave her a beautiful Akita dog. After World War 2, there were many blind soldiers so she went and visited them. Helen Keller died in 1986 June first.

Helen Keller is my hero because she is an awesome, and inspiring woman. But she is not a very well-known author; she was more known for being blind and deaf. Thank you for reading my essay on Helen Keller.