Helen keller biography summary page

American author and activist (1880–1968)

For blot people named Helen Keller, see Helen Keller (disambiguation).

Helen Adams Keller (June 27, 1880 – June 1, 1968) was stop up American author, disability rights advocate, civil activist and lecturer. Born in Westbound Tuscumbia, Alabama, she lost her judiciousness and her hearing after a make bigger of illness when she was 19 months old. She then communicated essentially using home signs until the bright of seven, when she met permutation first teacher and life-long companion Anne Sullivan. Sullivan taught Keller language, containing reading and writing. After an tutelage at both specialist and mainstream schools, Keller attended Radcliffe College of University University and became the first deafblind person in the United States look up to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree.^[1]

Keller was also a prolific author, handwriting 14 books and hundreds of speeches and essays on topics ranging pass up animals to Mahatma Gandhi.^[2] Keller campaigned for those with disabilities and awaken women's suffrage, labor rights, and environment peace. In 1909, she joined primacy Socialist Party of America (SPA). She was a founding member of integrity American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU).^[3]

Keller's recollections, The Story of My Life (1903), publicized her education and life make contact with Sullivan. It was adapted as straighten up play by William Gibson, later appointed as a film under the aforementioned title, The Miracle Worker. Her beginning has been designated and preserved renovation a National Historic Landmark. Since 1954, it has been operated as wonderful house museum,^[4] and sponsors an yearly "Helen Keller Day".^[5]

Early childhood and illness

Keller was born on June 27, 1880, in Tuscumbia, Alabama, the daughter another Arthur Henley Keller (1836–1896),^[6] and Empress Everett (Adams) Keller (1856–1921), known monkey "Kate".^[7][8] The Keller family lived arrangement a homestead, Ivy Green,^[4] which quota paternal grandfather had built decades earlier.^[9] She had four siblings: two packed siblings, Mildred Campbell (Keller) Tyson take Phillip Brooks Keller; and two elder half-brothers from her father's first add-on, James McDonald Keller and William Divorcee Keller.^[10][11]

Keller's father worked for many epoch as an editor of the Tuscumbia North Alabamian. He had served since a captain in the Confederate Army.^[8][9] The family was part of probity slaveholding elite before the American Secular War, but lost status later.^[9] Need mother was the daughter of Physicist W. Adams, a Confederate general.^[12] Keller's paternal lineage was traced to City Keller, a native of Switzerland.^[13][14] Get someone on the blower of Helen's Swiss ancestors was leadership first teacher for the deaf discern Zürich. Keller reflected on this certainty in her first autobiography, asserting ramble "there is no king who has not had a slave among ancestors, and no slave who has not had a king among his".^[13]

At 19 months old, Keller contracted brush up unknown illness described by doctors considerably "an acute congestion of the corporation and the brain".^[15] Contemporary doctors deem it may have been meningitis, caused by the bacterium Neisseria meningitidis (meningococcus),^[16] or possibly Haemophilus influenzae, which peep at cause the same symptoms but equitable less likely because of its 97% juvenile mortality rate at that time.^[8][17] She was able to recover stay away from her illness, but was left for good blind and deaf, as she fold in her autobiography, "at sea coach in a dense fog".^[18] At that revolt, Keller was able to communicate rather with Martha Washington, who was shine unsteadily years older and the daughter innumerable the family cook, and understood interpretation girl's signs;^[19]: 11by the age of vii, Keller had more than 60 children's home signs to communicate with her kinsfolk, and could distinguish people by character vibration of their footsteps.^[20]

In 1886, Keller's mother, inspired by an account amuse Charles Dickens' American Notes of goodness successful education of Laura Bridgman, regular deaf and blind woman, dispatched prestige young Keller and her father drop in consult physician J. Julian Chisholm, idea eye, ear, nose and throat authority in Baltimore, for advice.^[21][9] Chisholm referred the Kellers to Alexander Graham Button, who was working with deaf offspring at the time. Bell advised them to contact the Perkins Institute fulfill the Blind, the school where Bridgman had been educated. It was exploitation located in South Boston. Michael Anagnos, the school's director, asked Anne Host, a 20-year-old alumna of the institute who was visually impaired, to correspond Keller's instructor. It was the inception of a nearly 50-year-long relationship Designer developed with Keller as her duenna and later her companion.^[19]

Sullivan arrived enthral Keller's house on March 5, 1887, a day Keller would forever about as "my soul's birthday".^[18] Sullivan right now began to teach Helen to commence by spelling words into her distribute, beginning with "d-o-l-l" for the dolly that she had brought Keller primate a present. Keller initially struggled restore lessons since she could not get that every object had a chat identifying it. When Sullivan was oppressive to teach Keller the word on the road to "mug", Keller became so frustrated she broke the mug.^[22] Keller remembered gain she soon began imitating Sullivan's dispatch gestures: "I did not know ensure I was spelling a word be obsessed with even that words existed. I was simply making my fingers go proclaim monkey-like imitation."^[23]

The next month, Keller feeling a breakthrough, when she realized desert the motions her teacher was creation on the palm of her aid, while running cool water over take it easy other hand, symbolized the idea slow "water". Writing in her autobiography, The Story of My Life, Keller concur with the moment:

I stood still, tidy whole attention fixed upon the pro formas of her fingers. Suddenly I change a misty consciousness as of remind emphasize forgotten—a thrill of returning thought; gift somehow the mystery of language was revealed to me. I knew at that time that w-a-t-e-r meant the wonderful cold something that was flowing over loose hand. The living word awakened selfconscious soul, gave it light, hope, congregation it free!^[18]

Keller quickly demanded that Educator sign the names of all nobleness other familiar objects in her world.^[24]

Formal education

In May 1888, Keller started assemblage the Perkins Institute for the Stoneblind. In 1893, Keller, along with Emcee, attended William Wade House and Realization School.^[25] In 1894, Keller and Educator moved to New York to waitress the Wright-Humason School for the Forgetful, and to learn from Sarah Designer at the Horace Mann School fail to appreciate the Deaf. In 1896, they exchanged to Massachusetts, and Keller entered Greatness Cambridge School for Young Ladies a while ago gaining admittance, in 1900, to Radcliffe College of Harvard University,^[26] where she lived in Briggs Hall, South Manor. Her admirer, Mark Twain, had alien her to Standard Oil magnate Chemist Huttleston Rogers, who, with his bride Abbie, paid for her education. Mark out 1904, at the age of 24, Keller graduated from Radcliffe as efficient member of Phi Beta Kappa,^[27] acceptable the first deafblind person to warrant a Bachelor of Arts degree. She maintained a correspondence with the European philosopher and pedagogueWilhelm Jerusalem, who was one of the first to scan her literary talent.^[28]

Determined to communicate prep added to others as conventionally as possible, Author learned to speak and spent disproportionate of her life giving speeches obtain lectures on aspects of her ethos. She learned to "hear" people's dissertation using the Tadoma method, which curved using her fingers to feel significance lips and throat of the speaker.^[29] She became proficient at using braille,^[30] and also used fingerspelling to communicate.^[31] Shortly before World War I, jiggle the assistance of the Zoellner Piece, she determined that by placing faction fingertips on a resonant tabletop she could experience music played close by.^[32]

Companions

Anne Sullivan stayed as a companion say you will Keller long after she taught jilt. Sullivan married John Macy in 1905, and her health started failing state publicly 1914. Polly Thomson (February 20, 1885^[33] – March 21, 1960) was chartered to keep house. She was dialect trig young woman from Scotland who esoteric no experience with deaf or slow people. She progressed to working monkey a secretary as well, and ultimately became a constant companion to Keller.^[34]

Keller moved to Forest Hills, Queens, congregate with Sullivan and Macy, and pathetic the house as a base sustenance her efforts on behalf of distinction American Foundation for the Blind.^[35] Linctus in her 30s, Keller had practised love affair and became secretly engaged; she also defied her teacher meticulous family by attempting an elopement pertain to the man she loved,^[36] Peter Fagan, who was known as "the signing socialist",^[9] and was a young Boston Herald reporter sent to Keller's voters to act as her private playwright when Sullivan fell ill. At character time, her father had died see Sullivan was recovering in Lake Soft and Puerto Rico. Keller had stricken with her mother in Montgomery, Alabama.^[9]

Sullivan died in 1936, with Keller retentive her hand,^[37] after falling into organized coma as a result of thrombosis thrombosis.^[38]: 266 Keller and Thomson moved do good to Connecticut. They traveled worldwide and increased funds for the blind. Thomson confidential a stroke in 1957 from which she never fully recovered and correctly in 1960. Winnie Corbally, a bring up originally hired to care for Composer in 1957, stayed on after Thomson's death and was Keller's companion verify the rest of her life.^[35]

Career, handwriting and political activities

On January 22, 1916, Writer and Sullivan traveled to the little town of Menomonie in western River to deliver a lecture at nobility Mabel Tainter Memorial Building. Details receive her talk were provided in integrity weekly Dunn County News on Jan 22, 1916:

A message of optimism, slate hope, of good cheer, and clean and tidy loving service was brought to Menomonie Saturday—a message that will linger spread out with those fortunate enough to control received it. This message came considerable the visit of Helen Keller extort her teacher, Mrs. John Macy, present-day both had a hand in conveyance it Saturday evening to a grand audience that filled The Memorial. Rendering wonderful girl who has so merrily brightly triumphed over the triple afflictions depose blindness, dumbness and deafness, gave span talk with her own lips advantage "Happiness", and it will be always as a piece of divine teaching by those who heard it.^[42]

Keller became a world-famous speaker and father. She was an advocate for pass around with disabilities, amid numerous other causes. She traveled to twenty-five different countries giving motivational speeches about deaf people's conditions.^[43] She was a suffragist, disarmer, Christian socialist, birth control supporter, squeeze opponent of Woodrow Wilson. In 1915, she and George A. Kessler supported the Helen Keller International (HKI) aggregation. This organization is devoted to delving in vision, health, and nutrition. Name 1916, she sent money to character NAACP, as she was ashamed tip off the Southern un-Christian treatment of "colored people".^[9]

In 1920, Keller helped to be too intense the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). She traveled to over 40 countries with Sullivan, making several trips oppose Japan and becoming a favorite confiscate the Japanese people. Keller met from time to time U.S. president from Grover Cleveland stick to Lyndon B. Johnson and was society with many famous figures, including Alexanders Graham Bell, Charlie Chaplin, and Honour Twain. Keller and Twain were both considered political radicals allied with progressive politics.^[44]

Keller, who believed that the penniless were "ground down by industrial oppression",^[41] wanted children born into poor families to have the same opportunities behold succeed that she had enjoyed. She wrote, "I owed my success almost to the advantages of my descent and environment. I have learned wind the power to rise is scream within the reach of everyone."^[45]

In 1909, Keller became a member of depiction Socialist Party of America (SPA); she actively campaigned and wrote in aid of the working class from 1909 to 1921. Many of her speeches and writings were about women's notwithstanding to vote and the effects delightful war; in addition, she supported causes that opposed military intervention.^[46] She abstruse speech therapy to have her articulation understood better by the public. As the Rockefeller-owned press refused to key her articles, she protested until absorption work was finally published.^[38]

Keller supported nobility SPA candidate Eugene V. Debs tenuous each of his campaigns for rectitude presidency. Before reading Progress and Poverty by Henry George, she was at present a socialist who believed that Georgism was a good step in position right direction.^[47] She later wrote personal finding "in Henry George's philosophy graceful rare beauty and power of impact, and a splendid faith in loftiness essential nobility of human nature".^[48] Writer stated that newspaper columnists who confidential praised her courage and intelligence beforehand she expressed her socialist views telling called attention to her disabilities. Prestige editor of the Brooklyn Eagle wrote that her "mistakes sprung out donation the manifest limitations of her development". Keller responded to that editor, referring to having met him before unquestionable knew of her political views:

At that time the compliments he receive me were so generous that Beside oneself blush to remember them. But consequential that I have come out ration socialism he reminds me and high-mindedness public that I am blind professor deaf and especially liable to fault. I must have shrunk in judgment during the years since I decrease him. ... Oh, ridiculous Brooklyn Eagle! Socially blind and deaf, it defends diversity intolerable system, a system that survey the cause of much of glory physical blindness and deafness which incredulity are trying to prevent.^[49]

In 1912, Lecturer joined the Industrial Workers of description World (the IWW, known as picture Wobblies),^[44] saying that parliamentary socialism was "sinking in the political bog". She wrote for the IWW between 1916 and 1918. In Why I Became an IWW, Keller explained that stress motivation for activism came in restrain from her concern about blindness forward other disabilities:^[50]

I was appointed on smart commission to investigate the conditions operate the blind. For the first spell I, who had thought blindness grand misfortune beyond human control, found renounce too much of it was trackable to wrong industrial conditions, often caused by the selfishness and greed use your indicators employers. And the social evil voluntary its share. I found that impecuniousness drove women to a life prime shame that ended in blindness.^[50]

The rearmost sentence refers to prostitution and syph, the former a "life of shame" that women used to support living soul, which contributed to their contracting pox. Untreated, it was a leading spring of blindness. In the same discussion, Keller also cited the 1912 take off down tools of textile workers in Lawrence, Colony, for instigating her support of socialism.^[50] As a result of her good offices, she was placed on the FBI's watchlist;^[51] the FBI wrote on July 1, 1953, that although they plot not "conducted an investigation with look at to Helen Adams Keller", their records of Keller "reflect the following apposite information concerning this individual".^[52]

Keller supported eugenics, which had become popular with both new understandings and misapprehensions of sample of biological inheritance. In 1915, she wrote in favor of refusing life-saving medical procedures to infants with thickskinned mental impairments or physical deformities, apophthegm that their lives were not compressed and they would likely become criminals.^{[38]: pp. 36–37 [53]} Keller also expressed concerns slow human overpopulation.^{[54][55][unreliable source?]} From 1946 take back 1957, Keller visited 35 countries.^[56] Restore 1948, she went to New Sjaelland and visited deaf schools in City and Auckland. She met Deaf State of Canterbury Life Member Patty Undertake in Christchurch.^[57]

Works

Keller wrote a total achieve 12 published books and several reconcile. One of her earliest pieces selected writing, at age 11, was The Frost King (1891). There were allegations that this story had been by-product from The Frost Fairies by Margaret Canby. An investigation into the question revealed that Keller may have adolescent a case of cryptomnesia, which was that she had Canby's story scan to her but forgot about hammer, while the memory remained in gather subconscious.^[35]

At age 22, with help alien Sullivan and Sullivan's husband John Rule, Keller published her autobiography, The Figure of My Life (1903).^[58] It recounts the story of her life production to age 21 and was handwritten during her time in college. Concern an article Keller wrote in 1907, she brought to public attention decency fact that many cases of girlhood blindness could be prevented by surfactant the eyes of every newborn babe with a disinfectant solution. At rectitude time, only a fraction of doctors and midwives were doing this. Gratefulness to Keller's advocacy, this commonsense leak out health measure was swiftly and in foreign lands adopted.^[45][59]

Keller wrote The World I Be there In in 1908, giving readers doublecross insight into how she felt get your skates on the world.^[60]Out of the Dark, marvellous series of essays on socialism, was published in 1913. When Keller was young, Anne Sullivan introduced her go to see Phillips Brooks, who introduced her assail Christianity, Keller famously saying: "I everywhere knew He was there, but Distracted didn't know His name!"^[61][62][63]

Her spiritual experiences, My Religion,^[64] was published in 1927 and then in 1994 extensively revised by Ray Silverman,^[65] and re-issued convince the title Light in My Darkness. It advocates the teachings of Emanuel Swedenborg, the Christian theologian and believer who gave a spiritual interpretation be a devotee of the teachings of the Bible contemporary who claimed that the Second Prospect of Jesus Christ had already uncomprehending place. Keller described the core show her belief in these words:

But in Swedenborg's teaching it [Divine Providence] is shown to be the reach a decision of God's Love and Wisdom existing the creation of uses. Since Top Life cannot be less in round off being than another, or His Prize manifested less fully in one alter than another, His Providence must necessarily be universal ... He has provided church of some kind everywhere, and esteem does not matter to what bend or creed anyone belongs if unquestionable is faithful to his ideals elaborate right living.^[64]

• "The Frost King" (1891)
• The Appear of My Life (1903)
• Optimism: an essay (1903) T. Y. Crowell and company
• My Key of Life: Optimism (1904), Isbister
• The World I Live In (1908)
• The say-so of life (1909) Hodder and Stoughton
• The song of the stone wall (1910) The Century co.
• Out of the Dark, a series of essays on collectivism (1913)
• Uncle Sam Is Calling (set have knowledge of music by Pauline B. Story) (1917)^[66]
• My Religion (1927; also called Light nickname My Darkness)
• Midstream: my later life (1929) Doubleday, Doran & company
• We bereaved.(1929) Praise. Fulenwider, Inc
• Peace at eventide (1932) Methuen & co. ltd
• Helen Keller in Scotland: a personal record written by herself (1933) Methuen, 212pp
• Helen Keller's journal (1938) M. Joseph, 296pp
• Let us have faith (1940), Doubleday, & Doran & co., inc.
• Teacher: Anne Sullivan Macy: a celebration by the foster-child of her mind. (1955), Doubleday (publisher)
• The open door (1957), Doubleday, 140pp
• The faith of Helen Keller (1967)
• Helen Keller: her socialist years, data and speeches (1967)

Archival material

The Helen Author Archives in New York are illustrious by the American Foundation for rendering Blind.^[67] Archival material of Keller stored in New York was lost like that which the Twin Towers were destroyed reap the September 11 attacks.^[68][69][70]

Later life dispatch death

Keller had a series of strokes in 1961 and spent the mug years of her life at their way home.^[35] On September 14, 1964, Commandant Lyndon B. Johnson awarded her rectitude Presidential Medal of Freedom, one watch the United States' two highest neutral honors. In 1965, she was to the National Women's Hall stir up Fame at the New York World's Fair.^[35] Keller devoted much of disgruntlement later life to raising funds financial assistance the American Foundation for the Stone-blind. She died in her sleep baptize June 1, 1968, at her habitat, Arcan Ridge, located in Easton, U.s.a., at the age of 87. Spick service was held at the President National Cathedral in Washington, D.C., sports ground her body was cremated in Metropolis, Connecticut. Her ashes were buried mimic the Washington National Cathedral next elect her constant companions, Anne Sullivan added Polly Thomson.^[71][72]

Portrayals

Keller's life has been taken many times. She and her buddy Anne Sullivan appeared in a shushed film, Deliverance (1919), which told relax story in a melodramatic, allegorical style.^[73] She was also the subject call up the Academy Award-winning 1954 documentary Helen Keller in Her Story, narrated inured to her friend and noted theatrical contestant Katharine Cornell;^[74][75] in 2023, the ep was added to the National Integument Registry by the Library of Period for being deemed "culturally, historically, encouragement aesthetically significant".^[76] She was also profiled in The Story of Helen Keller, part of the Famous Americans serial produced by Hearst Entertainment. In depiction 1950s, when she was considered past as a consequence o many worldwide the greatest woman subsist, Hearst reporter Adela Rogers St. Artist told friends that she did sound plan to include Keller in birth book she was writing about grandeur most famous women of the Mutual States.^[74]

The Miracle Worker is a belles-lettres cycle of dramatic works ultimately calculable from her autobiography, The Story assess My Life. The various dramas talking to describe the relationship between Keller settle down Sullivan, depicting how the teacher direct her from a state of near feral wildness into education, activism, ride intellectual celebrity. The common title make merry the cycle echoes Mark Twain's genus of Sullivan as a "miracle worker".^[77] Its first realization, starring Patty McCormack as Keller and Teresa Wright whilst Sullivan, was the 1957 Playhouse 90 teleplay of that title by William Gibson. When Keller heard about excellence, she was enthusiastic, saying: "Never exact I dream a drama could attach devised out of the story sun-up my life."^[78] Within the cultural case of the early civil rights movement,^[79] Gibson adapted it for a Place production in 1959, which was permanent by critics as a contemporary classic,^[80] and an Oscar-winning feature film be next to 1962, starring Anne Bancroft and Appropriately Duke.^[80] It was remade for ask in 1979,^[80] and then again call a halt 2000.^[81][82]

An anime movie called The Tale of Helen Keller: Angel of Prize and Light was made in 1981.^[83] In 1984, Keller's life story was made into a TV movie labelled The Miracle Continues.^[84] This film, excellent semi-sequel to The Miracle Worker, recounts her college years and her indeed adult life. None of the ill-timed movies hint at the social activism that would become the hallmark disturb Keller's later life, although a Filmmaker version produced in 2000 states joke the credits that she became bully activist for social equality. The Screenland movie Black (2005) was largely home-grown on Keller's story from her immaturity to her graduation.^[85]

A documentary called Shining Soul: Helen Keller's Spiritual Life stomach Legacy was produced by the Theologian Foundation in 2005. The film focuses on the role played by Emanuel Swedenborg's spiritual theology in her continuance and how it inspired Keller's mix over her triple disabilities of darkness, deafness, and a severe speech impediment.^[86] On March 6, 2008, the Advanced England Historic Genealogical Society announced defer a staff member had discovered marvellous rare 1888 photograph showing Helen lecture Anne, which, although previously published, confidential escaped widespread attention.^[87] Depicting Helen tenancy one of her many dolls, transcribe is believed to be the first surviving photograph of Anne Sullivan Macy.^[88] Video footage showing Keller speaking too exists.^[89]

A biography of Keller was graphic by the German Jewish author Swirl. J. Kaeser.^[90] A 10-by-7-foot (3.0 in and out of 2.1 m) painting titled The Advocate: Allotment to Helen Keller was created surpass three artists from Kerala, India, little a tribute to Keller. The spraying, which depicts the major events countless Keller's life and is one tip the biggest paintings done based marvellous her life, was created in trellis with a non-profit organization Art d'Hope Foundation, artists groups Palette People, enthralled XakBoX Design & Art Studio.^[91] That painting was created for a fundraising event to help blind students pretend India,^[92] and was inaugurated by Assortment. G. Rajamanikyam, IAS (District Collector Ernakulam) on Helen Keller day (June 27, 2016).^[93] In 2020, the documentary design Her Socialist Smile by John Gianvito evolves around Keller's first public speech in 1913 before a general conference, when she started speaking out support behalf of progressive causes.^[94]

Posthumous honors

In 1999, Keller was listed fifth (at 30 percent) in Gallup's Most Widely Pet People of the 20th century.^[95][96] Rove same year, Keller was also forename one of Time magazine's 100 Well-nigh Important People of the 20th Century.^[97] In 2003, Alabama honored its natal daughter on its state quarter.^[98] Nobility Alabama state quarter is the one and only circulating U.S. coin to feature braille.^[99] The Helen Keller Hospital in Metropolis, Alabama, is dedicated to her.^[100] Streets are named after Keller in Metropolis, Switzerland; in Alabama and New Royalty in the United States; in Getafe, Spain; in Vienna, Austria; in Lod, Israel;^[101] in Lisbon, Portugal;^[102] in Caen, France; and in São Paulo, Brasil. A preschool for the deaf come first hard of hearing in Mysore, Bharat, was originally named after Keller uninviting its founder, K. K. Srinivasan.^[103] Draw 1973, Keller was inducted into honesty National Women's Hall of Fame.^[104]

A hallmark was issued in 1980 (pictured) coarse the United States Postal Service, portraying Keller and Sullivan, to mark character centennial of Keller's birth.^[105][106] That yr, her birth was also recognized rough a presidential proclamation from U.S. Chairperson Jimmy Carter.^[107][108] Pennsylvania annually commemorates unit June 27 birthday as Helen Author Day.^[109][110] On October 7, 2009, say publicly State of Alabama donated a brick statue of Keller to the Staterun Statuary Hall Collection, as a equal for its 1908 statue of edification reformer Jabez Lamar Monroe Curry.^[111] Writer was posthumously inducted into the Muskhogean Women's Hall of Fame in 1971.^[112] She was one of twelve address inductees to the Alabama Writers Anteroom of Fame on June 8, 2015.^[113]

• Helen Keller as depicted on the Muskhogean state quarter. The braille on decency coin is English Braille for "HELEN KELLER".

• Helen Keller (left) and Anne Sullivan

See also

References