Helen Keller Analysis

 From The Story of My Life by Helen Keller:

“I was like that ship before my education began, only I was without a compass or sounding-line, had no way of knowing how near the harbour was” (p.445).

“ 'What is love?’ I asked” (p.447).

“My work was practice, practice, practice. Discouragement and weariness cast down on me frequently; but the next moment I thought that I should soon be home and show my loved ones what I had accomplished, spurred on me, and I eagerly looked forward to their pleasure in my achievement” (p.450).

    

    As a child, Helen felt lost and frustrated that she could not understand what life had to offer because she was not able to see her surroundings or hear others. She used her other senses constantly like her smell and touch. Where others could see the beautiful, bright colors of the greenery and flowers, she could smell their scents and feel them in her hands. Her hands helped her in her learning from learning objects that had names, to learning how to write and read, and to speak. Helen was a very tactile learner so, when Anne, her educator, spelled out “I love Helen” in her hand she was curious what love was. She had thought maybe it was the heat of the sun or the sweetness of the flowers. Anne tried to explain to her that it was a feeling not an object that she could touch, and this confused her. Helen has based her learning on her hands and now when she is told that she cannot touch it, that must have been hard for her to understand. I believe that if I was in Helen’s shoes I would have also struggled with this concept of love because I would not be able to hear someone’s voice or see their expressions. I think love is a feeling from your heart and your brain, and when someone cannot explain that to me, it would be difficult because I am sure she wanted to understand. Helen constantly practiced learning more about how to be a part of society and be able to share her experiences with others, like she did when she wrote this story.

Word Count: 359

Comments

  1. Gianna GraviusApril 12, 2021 at 6:40 AM

    I agree that if I were in Helen's shoes I would also struggle with the concept of love. People struggle with the idea of love throughout their lives, and may not even realize if it is real love when they are in relationships. I could not imagine trying to explain this concept to someone that could not see or hear, and even more I could not imagine being the one trying to understand this abstract concept.

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