The instinct to discover has been etched into the very hearts of humanity. From the moment we draw our first breath, we reach up to uncover our mothers, and we conclude this life with these very same discoveries that we’ve made. Yet, at times, this discovery can be halted by circumstances out of our control, circumstances that we’ve no choice but to trudge through. Of the millions stricken by these chains, Helen Keller was just one of many who overcame her challenges, making her mark for all of history to admire.
EARLY LIFE
Her days began like any other on June 27, 1880. 10 hour naps, the occasional milk chugs, and late-night tantrums that spurred waves of sleep deprivation in her parents! It was at only 19 months of age that Helen suffered from a crippling disease, leaving her both deaf and blind. Helen’s parents, Arthur and Kate Keller, were left conflicted. On one hand, they felt hollow, a product of their daughter’s seemingly incurable disease that blockaded her future. Yet, in their pity, Helen was given all she’d wanted, resulting in a rather spoiled upbringing that was extreme for a child of that time. This despair charged on for years after, as the Keller household suffered from a cacophony of Helen’s tantrums, the parents’ despair, and the hopelessness that came with it.
Sullivan's Miracle
Six years later, however, hope shone through for the Kellers via the appearance of Anne Sullivan, a previously blind woman who’d been healed of her disability. The Kellers desperately scrambled to hire the woman, as she made her much-wanted appearance on March 3, 1887. Anne Sullivan was a superb teacher – adaptable, innovative, and above all, persistent. Furthermore, in her time teaching, it became abundant to Sullivan that Helen’s talent far exceeded that of most! At this discovery, sparks of hope began to brew within both the Kellers and Sullivan. However, it became increasingly apparent in her inability to “connect” that Helen had merely memorized the gestures, not the meaning that those gestures held. Sullivan made many attempts to trudge against this obstacle, even resorting to bringing Helen away from home to increase the time she had to teach. While Helen was able to learn far more gestures than ever before, she was still unable to grasp the concept of a word. This loss, while leaving Sullivan dispirited, didn’t diminish her perseverance, as the teacher charged forth to more different approaches.
April 5th, 1887. A month or so after Sullivan’s arrival, progress was relatively quiet. Helen was struggling with the symbols for “mug” and “milk”, confusing the two for the gesture “drink”. Sullivan, determined to fix the issue, took Helen outside to feel the graze of water, hoping to instill the difference between liquids and cups within Helen’s mind. However, something far more favorable had occurred! As Sullivan spelled the word “water” into Keller’s hand, Helen made one vital connection. The cool, permeable substance she was feeling was called “water”. The concept of meaning finally shone upon Helen’s mind, as she raced across her garden, feeling and naming all sorts of different flowers and people and things, leaving her with a total of 30 learned words by nightfall!
Helen's Mark and Ending
Throughout the course of her lifetime, Helen wrote 14 books, all of which having repainted the overlooked portrait that was disability. Aside from her books, Keller gave up to 475 speeches, having refined her tongue for this call to speak the truth that she herself had felt firsthand. Neither landscapes nor age could bind Helen either, as at the grueling age of 75, she embarked on an ambitious tour across much of Asia, advocating for the blind and deaf just as she had in America. She’d also established and helped established several currently-running organizations that fought against key issues, including, but not limited to: Free speech, blindness, malnutrition, civil rights, social justice, social equality, and the list goes on!
Helen Keller’s story came to a close on June 1st, 1968, having lived a rich 88 years of life. She died a peaceful death, taken off in her sleep, leaving the world the same way she came. While she’d left many craters on the issue that was disability with her words and actions, above all, her greatest achievement was her life itself. To walk through life’s many assaults, leading the path of greatness by example rather than speech.
The What
There is, I believe, a universal law of trade. With Alexander the Great’s great power came the heel of pride. With Helen Keller’s talent came the loss of many senses. We, as creatures that lay bare in the vast palm of the universe, adhere to that same code. We live under the same umbrella of talent, yet our individual positions and responses remain different. Some may choose to stick a tongue out, cheering on the embrace of the tiny raindrops. Some choose to coat themselves in a hood, wanting to remain intact for a higher purpose. It is the same with you, dear reader. There always remains a talent within you, one that you can grab hold of and harness. The gift of words, of art, of mathematics, of science, or even that of sociality! I implore you, dear reader, find that talent, and you can leave a mark just as Keller did.
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