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Essay Helen Keller: Author, Lecturer, Political Activist

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Helen Keller is one of the most inspirational people in American history. She had to overcome physical disabilities and many other obstacles to live the life that she did. Keller was born on June 27, 1880 in Tuscumbia, Alabama. Her parents, Arthur Keller and Kate Adams, both served for the Confederates in the Civil War (Thompson, 2003). Like most parents, they were ecstatic when Keller was born. At 18 months old, she was a happy, healthy baby already learning to say her first few words. However, one morning, she woke up with an extremely high fever and had to go to the hospital. The doctor told her parents she had a serious illness know as “acute congestion of the stomach and brain.” This illness caused her to lose her sight and …show more content…

After continuing this, it finally dawned on Keller that the word “water” being spelled in her palm symbolized the water that was being poured over her other hand (Forrest, 2005). After that event, she went around asking what everything was. This was the key that unlocked the world for her.

In May of 1888, Keller began attending Perkins Institute for the Blind. At Perkins, she learned to read Braille. In 1894, Keller and Sullivan moved to New York to attend the Wright-Humason School for the Deaf. In 1896, at the age of 16 Keller passed the admissions examination to Radcliffe College (Anonymous, 1992). She began college in 1900, and Sullivan attended class with her to tap out the words of the instructor in Keller’s hand. In 1904, at the age of 24, Keller graduated from Radcliffe College, becoming the first deaf blind person to earn a Bachelor degree (Thompson, 2003).

While in college, Keller wrote the first volume of her autobiography, The Story of My Life. However, this was just the beginning of her book writing career. Keller wrote a dozen of published books and several articles. After publishing her first book, she used the money she earned to buy a house (Keller, 1988).

Keller went on to become a well-known speaker and author. She traveled across the country, with Sullivan at her side, giving speeches to groups of people. She met several important

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