Jhoanna Rein Duzon English November 20, 2013

III- Mendeleev Biography of Helen Keller Ms. Santiago

NAME: Helen Keller
OCCUPATION: Educator, Activist, Journalist
BIRTH DATE: June 27, 1880
DEATH DATE: June 01, 1968
EDUCATION: Horace Mann School for the Deaf, Wright-Humason
School for the Deaf, Cambridge School for Young Ladies, Radcliff
College
PLACE OF BIRTH: Tuscumbia, Alabama
PLACE OF DEATH: Easton, Connecticut
FULL NAME: Helen Keller
FULL NAME: Helen Adams Keller

Synopsis
Helen Adams Keller was born on June 27, 1880 in Tuscumbia,
Alabama. In 1882, she fell ill and was struck blind, deaf and mute.
Beginning in 1887, Keller's teacher, Anne Sullivan, helped her make tremendous progress with her ability to
communicate, and Keller went on to college, graduating in 1904. In 1920, Keller helped found the ACLU.
During her lifetime, she received many honors in recognition of her accomplishments.
Early Life
Helen Keller was the first of two daughters born to Arthur H. Keller and Katherine Adams Keller. She also had
two older stepbrothers. Keller's father had proudly served as an officer in the Confederate Army during the Civil
War. The family was not particularly wealthy and earned income from their cotton plantation. Later, Arthur
became the editor of a weekly local newspaper, the North Alabamian.
Keller was born with her senses of sight and hearing, and started speaking when she was just 6 months old.
She started walking at the age of 1.
Loss of Sight and Hearing
In 1882, however, Keller contracted an illnesscalled "brain fever" by the family doctorthat produced a high
body temperature. The true nature of the illness remains a mystery today, though some experts believe it might
have been scarlet fever or meningitis. Within a few days after the fever broke, Keller's mother noticed that her
daughter didn't show any reaction when the dinner bell was rung, or when a hand was waved in front of her
face. Keller had lost both her sight and hearing. She was just 18 months old.
As Keller grew into childhood, she developed a limited method of communication with her companion, Martha
Washington, the young daughter of the family cook. The two had created a type of sign language, and by the
time Keller was 7, they had invented more than 60 signs to communicate with each other. But Keller had
become very wild and unruly during this time. She would kick and scream when angry, and giggle
uncontrollably when happy. She tormented Martha and inflicted raging tantrums on her parents. Many family
relatives felt she should be institutionalized.
Educator Ann Sullivan
Looking for answers and inspiration, in 1886, Keller's mother came across a travelogue by Charles
Dickens, American Notes. She read of the successful education of another deaf and blind child, Laura
Bridgman, and soon dispatched Keller and her father to Baltimore, Maryland to see specialist Dr. J. Julian
Chisolm. After examining Keller, Chisolm recommended that she see Alexander Graham Bell, the inventor of
the telephone, who was working with deaf children at the time. Bell met with Keller and her parents, and
suggested that they travel to the Perkins Institute for the Blind in Boston, Massachusetts. There, the family met
with the school's director, Michael Anaganos. He suggested Helen work with one of the institute's most recent
graduates, Anne Sullivan. And so began a 49-year relationship between teacher and pupil.
In March 1887, Sullivan went to Keller's home in Alabama and immediately went to work.
She began by teaching Helen finger spelling, starting with the word "doll," to help Keller understand the gift of a doll
she had brought along. Other words would follow. At first, Keller was curious, then defiant, refusing to cooperate
with Sullivan's instruction. When Keller did cooperate, Sullivan could tell that she wasn't making the connection
between the objects and the letters spelled out in her hand. Sullivan kept working at it,forcing Helen to go through
the regimen.
As Keller's frustration grew, the tantrums increased. Finally, Sullivan demanded that she and Keller be isolated from
the rest of the family for a time, so that Keller could concentrate only on Sullivan's instruction. They moved to a
cottage on the plantation.
In a dramatic struggle, Sullivan taught Keller the word "water"; she helped her make the connection between the
object and the letters by taking Keller out to the water pump, and placing Keller's hand under the spout. While
Sullivan moved the lever to flush cool water over Keller's hand, she spelled out the word w-a-t-e-r on Helen's other
hand. Keller understood and repeated the word in Sullivan's hand. She then pounded the ground, demanding to
know its "letter name." Sullivan followed her, spelling out the word into her hand. Keller moved to other objects with
Sullivan in tow. By nightfall, she had learned 30 words.
A Formal Education
In 1890, Keller began speech classes at the Horace Mann School for the Deaf in Boston. She would toil for 25 years
to learn to speak so that others could understand her. From 1894 to 1896, she attended the Wright-Humason
School for the Deaf in New York City. There, she worked on improving her communication skills and studied regular
academic subjects.
Around this time, Keller became determined to attend college. In 1896, she attended the Cambridge School for
Young Ladies, a preparatory school for women. As her story became known to the general public, Keller began to
meet famous and influential people. One of them was the writer Mark Twain, who was very impressed with her.
They became friends. Twain introduced her to his friend Henry H. Rogers, a Standard Oil executive. Rogers was so
impressed with Keller's talent, drive and determination that he agreed to pay for her to attend Radcliff College.
There, she was accompanied by Sullivan, who sat by her side to interpret lectures and texts.
By this time, Keller had mastered several methods of communication, including touch-lip reading, Braille, speech,
typing and finger-spelling. With the help of Sullivan and Sullivan's future husband, John Macy, Keller wrote her first
book, The Story of My Life. It covered her transformation from childhood to 21-year-old college student. Keller
graduated, cum laude, from Radcliffe in 1904, at the age of 24.
In 1905, Sullivan married John Macy, an instructor at Harvard University, a social critic and a prominent socialist.
After the marriage, Sullivan continued to be Keller's guide and mentor. When Keller went to live with the Macys, they
both initially gave Keller their undivided attention.
Gradually, however, Anne and John became distant to each other, as Anne's devotion to Keller continued unabated.
After several years, they separated, though were never divorced.

Work and Influence
In 1936, Keller's beloved teacher and devoted companion, Anne Sullivan, died. She had experienced health
problems for several years and, in 1932, lost her eyesight completely. A young woman named Polly Thompson, who
had begun working as a secretary for Keller and Sullivan in 1914, became Keller's constant companion upon
Sullivan's death.
In 1946, Keller was appointed counselor of international relations for the American Foundation of Overseas Blind.
Between 1946 and 1957, she traveled to 35 countries on five continents. In 1955, at age 75, Keller embarked on the
longest and most grueling trip of her life: a 40,000-mile, five-month trek across Asia. Through her many speeches
and appearances, she brought inspiration and encouragement to millions of people.
Keller's autobiography, The Story of My Life, was used as the basis for 1957 television drama The Miracle Worker.
In 1959, the story was developed into a Broadway play of the same title, starring Patty Duke as Keller and Anne
Bancroft as Sullivan. The two actresses also performed those roles in the 1962 award-winning film version of the
play.
Writings
One of her earliest pieces of writing, at age 11, was The Frost King (1891). There were allegations that this
story had been plagiarized from The Frost Fairies by Margaret Canby. An investigation into the matter revealed
that Keller may have experienced a case of cryptomnesia, which was that she had Canby's story read to her
but forgot about it, while the memory remained in her subconscious.
At age 22, Keller published her autobiography, The Story of My Life (1903), with help from Sullivan and
Sullivan's husband, John Macy. It recounts the story of her life up to age 21 and was written during her time in
college.
Keller wrote The World I Live In in 1908, giving readers an insight into how she felt about the world.
[25]
Out of
the Dark, a series of essays on socialism, was published in 1913.
When Keller was young, Anne Sullivan introduced her to Phillips Brooks, who introduced her to Christianity,
Keller famously saying: "I always knew He was there, but I didn't know His name!"
Her spiritual autobiography, My Religion, was published in 1927 and then in 1994 extensively revised and re-
issued under the title Light in My Darkness. It advocates the teachings of Emanuel Swedenborg, the Christian
revelator and theologian who gives a spiritual interpretation of the teachings of the Bible and who claims that
the second coming of Jesus Christ has already taken place. Adherents use several names to describe
themselves, including Second Advent Christian,Swedenborgian, and New Church.
Keller described the progressive views of her belief in these words:
But in Swedenborg's teaching it [Divine Providence] is shown to be the government of God's Love and Wisdom
and the creation of uses. Since His Life cannot be less in one being than another, or His Love manifested less
fully in one thing than another, His Providence must needs be universal . . . He has provided religion of some
kind everywhere, and it does not matter to what race or creed anyone belongs if he is faithful to his ideals of
right living.
Akita Dog
When Keller visited Akita Prefecture in Japan in July 1937, she inquired about Hachik, the famed Akita dog that had died
in 1935. She told a Japanese person that she would like to have an Akita dog; one was given to her within a month, with
the name of Kamikaze-go. When he died of canine distemper, his older brother, Kenzan-go, was presented to her as an
official gift from the Japanese government in July 1938. Keller is credited with having introduced the Akita to the United
States through these two dogs.
By 1939 a breed standard had been established, and dog shows had been held, but such activities stopped after World
War II began. Keller wrote in the Akita Journal:
If ever there was an angel in fur, it was Kamikaze. I know I shall never feel quite the same tenderness for any other pet.
The Akita dog has all the qualities that appeal to me he is gentle, companionable and trusty.
Death and Legacy
Keller suffered a series of strokes in 1961, and spent the remaining years of her life at her home in Connecticut. During her
lifetime, she received many honors in recognition of her accomplishments, including theTheodore Roosevelt Distinguished
Service Medal in 1936, the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1964, and election to the Women's Hall of Fame in 1965. She also
received honorary doctoral degrees from Temple University and Harvard University and from the universities of Glasgow,
Scotland; Berlin, Germany; Delhi, India; and Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, South Africa. Additionally, she was named an
Honorary Fellow of the Educational Institute of Scotland.
Keller died in her sleep on June 1, 1968, just a few weeks before her 88th birthday. During her remarkable life, Keller stood as
a powerful example of how determination, hard work, and imagination can allow an individual to triumph over adversity. By
overcoming difficult conditions with a great deal of persistence, she grew into a respected and world-renowned activist who
labored for the betterment of others.


Helen Keller at Radcliffe College Helen Keller with Anne Sullivan in 1888.

Jhoanna Rein Duzon English November 20, 2013
III- Mendeleev Biography of Anne Sulivan Ms. Santiago


Johanna "Anne" Mansfield Sullivan Macy (April 14, 1866
October 20, 1936), better known as Anne Sullivan, was an
American teacher, best known for being the instructor and companion
of Helen Keller.

Early life and education
Sullivan was born on April 14, 1866 in Feeding Hills, Agawam,
Massachusetts. According to her baptismal certificate, her name at
birth was Johanna Mansfield Sullivan; however, she was called Anne
from birth. Her parents were Thomas and Alice (ne Cloesy)
Sullivan, Irish immigrants who reportedly couldn't read and were almost
penniless.
[2]
Alice died in 1874, probably from tuberculosis;
[3]
after
which Anne and her younger brother, James ("Jimmie") were sent to
an almshouse inTewksbury, Massachusetts (today part of Tewksbury
Hospital). Anne spent seven years there. In 1880, blind from an
untreated trachoma, she was sent to the Perkins School for the Blind.
Aside from her brother James (born 1869),
[4]
she also had two sisters,
Ellen (born 1867) and Mary.
Career
Some teachers recognized Sullivan's intelligence and tamed her headstrong ways. Michael Anagnos, director of the
Institute, then located in South Boston, encouraged her to tutor younger students. She also underwent eye surgery that
partially restored her vision. Sullivan graduated from Perkins School for the Blind in 1886, when she was 20 years old, as
the valedictorian of her class. Anagnos was approached to suggest a teacher for a deaf-blind girl, Helen Keller. He asked
Sullivan, herself visually impaired and only 20 years old, to become her instructor. Sullivan arrived at Keller's house in the
small Alabama town of Tuscumbia on March 3, 1887. It was the beginning of a 49-year relationship, Sullivan evolving first
into governess, and then companion.
As soon as she arrived at the Kellers' house in Tuscumbia, Alabama, as a young instructor from the north, she quarreled
with Helen's parents about the Civil War and over the fact that the Kellers used to own slaves.
[6]
She met six-year-old
Helen and immediately began to teach her to communicate, by spelling words into her hand, beginning with "d-o-l-l" for
the doll that she had brought her as a present.Keller was frustrated at first, because she did not understand that every
object had a word uniquely identifying it. Her big breakthrough in communication came the next month. She realized that
the motions her teacher was making on the palm of her hand, while running cool water over her other hand, symbolized
the idea of water. She then nearly exhausted Sullivan demanding the names of all the other familiar objects in her world.
As lifelong companions, Sullivan and Keller continually lived, worked, and traveled together.
Next, she strongly encouraged Helen's parents to send the child to the Perkins School for the Blind where she could have
an appropriate teaching. With their approval, Sullivan brought Helen to Boston in 1888 and stayed with her there. Anne
continued to teach her bright protge, who soon became famous for her remarkable progress. With the help of Michael
Anagnos, head of the school, Helen Keller became the figure of Perkins School for the Blind and brought funds and
donations, making it the most famous and sought-after school for the blind in the country.
When Helen graduated from Perkins, Anne followed her to New York City, where they frequented the Wright-Humason
School for the Deaf. In this institution, they tried to acquire the skills of lip-reading and oral speech.
Personal life
On May 3, 1905, Anne Sullivan married a Harvard University instructor and literary critic, John Albert Macy (18771932),
who had helped Keller with her publications. He moved in with Keller and Sullivan, and the three lived together. However,
within a few years, the marriage began to disintegrate. By 1914 they had separated, though Macy was listed as living as a
"lodger" with Sullivan and Keller in the 1920 U.S. Census.
[8]
Sullivan and Macy never officially divorced. In the early years
after their separation, Macy wrote and asked for money, and as the years progressed, Macy appears to have faded from
Sullivan's life. Sullivan never remarried.
Awards
In 1932, Helen and Anne were each awarded honorary fellowships from the Educational Institute of Scotland. They also
were awarded honorary degrees from Temple University.
Death
Sullivan had been seriously visually impaired for almost all of her life, but by 1935 she was completely blind in both eyes.
She died on October 20, 1936, aged 70, in Forest Hills, Queens, New York, after falling into a coma. Sullivan died with
Keller holding her hand.
[11]
When Keller died in 1968, her ashes were placed in the Washington National Cathedral next to
those of Sullivan.
Media representation
Anne Sullivan is an integral character in The Miracle Worker, by William Gibson, originally produced for television, where
she was portrayed by Teresa Wright. The play then moved to Broadway, and was later produced as a 1962 feature film.
Both the Broadway play and 1962 film featured Anne Bancroft in the Sullivan role. Patty Dukewho played Helen Keller
on Broadway and in the 1962 film versionlater played Sullivan in a 1979 television remake.
[14]
Alison Elliott portrayed
her in a 2000 television movie. Alison Pill played Sullivan on Broadway in the short-lived 2010 revival of The Miracle
Worker, with Abigail Breslin as Keller.
Both Anne Bancroft and Patty Duke won Academy Awards for Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress for their roles as
Sullivan and Keller in the 1962 film version.