The Story of My Life: With her letters (1887-1901) and a supplementary account of her education, including passages from the reports and letters of her teacher, Anne Mansfield Sullivan, by John Albert MacyKeller, Helen
General
The Story of My Life: With her letters (1887-1901) and a supplementary account of her education, including passages from the reports and letters of her teacher, Anne Mansfield Sullivan, by John Albert Macy
Keller, Helen
Deafblind women -- United States -- Biography; Keller, Helen, 1880-1968
we went upstairs together. Here I opened the bag, and she went through
it eagerly, probably expecting to find something to eat. Friends had
probably brought her candy in their bags, and she expected to find some
in mine. I made her understand, by pointing to a trunk in the hall and
to myself and nodding my head, that I had a trunk, and then made the
sign that she had used for eating, and nodded again. She understood in a
flash and ran downstairs to tell her mother, by means of emphatic signs,
that there was some candy in a trunk for her. She returned in a few
minutes and helped me put away my things. It was too comical to see her
put on my bonnet and cock her head first on one side, then on the other,
and look in the mirror, just as if she could see. Somehow I had expected
to see a pale, delicate child--I suppose I got the idea from Dr. Howe's
description of Laura Bridgman when she came to the Institution. But
there's nothing pale or delicate about Helen. She is large, strong, and
ruddy, and as unrestrained in her movements as a young colt. She has
none of those nervous habits that are so noticeable and so distressing
in blind children. Her body is well formed and vigorous, and Mrs. Keller
says she has not been ill a day since the illness that deprived her
of her sight and hearing. She has a fine head, and it is set on her
shoulders just right. Her face is hard to describe. It is intelligent,
but lacks mobility, or soul, or something. Her mouth is large and finely
shaped. You see at a glance that she is blind. One eye is larger than
the other, and protrudes noticeably. She rarely smiles; indeed, I have
seen her smile only once or twice since I came. She is unresponsive and
even impatient of caresses from any one except her mother. She is very
quick-tempered and wilful, and nobody, except her brother James, has
attempted to control her. The greatest problem I shall have to solve is
how to discipline and control her without breaking her spirit. I shall
go rather slowly at first and try to win her love. I shall not attempt
to conquer her by force alone; but I shall insist on reasonable
obedience from the start. One thing that impresses everybody is Helen's
tireless activity. She is never still a moment. She is here, there, and
everywhere. Her hands are in everything; but nothing holds her attention
for long. Dear child, her restless spirit gropes in the dark. Her
untaught, unsatisfied hands destroy whatever they touch because they do
not know what else to do with things.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account