Helen Keller Dialectical Journal

Hunter McCraw

Little kids can get extremely excited at things sometimes, because they are easily amused. When Helen Keller was a child, one of the things that excited her and made her feel amused was when her teacher Anne Mansfield Sullivan came and taught her things. Little kids do not always get very happy about learning things, but Helen Keller was deaf and blind so learning new things amazed her. The events of this day and meeting Sullivan taught Keller many things that were life-changing for Keller, because of her disabilities.

The day was sunny and Keller had been waiting on the porch for something she did not know was coming. Keller’s teacher had approached her, and she began teaching her things such as spelling and associating the words with the object that was its name. This made Keller feel as if she were on top of the world. She even states, “When I finally succeeded in making the letters correctly, I was flushed with childish pleasure and pride.”, which depicts her feelings for that moment and how it was inspiring and life-changing for her. Although this feeling was one of a kind, it would not stop there.

This gives her hope for many new things to be learned. For example, Keller portrays her emotions by stating, “That living word awakened my soul, gave it light, hope, joy, set it free! There were barriers still, but barriers that could in time be swept away.”. This quote repeats the feeling of hope in Keller’s mind that she can learn unlimited