Beyond the Miracle!
Some time back, I watched an outstanding film, 'The miracle worker' ,based on the life of Helen Keller.It earned Anne Bancroft and Patty Duke, Academy Awards for best actress and supporting actress, respectively.A truly heartwarming story which highlights Helen Keller's remarkable acheivments and shows the indefatigable efforts of her teacher, Anne Sullivan, to connect with the frustrated and recalcitrant young girl.
Most famous for her personal triumph over the limitations of, both ,blindness and deafness,Helen Keller is a household name all over the world and a worldwide symbol for children to overcome any obstacle. She is also known as an author, political activist and advocate for the rights of people with disabilities.But, as famous as she was, there are many fascinating details about her which are not known widely .Let me share a bit more about her life and legacy.
Mark Twain called Keller a miracle. Helen Keller and Mark Twain met when she was 14, and he was already a celebrated author. Keller described the instant connection she felt with Twain, stating, "The instant I clasped his hand in mine, I knew that he was my friend "because" He treated me not as a freak, but as a person dealing with great difficulties".Twain became her mentor and helped her get financial aid for her studies. She became the first deaf blind person to graduate from Radcliffe College in 1904.Her IQ was 160! She embraced life enthusiastically, be it horseback riding, swimming, visiting Niagara Falls, or even flying a plane over the Mediterranean sea in 1946.
In June 1916, when she was 36, Keller met and fell in love with a journalist named Peter Fagan. He communicated with Keller by fingerspelling into her hand. Without telling anyone, the couple made plans to marry but her family disapproved and the engagement ended.
Helen Keller was a political activist with socialist and pacifist leanings. She actively campaigned for the Socialist Party of America from 1909 to 1921, advocating for women's suffrage, workers' rights, and opposing military intervention.Keller was an outspoken critic of war and actively participated in anti-war movements.
As she read and discussed the works of Karl Marx, along with her other affiliations, placed her under scrutiny by the FBI !In 1920,she co-founded the American Civil Liberties Union ; was an early supporter of the NAACP, and an opponent of lynchings and was an early proponent of birth control.
She was nominated for Nobel Peace Prize in 1953 and 1954.While she didn't receive a Nobel Prize, she was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom and elected to the Women's Hall of Fame.
Endearingly, from scrappy Scotties to dignified Great Danes to a famous Akita, dogs always brought joy to Helen Keller and she even tried to teach her dog Belle sign language. Later on, her friends gifted her a Boston Terrier named Phiz who accompanied Keller to lectures at Radcliffe and would wait patiently until class was over to return home with her.In 1937, the Japanese government gifted Keller an Akita named Kamikaze, marking the first time this breed was introduced to the United States. Keller cherished Kamikaze, referring to him as an "angel in fur".
Nancy Hamilton made Oscars History with ‘Helen Keller in Her Story’ and the director, actor and songwriter became the first woman to win the best documentary feature Oscar in 1956.Helen's Academy Award makes her the only famous historical figure to receive an Oscar for appearing in a documentary about her life.
While still a student, Helen began her writing career. Her autobiography, 'The Story of My Life', was published in 1903. In her 1926 memoir 'My Key of Life' Helen wrote about the impact of inclusive education: “The highest result of education is tolerance” Keller's story emphasizes that education and the ability to communicate are crucial for personal growth and understanding the world.