Maharashtra Board Class 5 English Balbharti Unit Four Chapter 32 Helen Keller PDF Download

Helen Keller

This is the story of a child who became completely deaf and blind before she had learnt to talk. Because of her own courage and also that of her wonderful teacher she learned to talk and write. She was able to go to school and to college and to live a full and happy life.

Helen was born in 1880 in a small town in the southern U.S.A. At 18 months, when she was beginning to talk, she suddenly become terribly ill and very nearly died. When she recovered she was completely deaf and blind.

It is very difficult for a deaf child to learn to talk. Most babies learn by hearing other people talking. But the deaf child cannot hear anyone so how can she know what talking sounds like? Many deaf people learn to lip-read, and they become very clever at understanding what other people are saying by watching them. But Helen could not see what other people were doing. She remembered a few words she had known before she was ill, for instance, she went on calling water 'waa-waa'. But she had to make signs for most things. She would shake her head for 'No', and nod for 'Yes'. A pull meant 'Come', and a push, 'Go'. But of course she could say very little like this, and she depended entirely on other people. Yet Helen had an active mind and a clever brain, and wanted to do and say everything any other child would. She used to get into terrible tempers when she could not explain what she meant, or understand what others wanted.

Then when Helen was nearly seven, Anne Sullivan came to teach her and look after her. This clever and devoted teacher changed Helen's life.

Anne Sullivan herself had been nearly blind and had been at a school for blind people. There, Anne Sullivan had learnt the fingerspelling method. She felt sure that this was the only way to talk to Helen and teach her to say what she wanted. Because Helen could not see her making the signs, she would spell the words onto her pupil's hand. Helen had become very sensitive to the feel of things, much more sensitive than most people are. She could soon tell the difference between the feel of one letter and another.

Miss Sullivan gave Helen a doll, and when she gave it she spelled the

Teacher's Note

Helen Keller shows us that even when life is very hard, we can still learn and do great things. In India, many children with disabilities go to special schools and learn just like Helen did.

Exam Trick

Remember: Helen could not hear or see, but she learned through feeling and touching. This is like how you learn to recognize things by touch when your eyes are closed.

Points to Remember

Helen Keller became deaf and blind when she was just 18 months old.
Anne Sullivan was Helen's teacher who used the fingerspelling method to teach her.
Helen learned by feeling words spelled on her hand.
She became very sensitive to the feel of different letters and words.
Helen worked very hard with her teacher to learn to talk, read, and write.

letters D-O-L-L onto Helen's hand. She did this with the names of other things, such as C-A-K-E, and M-U-G. Helen obediently spelled them back; but she did not understand what it all meant, and she soon grew bored and unhappy. She would not try any more, and poor Anne Sullivan did not know what to do next.

Then one day Miss Sullivan took Helen outside to the water pump. As the water spilled into Helen's mug and overflowed on her hand, Miss Sullivan spelled W-A-T-E-R on her other hand. Suddenly Helen's face lit up. She understood that W-A-T-E-R was the name of this cold wet stuff, and it came to her in a flash that everything has a name.

Now that she had started to learn, Helen, with her quick brain and good memory, learned very fast indeed. She learned to spell words incredibly fast, and soon she and her beloved teacher could have long conversations. Wherever they went, Miss Sullivan described things to her and told her what people were saying. Helen soon learned to write on a special frame with ridges to keep the lines straight, and, later she learned to type. She began to read Braille books.

The next thing was to learn to talk aloud. For this she had a special teacher who taught her how to move her lips and tongue. Helen quickly learned to talk also and to 'listen' to people speaking by putting her sensitive fingers on their lips and throats. This meant that she could talk with people who did not know the fingerspelling method, so long as they spoke distinctly. All this was hard work, needing endless patience by both pupil and teacher, and long practice.

In time she could talk, read and write, and even learnt to speak

Teacher's Note

Helen's breakthrough moment with the word "water" shows us that learning can happen in a flash. Just like when you suddenly understand a maths problem, Helen suddenly understood that everything has a name.

Exam Trick

Remember: The water pump moment is the most important part of Helen's story. When she felt the water and learned the word W-A-T-E-R, everything changed for her.

Points to Remember

Helen learned the fingerspelling method by feeling words on her hand.
The word W-A-T-E-R was her first big breakthrough in learning.
She learned to write using a special frame with ridges.
She learned to read and write Braille books.
She learned to speak by feeling people's lips and throats with her fingers.

French and German. Now Helen was determined to go to university and take a degree. When she was twenty, she sat for the entrance examination of Radcliffe College, one of the best colleges in America. The papers were set in Braille, and she typed her answers. Of course, she could not read what she had written. She had to take a chance that she had made no mistakes. She had no difficulty in passing the examination and entering Radcliffe.

Miss Sullivan was with Helen all through her time at the university. In the end, this girl, who at seven had lived in a dark world, unable to hear, or speak, won high university honours.

Throughout her life, she helped other blind people to find courage. She travelled all over the world inspiring everyone by her example.

Helen Keller lived to a ripe old age of eighty-eight. She passed away in 1968.

Things To Do

1. Answer The Following Questions

(1) How did Helen overcome her handicaps?

(2) What part did Anne Sullivan play in Helen's life?

(3) How did Helen Keller help other blind people?

(4) Helen Keller's life is the story of......

(a) a blind woman.

(b) courage, patience and struggle.

(c) a helpless, unfortunate girl.

2. Activity

(1) What is meant by 'Honour the white cane'?

(2) Find out what 'Braille' is.

(3) Find out the difference between fingerspelling method, sign language and Braille.

3. Complete The Following. Example: patient – patience.

attend – ____________ enter – ____________ differ – ____________

Teacher's Note

Helen Keller went to Radcliffe College, a very good college in America. In India, we have many good colleges where students with disabilities can also study if they work hard like Helen did.

Exam Trick

Remember: Helen passed her college exam in Braille and typed her answers. This shows that disability is not inability. She proved that a disabled person can do anything if they try hard enough.

Points to Remember

Helen went to Radcliffe College, one of the best colleges in America.
She sat for her exam when she was twenty years old.
Her exam papers were in Braille and she typed her answers.
Anne Sullivan stayed with her throughout her college life.
Helen won high honours at university and helped other blind people in her life.

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