Who Was Helen Keller 海伦·凯勒 Chapter 5 Annie Sullivan Arrives

It was March 3, 1887. Helen did not know that this was to be the most important day of her life.



Helen was aware that everyone in the family seemed excited. She could feel the tension 1 in the air. Her mother bustled 2 about the house. Things were cleaned and polished. Her mother and stepbrother dressed to go to the train station. Helen pulled her mother, wanting to go out with them, but her mother said no.



Finally, Annie Sullivan arrived in Alabama on the six-thirty train. Mrs. Keller greeted her in a soft voice, her blue eyes sparkling 3. A small crowd gathered to see the “Yankee girl who was going to teach the Keller child.” Alone in a strange place, Annie looked anxious, pale, and tired.



On the way to the Keller farm, Annie sat in the back of the carriage and looked around her. The small town of Tuscumbia looked like towns in New England. This comforted Annie, and she relaxed. She was eager to meet her new pupil.



Helen stood on the porch 4. She felt the vibrations 5 of the carriage coming down the lane 6. She stretched out her arms for her mother. Instead, a stranger walked into her arms and held her. Helen didn’t like strangers. She refused to let Annie kiss her.



But Helen was curious about strangers, too. Helen felt Annie’s face, dress, and bag. Then Helen opened Annie’s bag. She expected to find the treats that company often brought for her. Her mother tried to stop Helen. Finally, Mrs. Keller had to rip 7 the bag out of Helen’s hands.



Helen grew very angry. Her face turned red. She clutched 8 her mother’s skirt and began to kick. No one did anything. Then Annie held her small watch against Helen’s face. Feeling it ticking, Helen quieted down. The tantrum passed.



Helen followed Annie upstairs to Annie’s room. Helen helped Annie remove her hat. Then Helen put the hat on and moved her head from side to side. Annie watched Helen and wondered how she would teach this beautiful young colt of a girl. She was not sure she could. Annie took a deep breath. But tomorrow, she would start trying.



The next morning, Helen was brought to Annie’s room. Helen helped Annie unpack 9. There in Annie’s trunk Helen discovered a lovely doll.



The doll was a gift to Helen from the children at the Perkins School. Laura Bridgman, the former deaf and blind student there, had made some of the doll’s clothes. Annie spelled the word doll slowly into Helen’s hand. Helen thought that the doll was now hers. Whenever Helen wanted something, she pointed 10 first to it, then to herself, and nodded. But Annie had no way of knowing this. She was trying to show Helen that d-o-l-l meant doll—that the word stood for something. Annie took the doll back. She was going to repeat the spelling of doll in Helen’s hand. But Helen grew furious 11. She thought Annie was taking the doll back after she’d given it to her.



Annie tried to take Helen’s hand. Helen would not let her. Helen began to throw another temper 12 tantrum. Annie tried to sit Helen in a chair. She wanted to calm Helen. She wanted to start the lesson over. No use. Helen got angrier and fought harder. Annie finally let Helen go.



But Annie was not giving up. She ran downstairs and got a slice of cake. She brought it to Helen. She spelled c-a-k-e into Helen’s hand while holding the cake under Helen’s nose. Helen tried to take the cake. Annie spelled the word cake again and patted 13 Helen’s hand. This time Helen spelled the word back. Annie gave Helen the cake to eat. Did Helen understand that c-a-k-e meant cake? No, not really. Helen was just copying Annie. Helen did not know that if she went to Annie and spelled c-a-k-e in Annie’s hand that Annie would realize that Helen wanted cake.



Once more, Annie spelled the word doll into Helen’s hand. Helen spelled back d-o-l. Annie spelled the last “l” and gave Helen the doll. Helen fled downstairs with the doll. “I did not know that I was spelling a word or even that words existed,” Helen later wrote. “I was simply making my fingers go in monkey-like imitation 14.”



Helen refused to have anything to do with Annie for the rest of the day. Annie sighed. Teacher and pupil had a long, hard road ahead of them.



The next few days did not go any easier. Helen stayed away from Annie. Would Annie be able to break down the wall that kept Helen in her silent world? She was not sure.



One day at breakfast, another battle began. Helen always ate from everyone’s plate. She helped herself to food as she went around the table. No one in the family tried to stop her nor did anybody say anything. Annie was shocked. Helen was not going to eat from her plate!



Helen flew into a rage 15 when Annie kept her plate away from her. She fell to the floor kicking and screaming. Annie continued to eat. Then Annie asked the Keller family to leave the room. Upset and confused, they left Helen with Annie, who locked the door behind them.



The war was on.



Annie returned to finish her breakfast. Helen tried to knock over Annie’s chair. She failed. Helen began to quiet down. Then, she got up and felt around the table. She realized that only Annie was in the room. Helen was confused. She tried again to steal food from Annie’s plate, but Annie would not let her. Finally, Helen sat in her place. Helen began to eat her breakfast with her fingers.



Annie put a spoon in Helen’s hand. She threw it to the floor. Annie made Helen pick it up. Then Annie held the spoon in Helen’s hand and made her eat with it. Realizing that Annie would not give up, Helen finished her breakfast using the spoon.



Next came the napkin. Annie wanted Helen to fold it. Helen threw the napkin onto the floor. She ran to the door. Finding 16 it locked, Helen began to kick and scream again. Annie spent the following hour getting Helen to fold her napkin. When it was finally folded, Annie let Helen out. Helen ran outside far away from Annie. Worn out, Annie went to her room.



After a good cry, Annie felt better. Annie said of these battles, “To get her to do the simplest things, such as combing her hair or washing hands … it was necessary to use force, and of course, a distressing 17 scene followed.” The family could not stand these scenes. They tried to help Helen. Her father could not stand to see her cry. Their helping 18 Helen did not allow Annie to teach her. So Annie came to a decision.



Annie realized that she had to live alone with Helen. Just the two of them. It was the only way Annie could break down Helen’s dark, silent wall. Annie talked to the Kellers. She thought they’d say no, but they didn’t. The Kellers would do anything to help Helen. So Helen and Annie went to stay in the cottage near the big house.



Annie did not want Helen to know that she was only a quick run from the house and her parents. So Annie had all the furniture moved around in the cottage. Then Annie and Helen went on a long ride in the carriage before arriving at the cottage. It worked. Helen thought she was in a new, strange place.



Helen and Annie had many battles in the cottage. Annie would not let Helen eat until she was dressed. Helen refused to get dressed.



Captain Keller watched through a window one day. He wanted to send Annie away, but the family talked him out of it. And it was lucky that they did.



Over the next two weeks, Helen slowly began to change. She began to obey Annie.



Then on April 5, 1887, a miracle 19 happened. Helen was washing the dishes. Annie spelled the word water in her hand. Helen did not react. The two went outside.



At the water pump. Helen held her mug under the tap. Annie pumped out the cold water and spelled water in Helen’s hand. Helen dropped the mug. A look of wonder filled her face. Helen spelled back water several times to Annie. Now, at last, Helen understood that words stood for things!



Later in her autobiography 20, Helen wrote, “Everything had a name, and each name gave birth to a new thought.”



Annie spelled many different words into Helen’s eager hands. Finally, Helen asked what to call Annie. Annie spelled teacher. And so Annie became Teacher. At seven, Helen’s world had opened at last. The wall had come down. Annie and Helen moved back to the main house.



Helen made rapid progress. Annie saw that Helen loved to be outdoors. So most of their lessons were outside. Annie used the world around them to teach Helen. By the river, Helen learned 21 geography. They dug canals and built mountains. For science, they studied nature. Helen soon knew many different plants and how they grew. Helen loved words and language.



Helen memorized words easily. She learned nouns 22, verbs, and descriptive words. She began to understand abstract 23 words, such as think. Helen could now “talk” to her family. Annie spelled what people said into Helen’s hand. Then Helen replied. Mrs. Keller learned to speak with her fingers. Now she and Helen could talk. Even Captain learned to speak this way.



By June, Helen knew about four hundred words. Annie wrote to Mr. Anagnos. She told him of Helen’s progress. Mr. Anagnos told the Boston newspapers about Helen. The papers ran stories about her. Readers wanted to know more about this deaf-blind child who was beautiful and smart.



Most children Helen’s age could read and write. Annie decided 24 that Helen would learn to read and write, too. Annie read books to Helen. She did this by spelling out the whole story in Helen’s hand. Helen’s world became filled with fairy tales, heroes, villains 25, myths 26, and legends.



Annie taught Helen to write. She used a wooden writing board that had grooves 27 on it. A paper was placed over the grooves. Helen then guided her pencil to form letters. This is how blind people learn to write.



Helen had made great progress. She learned Braille, too. Braille is a system of writing for the blind. Soon Helen could read Braille books on her own. And so, another world opened for Helen.



Helen’s life was much happier now. But she still had a temper. Helen had a name for herself when she lost her temper. She called herself “the Phantom 28.” But her tantrums came less and less often. Helen now liked playing with her little sister, Mildred. Helen’s mind was now free to learn and her heart was free to love.



Mr. Anagnos asked Annie to write a paper about Helen. At nights when Annie was at her desk writing, Helen sat quietly beside her, writing her own letter to the blind children at Perkins. No one would have believed this quiet scene possible just four months earlier.



Mr. Anagnos shared stories about Helen and Annie. The Boston newspapers ran more stories about them. The papers began calling Helen the “wonder child.” Readers wanted to meet her and know more about her. Some doubted if the stories could be true. Either way, Helen was becoming famous.



Annie and Helen continued their lessons unaware 29 of their growing fame up North. Christmas was coming. It would be the first time that Helen understood the holiday and would be able to take part in it. Helen and Annie read Christmas stories. They made up their own Christmas stories. Helen got caught up in the excitement and joy of the holiday. She loved making gifts and then dropping hints 30 as to what the gifts were. The Keller family had much to be thankful for this holiday. And so did Annie who, at last, had a home.



The new year, 1888, dawned full of hope. Helen would turn eight. But more important, Helen would leave home that year. Helen wanted to visit Perkins. And Annie was going to take her there. But first, Helen had to prepare for the trip.



Annie and Helen worked even harder at their lessons. Mrs. Keller worried that Helen was pushing herself too hard. Helen was often tired. She talked to Annie, but Annie said that she could not slow Helen down. Helen never wanted to rest. There was too much to learn.



By May 1888, Helen was ready to go. But an amazing thing happened that changed their plans. Helen and Annie were invited to the White House to meet President Grover Cleveland! Like so many other people, the president was amazed 31 by how much Helen could do. Most people thought that blind people would always be helpless 32. Many thought that, just because they could not see or hear, blind and deaf people were not smart. Helen proved to the president of the United States just how wrong that was.