Helen Keller lived a life of darkness for many years until Miss Sullivan, her teacher, arrived. Helen's methods of communication up until then were crude and limited because of her blindness and deafness. Before Miss Sullivan's arrival, Helen developed hand signs to communicate her basic wants and needs to her family. Sometimes she would resort to pulling someone by the hand to show them what she wanted.
When Helen was almost seven, Miss Sullivan arrived at the Keller home to be her teacher. Helen was stubborn, but Miss Sullivan never gave up. She tried to teach Helen finger spelling over and over again. One day, Helen made the connection. She realized that the letters being spelled into her hands were associated with specific things. This opened up Helen's eyes to the world of communication and learning.
Miss Sullivan was Helen's teacher for years. They were constant companions until Miss Sullivan's death many years later. Helen described Miss Sullivan as being "so near to [her] that [she could] scarcely think of [herself] apart from [her teacher]." They were inseparable and Helen considered "that the footsteps of [her own] life" were in Miss Sullivan's. Helen stated the following in her autobiography about her teacher:
"All the best of me belongs to her–there is not a talent, or an aspiration or a joy in me that has not been awakened by her loving touch."
Helen attributed her learning, her talents, her goals, and her happiness to the life changing impact that her teacher had on her. She felt that she could not have accomplished all that she did in her life without Miss Sullivan.
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