Story of my life: Character Sketch of Helen Keller

HELEN KELLER: A RESILIENT AND ADMIRABLE PERSON

'Life is a mass of possibilities, all we need to do is to explore and identify our place in this world.'

Helen Keller perfectly epitomises that statement. For her, life was a journey that was to be cherished, and she always wanted to make the most of each moment.

Helen was known to be a precocious child before she was diagnosed with acute congestion of stomach and brain at the tender age of nineteen months. She had learnt to mutter a few syllables. But, the dreadful disease left her completely deaf and blind. It took her a few years to understand that she was different from the others.

However, the entry of her teacher Miss Anne Sullivan, into her life completely altered her approach towards life. She describes her life before her arrival as 'a ship caught up in dense fog'. Her arrival lighted up the path ahead for her, and a world of opportunities opened up in front of her.

What marked Helen out was her innate quality of wanting to learn more about life. She did not get disheartened with missed opportunities or failures. For instance, when she learnt how to read, she wasn't content with that, and wanted to learn how to speak, so that she could communicate with others. She successfully achieved her goal, and was able to speak confidently with her family members after being trained under Miss Sarah Fuller.

Moreover, she was also a voracious reader, and read many books from 'Little Lord Fauntleroy' till the 'Holy Bible'. She loved learning languages, and as she grew, she also gained an interest in subjects like History and Geography. This is indeed inspiring because she did so inspite of being deprived of her visual and auditory faculties.

Helen was blessed to have many wonderful people around her, who made her feel more confident. But, it would be safe to say that it was her grit and determination to move out of her comfort zones, that established her as one of the most inspiring individuals the world has, or will ever, see.

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