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Helen Keller with her tutor Anne Sullivan on holiday in Brewster, Massachusetts.

Photo courtesy New England Historic Genealogical Society

The Miracle Worker (1962)

By Samuel Cheng

Published 12:35 PDT, Fri June 23, 2023

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The Miracle Worker, a movie film released in 1962 is about Anne Sullivan, the tutor of Helen Keller. The movie is about the journey in which Sullivan took to teaching and educating Keller, who was blind and deaf since infancy.

Anne Bancroft starred as Sullivan and the young Patty Duke played Keller, when she was only 15 years old. Other well-known actors and actresses can be found starring different members of the Keller’s family. Such as Victor Jory as Captain Arthur Keller, Inga Swenson as Kate Keller, and Andrew Prine as James Keller.

Helen Keller was born in 1880 in Tuscumbia, Alabama. She endured a severe case of meningitis, or so-called scarlet fever, that resulted in her losing her vision and hearing at the age of just 19 months. Due to her inability to see objects and communicate with others, she began to develop violent and aggressive behaviors and tantrums.

Not knowing what to do with the situation, the desperate Keller parents reached out to the Perkins School for the Blind for help and assistance in hopes of resolving the special situation. In response, Anne Sullivan, a former student of the school, was sent to become the tutor of Keller.

Sullivan, who suffered an eye disease named trachoma, experienced partial blindness and the inability to read or write. In terms of qualification and previous history, there was no better tutor than the one and only Anne Sullivan.

During the first couple of occurrences, Sullivan found out that before she could teach Keller anything, she would have to first earn her trust and bypass her series of rude and aggressive behaviors. This included kicking, punching, throwing objects across the room, flipping and breaking plates and bowls on the dinner table, and more.

Needless to say, this was not the typical tutoring job anyone would expect. It was a battle of willpower to say the least. Through perseverance, resilience, and love, Sullivan was finally able to penetrate through Keller’s protective wall and barrier.

Sullivan began teaching her through pressing sign language gestures in the palm of Keller’s hands. Initially, Keller was confused as she did not know that there are names associated with each object. It was not until Sullivan motioned the gesture of “water” in Keller’s palm while stream of cool water flowed in her other palm that she finally came to the realization that the series of motioned gestures symbolize water.

Proceeding the successful attempt at learning her first word, Keller became eager and curious to learn more about the objects that she came in contact with every single day. From plush animals to utensils and more.

Keller went on to achieve academic success in various institutions including Cambridge School for Young Ladies, Radcliffe College, and Harvard University. She went on to be proficient at using braille and even learned to “hear” other’s speeches by placing her fingers on the speaker’s lips.

Keller passed away on June 1, 1968 in her sleep. Before her passing, she was a political and social activist that spoke out and advocated for birth control and people with disabilities. At the same time, she was also an author in which she shared her experiences, thoughts and voices through her 12 books.

Not to mention the fact that she co-founded the Helen Keller International Organization for research in the fields of vision, health, and nutrition. Additionally, Keller went on to create a non-profit organization named American Civil Liberties Union which aimed to protect and defend the rights and liberties of every person in the country of America.

Keller devoted most of her life to learning, helping, and assisting those who are lesser privileged, and her efforts have most certainly seen change in people’s lives. She was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1964 by President Lyndon B. Johnson. Furthermore, she was inducted into the National Women’s Hall of Fame and the New York World’s Fair in the following year.

Helen Keller left behind legacies and inspirations for the future generations as well as people with disabilities. Not only did Keller set an example and role model for others to look up to, but she also gave the lesser privileged individuals faith and hope in achieving their best they can possibly be in their lives.