Short Biography of Helen Keller

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Biography of Helen Keller in Short

Early Life and Education of Helen Keller

Helen Keller was born in 1876 in Seneca, Ohio. Her father, John, was an Episcopal minister, and her mother, Mary Anne Keller, was a devout Roman Catholic. John Keller was not wealthy, but he had visions of being a successful minister. He encouraged his wife to pursue those dreams even though it meant giving up her religious aspirations.

She did not care for the academic requirements that most women took years to complete; she wanted to write, speak and think like a man. Helen developed an early interest in reading, which her parents noticed. They encouraged her to continue, knowing she would get better at it as she grew older.

However, they were also aware that books could be harmful, and many were made illegal for sale to children in the United States almost from its inception. To protect their daughter from such things, John and Mary Anne Keller kept their doors locked and had no visitors other than family members during those early years with Helen.

Companions

Helen Keller was lucky enough to have many great companions during her life. Her best friend was Rosemary Hall, another deaf person. The two shared a room to prepare them both for the inevitable fact that they would be separated in the not-too-distant future. Rosemary Hall was Helen’s age and incredibly bright. She was the first deaf person to graduate from high school. She went on to earn a degree from the University of Michigan. They wrote and spoke to each other daily and shared their ideas, dreams and discoveries. They even went on a tour of Europe together.

Occupation, writing, and political pursuits

When John Keller was assigned to Eatonville in 1890 as the first Episcopal minister for the area and the city, he changed the town’s name to “Helen Keller Town” in honour of his young bride. Helen Keller was only four-years-old at the time. Helen attended First Church School in Eatonville, where she was in the same class as her future friend Rosemary Hall who was also in the school’s class of 1890. When Helen was in high school, she was selected as student government president.

Helen Keller Works

Helen Keller’s first published work was a short story, “The Discovery,” published in 1883 in the “Chattanooga Times.” While the story was well-received, it did little to promote Keller’s name. Helen’s first book, pictured above, was also her first published work. “The Story of My Life,” published in 1885, chronicles her life from birth to age twenty-one. In addition to her published works, Helen Keller also wrote several letters to newspapers and magazines, one of which was published in the book “The Experience of Helen Keller.”

Old age and death

Helen Keller lived another twenty-three years after publishing “The Story of My Life.” She continued to write, publish and tour until her final months. In the last few years of her life, Keller suffered from a rare and often-debilitating bacterial infection which was eventually traced to an improper diet. She was put on a strict diet that included water and bread while being treated for the condition. Doctors were unsure what caused the situation, but they eventually discovered that one of her dentures had become loose and was blocking her airway. After the infection was diagnosed, Keller was prescribed medication to help her sleep. Eventually, her condition improved, but she died on March 3, 1928, at fifty-one.

Helen Keller Honours and Awards

Helen Keller was born in 1876 and died in 1928. She was an American deaf-and-blind person who became an author and social activist. Helen Keller was the first American to win the Nobel Prize for literature.

Self-portraits

Helen Keller was a great admirer of the arts and particularly liked to draw pictures. Below are two examples of her artwork, one from 1884 and one from 1903.