ipl-logo

Overcoming Challenges In The Play 'The Miracle Worker' By William Gibson

994 Words4 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Essays on sibling abuse

Esther Rotshtein Mrs. Freundlich English 14 March 2023 Overcoming Challenges " Although the world is full of suffering, it is also full of overcoming it." This quote was written by Hellen Keller. In the play "The Miracle Worker" by William Gibson there were three characters who overcame their challenges and all became great people. Hellen was a little girl who was deaf and blind, but despite these challenges she became a wonderful motivational speaker and an empowering writer. Annie Sullvian was Hellen's teacher and role model in life, but she too had experienced trauma which she had to overcome to help Helen succeed. James was Helen's half brother who was very immature about his father marrying Helen's mother after his mother died. Going …show more content…

Helen's condition of being deaf and blind caused her to lack the skills to communicate, with those around her, but despite her challenges she learned how to communicate and became a wonderful writer and motivational speaker. This can be compared with a metaphor of a safe with no key. "'She is like a little safe, locked, that no one can open,'" (Gibson,18). This shows that she is disconnected from her own family because they can not communicate, therefore causing them to lack faith in her ability to succeed. However, Helen's mentor, Annie, helps her learn sign language in order to gain the ability to communicate to the best of her ability. During the learning process, Helen's brother James relates, "... she imitates everything, she's a monkey." (Gibson,36). This shows, for many months Helen thought this was a game of monkey see monkey do, nothing more. She knew how to imitate to spell the word back but didn't know that the word had a meaning to it. What is surprising is that Helen was content …show more content…

Annie grew up in an asylum with her little brother. " Annie, when are we going home? You promised!" (Gibson,40). Annie had a lot of traumatic experiences with her brother, in the asylum. She promised her brother Jimmy that she will never abandon him. She tried her hardest but the time came where she had to, " Forever and ever, you said forever." (Gibson,40). From these experiences it was hard for her to love another child because she has all this guilt from not doing everything she could to keep her brother from dying in the asylum. This is demonstrated in the play where it says, " I didn't come here for love, I came here for money," (Gibson, 80). Later in the play when Helen learns that words have meanings Annie spells into her hand, " I love Helen forever and- ever" (Gibson,122). Annie had a lot of trauma, and it was hard to love another child, but with time, and hard work she did, and so could

Show More
Related
1051 Words | 5 Pages

Annie tries to teach Helen

Read More
450 Words | 2 Pages

With the tireless efforts and support Helen was able to unlock the intelligence and perseverance Helen was able to go to grade school and even on to college and graduated from Gilman’s preparatory Cambridge School of Young Ladies and Radcliffe College (Both in Cambridge, Massachusetts) Helen didn’t waste any time making up for lost time and making a name for herself. She was way ahead of the filed for women’s rights she was a woman that was one streak, the 2nd once she was disabled, she was born into a time where women were not to have a voice really and, she had two things bad going for her she was a woman and she was disabled.

Read More
157 Words | 1 Pages

Annie couldn’t protect her brother, when she was younger, as she told him she would. When Annie got the job, working with Helen, she kept persevering with Helen because she couldn’t let another person down like she did with Jimmie. Her past with Jimmie kept haunting her all throughout her life until she finally reached Helen. I think because she reached Helen it was her second chance to save someone she cared about. When Annie was younger she became blind.

Read More
960 Words | 4 Pages

Annie was acting abnormal. She was overridden with guilt from the death of her children and could not cope on her own. She was admitted into the mental hospital. After the death of her husband she was devastated and could not function in her daily life. She cried most of the time, did not return to work, and did not leave her house.

Read More
573 Words | 3 Pages

Annie’s determination, discipline and independence helps her teach Helen how to communicate. Annie uses her determination to help her reach the goal of helping Helen to communicate. Annie stays devoted to her teaching job. She uses her time efficiently, knowing

Read More
2507 Words | 11 Pages

It all started when her mother realized she was growing into a woman because she got her first menstruation; she started treating her different and not allowing her to dress like her anymore. She was angry at her mother for wanting them to be detached and for Annie to stop being a baby. Even as a child when Annie and her mother had a great relationship, Annie started noticing some changes with her. For example, when the little girl Nalda died in her mother’s arms, Annie saw her mother as a different person therefore she said “For a while, though not for very long, I could not bear to have my mother caress me or touch my food or help me with my bath. I especially couldn’t bear the sight of her hands lying still on her lap.”

Read More
411 Words | 2 Pages

Annie, Helen's teacher, believed in Helen and tried to teach her manners and language. Annie tried a lot of things and even got full control over Helen for two weeks but nothing worked in teaching her language. Helen is a smart child and when she is at home she freaks out and has tamper tantrums and won't listen to Annie

Read More
1139 Words | 5 Pages

The story of Helen Keller—a blind, deaf, and mute child—and Annie Sullivan—Helen Keller’s teacher or governess who is also legally blind—proved that anything is possible and William Gibson’s The Miracle Worker depicted this quite perfectly; without trust between all of the characters, Helen would have never learned that everything has a name. In essence, the concept that trust is an incredibly important factor is clearly

Read More
457 Words | 2 Pages

Can you imagine what it would be like to be blind, deaf, and mute? That is exactly what Helen, from The Miracle Worker had to go through every single day of her life. She had tantrums nearly everyday. Then, Annie came into her life, and taught her sign language, self-control, and more. There were two different things created after this real story.

Read More
342 Words | 2 Pages

In The Miracle Worker, written by William Gibson, Helen Keller, a blind, deaf, and conflicted young girl, shows extreme stubbornness through both actions and what others say about her. Initially, Helen proves to be stubborn when she is pitied for her disabilities; she always ends up with what she desires. For instance, when she was not behaving, she was given sweets to calm her down. The audience views Kate, Viney, and Keller, members of the household, giving Helen a peppermint drop, a tea-cake, and stick candy all before dinner. None of them knew the other had come up with the same idea, for they are all spoiling Helen.

Read More
510 Words | 3 Pages

Imagine growing up in darkness. Or not being able to hear anything from your own breath to your loved one’s voices. Helen Keller was a girl who had to deal with both of those consequences. Yet she stood as a great role modle to people all around the world. Helen Keller has made a huge impact on the deaf and blind community.

Read More
595 Words | 3 Pages

After a long month, Helen and Sullivan had a huge success; Helen made her first connection with sign language and the objects around her. It all happened on April 5, 1887, when Sullivan spelled “W-A-T-E-R” into Helen’s hand while running water over her other hand. Thanks to Sullivan, Helen learned approximately 600 words, most of her times tables, and to read Braille within months! News of their success spread and Helen became a celebrity. As a result of their work, Helen went on to Radcliffe College and despite her own bad eyes Sullivan helped her with her studies there.

Read More
200 Words | 1 Pages

One great progress I made is how to write a sentence to present the topic of the paper and reflect my position on that topic. As the most important sentence in an essay, thesis statements express the purpose of this writing. Before taking ENGL3000, I was confused about how to focus my ideas into one sentence; my thesis statements were too general, sprawling, and superficial to make my audiences clearly understand what these papers were about. However, after finishing many readings and writings in this class, I have grasped the key strategies to phrase a specific, arguable, and supportive thesis statement. More specifically, an effective thesis statement should have a specific topic to keep readers focus on the argument, reflect my position

Read More
1071 Words | 5 Pages

and she didn’t understand was Anne was trying to teach her. One of the first words Anne taught her was the word “doll”, because Anne wanted her to understand what the gift was she brought her. She then kept working at it and finally got better. The doll helped Helen understand the connection between the words and the

Read More
761 Words | 4 Pages

Annie Sullivan had many struggles throughout her lifetime, but she was able to pass through those obstacles with determination. This determination is shown throughout the nonfiction play, The Miracle Worker, written by William Gibson. Annie Sullivan was the teacher of Helen Keller—a blind and deaf six year old girl. After weeks of discipline and training, Helen was finally able to understand that words and letters meant something. Without determination, Annie would not have been able to achieve this miracle.

Read More

More about Overcoming Challenges In The Play 'The Miracle Worker' By William Gibson

Related Topics

Open Document