Common Sense Note
Deals with how people learn, and the challenges of teaching children with disabilities.
Common Sense Review
Reviewed By: Nell Minow
Helen Keller, blind and deaf from an illness she had as a toddler, is treated more as a pet than a child by her family. She has no knowledge or understanding, and just grabs whatever she wants and breaks whatever she doesn't want. Her parents hire Annie Sullivan, once blind herself, to be her teacher, though Helen's father and brother have no hope that Helen will ever learn anything and her mother is too tender-hearted to support any attempt to impose any rules on Helen.
Sullivan begins by teaching Helen basics like insisting that she eat only from her own plate. She also teaches Helen finger-spelling, using her hands to spell out the names of everything Helen touches. Helen learns to imitate the finger-motions, but does not connect them to anything. "Obedience without understanding is a blindness, too--is that all I wished on her?" Sullivan asks. Before Helen can learn language, she must understand that there is such a thing as language.
Sullivan gets permission to take Helen to live in a small building on the Keller's property so she can uphold consistent standards without being undermined by the family. They have some fierce battles, but make enough progress to move back into the house. Once home again, Helen reverts to her wild ways. After one chaotic meal, Sullivan grabs her and forces her to the pump, to fill the pitcher of water she knocked over. As Helen feels the water rush over one hand, Sullivan finger-spells "water" into the other. Suddenly, Helen understands. A word she heard as a baby comes back to her, and she knows that "w-a-t-e-r" spells water. She runs all over, asking for the names of everything. As the movie ends, it is clear that Sullivan has opened the world to her.
This outstanding movie is based on the true story of two of the great figures of American history, Helen Keller and Anne Sullivan Macy. Keep in mind that the title refers to Sullivan; when the playwright/screenwriter, William Gibson, is asked about "the movie about Helen Keller," he says, "If it were about her, it would be called `The Miracle Work-ee.'" Helen Keller was a woman of astonishing achievement, but all of it was made possible by her teacher.
Talk to kids about how people learn, about the importance of language and the challenges of teaching children with disabilities. Discuss the different ways that the main characters felt about Helen and how that affected their ability to teach her.
Questions for Kids:
Why did Helen's father and brother think that she could not learn? Why did Annie Sullivan think that she could?
Why was it hard for Helen's mother to help her?
Why is it important to be taught by someone who believes in you?
Connections: The movie was remade for television, with Duke playing Annie Sullivan.
Activities: Kids can read one of the many biographies of Helen Keller and The Story of My Life, her autobiography. Most dictionaries include a diagram of finger-spelling. They can have a lot of fun learning to finger-spell and sending messages to each other. Let them experiment walking around the house blindfolded, watching television with the sound off, trying to understand someone speaking a language they don't know, to give them an idea of the challenges faced by people with disabilities.
Rate It!
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Sexual ContentNone |
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ViolenceHelen's tantrums |
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Social BehaviorA theme of the movie, as applied to the disabled |
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Drug/Alcohol/TobaccoNone |
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