The Miracle Worker

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. Sullivan begins by teaching Helen basics, then how to use her hands to spell out the names things. Helen learns to imitate the finger-motions, but does not connect them to anything. She must first understand the concept of language. Sullivan tries various approaches, and after one chaotic meal, Sullivan grabs Helen 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. It's clear that Sullivan has opened the world to her.