Helen Keller Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Helen Keller - Research Paper Example Helen Keller’s writing is faultless; she has authored numerous articles, letters and books, yet manages to maintain the same endearing finesse in each one of them. Helen owed this literary prowess to her teacher, friend and confidant - Ann Sullivan; Sullivan’s fixation on non-erroneous writing laid the foundation for how Helen Keller wrote in the future (Goddy 22). One must realize that the beauty in language displayed in Keller’s work cannot be learnt as this is a gift of nature; however, having the right teacher can either stifle this gift or stimulate it. Fortunately, for Keller, she had the advantage of having an educator who understood the importance of furnishing one’s students with rich and sufficient literary content. Mastery in writing is not something that one learns in isolation; one requires frequent exposure to various stylistic forms, which can only come from reading good books. Miss Sullivan had excellent taste in literature; she wanted Keller to learn from the best of them thus explaining why she chose slightly mature books for Helen’s age. â€Å"Tales from Shakespeare† and â€Å"Montaigne† were just some of the several classics that formed part of Sullivan’s selections for her young protà ©gà ©. Ann Sullivan’s love and passion for proper English nourished Keller’s literary talent; if this enthusiasm were absent, it is likely that Keller would only have read juvenile literature. Her manner of expression may not have grown to professional levels, and she may not have been the great author that many now know and love. Perhaps Sullivan’s most profound influence in Helen’s life was during her seventh year when Keller discovered the joys of language. Ann found a way of getting through to Keller when no one else was able to do so; she used her background as a former visually-impaired person to teach Keller the marvels language. In fact, Helen often credits her discovery of the world