The story of Hindi Movie Black (2005) is based on the true life story of Helen Keller. Michelle McNally (Rani Mukerji) who loses her eyesight and hearing a few months after birth and exists in a black world where she is isolated in the darkness of her own existence, trapped by her inability to see, hear and express. She grows up becoming more and more frustrated by the black and dark world around her, making her a violent, uncontrollable eight-year old.
In February 1882, real heroin in life Hellen Keller could no longer respond to the dinner bell rings or flashes of her mother’s hand in front of her eyes. It thus became apparent that her illness had left her to be blind and deaf. And as she became further withdrawn into her own silent world, she began to lose her speech as well.
Losing her ability to communicate with her parents reduced Hellen Keller to a state of frustration and anger. She became a difficult child, throwing dishes and lamps on the floor, yelling and throwing tantrums. That behaviour gradually worsened as her parents became too soft hearted and refused to discipline her. Relatives thought she should be sent to a mental institution. Yet this girl turned out to be one of the world’s greatest inspirational stories!
Despite her relatives’ claims, Hellen Keller displayed abilities that seemed to suggest that she was sound. By the time she was 5, she could use more than 60 customized hand gestures to communicate meanings of “Mother”, “Father” etc. Believing that her child could be educated, her mother brought Hellen to Alexander Graham Bell on the advice from a specialist doctor. Alexander was working with the deaf at that time. It was through his contacts that a private tutor was eventually engaged to coach Helen. She was none other than Anne Sullivan.
Despite her relatives’ claims, Hellen Keller displayed abilities that seemed to suggest that she was sound. By the time she was 5, she could use more than 60 customized hand gestures to communicate meanings of “Mother”, “Father” etc. Believing that her child could be educated, her mother brought Hellen to Alexander Graham Bell on the advice from a specialist doctor. Alexander was working with the deaf at that time. It was through his contacts that a private tutor was eventually engaged to coach Helen. She was none other than Anne Sullivan.
At that time, Anne Sullivan had just graduated from the Perkins School for the Blind in Boston and the offer to be Hellen’s private tutor was like a rain in the drought as she had been trying to find work for a long time. Suffering from poor eyesight herself, Anne saw in Hellen what others couldn’t.To her, she was like just any other girl.
Anne tried to control Hellen’s bad behaviour and correct her table manners. Instead of allowing her to grab food with her bare hands off other people’s plates, she would train her to eat with a fork sitting down. She would also make her brush her own hair. Those attempts often led to more protests and tantrums from the young girl, causing Anne to lose her 2 front teeth in the first week.
At the same time, Anne was teaching Helen finger spelling by writing individual letters onto the girl’s hand. Although Helen could repeat these hand movements, she didn’t really understood what those meant.
One fine day in April 5, 1887, all that changed.Anne led Hellen down the path to the well house, held her hand under a running water pump and wrote the words w-a-t-e-r on her palms. As the cool stream gushed against her hands, Hellen felt a sudden awareness as the mystery of language unveiled in her new founded consciousness. Anne was immediately asked to spell the name of the pump and many other objects Hellen touched in the path, including her own name. By the end of the day, Helen had already learned 30 new words. 3 months later, she picked up 300.
As Anne and Hellen’s bond grew, friends, family and even neighbours were greatly astonished at the change in that young lady, calling it a “miracle”.
By 1890, she was living at Perkins Institute, being taught by Anne and spending several winters. During her stay there, she learned ferociously and picked up knowledge not only pertaining to her own language but also in Greek, French and Latin. She also aspired to attend college and intentionally did her high school education in Cambridge so that she could be physically near her dream school, Radcliffe, the sister college to Harvard.
As the school in Cambridge was not catered for the blind nor the deaf, Hellen Keller worked doubly hard and diligently prepared for her entrance exams.
Despite passing the entrance exams with flying colours, on the grounds that the workload would prove to be too heavy for a deaf and blind student, her admission request to the class of 1899 was rejected. Though she was devastated, Helen was determined to get into Radcliffe, even at the extent of rejecting Cornell University and the University of Chicago’s acceptance offers and full scholarships.
She did very well in the next year’s entrance exams and was finally admitted to the class of 1900. During her years in college, she wrote her memoir, “The Story of My Life” and eventually went on to graduate on June 28, 1904 with a honours Bachelor of Arts degree. Although the book sold poorly at first, it later turned out to be a classic.
Despite passing the entrance exams with flying colours, on the grounds that the workload would prove to be too heavy for a deaf and blind student, her admission request to the class of 1899 was rejected. Though she was devastated, Helen was determined to get into Radcliffe, even at the extent of rejecting Cornell University and the University of Chicago’s acceptance offers and full scholarships.
She did very well in the next year’s entrance exams and was finally admitted to the class of 1900. During her years in college, she wrote her memoir, “The Story of My Life” and eventually went on to graduate on June 28, 1904 with a honours Bachelor of Arts degree. Although the book sold poorly at first, it later turned out to be a classic.
Despite her disabilities, Hellen dared herself to take up a lot of adventures such as horse riding, cycling, swimming and even camping that any other able bodied person would take up. She expressed controversial political thoughts in her essays, went up to the vaudeville stage to demonstrate her first understanding of the word ‘water’ and answer questions fielded by the audience on her struggles, with Anne acting as her interpreter.
Anne died in 1936. On June 1, 1968, after Hellen died peacefully in her sleep, she was buried next to Anne at the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C.
What Did I Learn From This Story?
well she lost 2 front teeth, isn’t it? – to teach Helen social etiquette, she went the extra mile to encourage creative thinking by relating the words w-a-t-e-r with the physical touch of gushing water.
A good mentor’s words may be harsh at times but those are said with your welfare at heart. Most of the time, it’s not the words that are hurtful, it’s your reactions to his words that make it so. Think through what your mentor said, and constantly question them. Is it true? Or has he missed a point?
A good mentor is able to see your attributes and help you to explore them. If you’re not willing to trust him just like he believe in you, that lopsided relationship is eventually going to take its toll and crumble.
A good mentor is able to see your attributes and help you to explore them. If you’re not willing to trust him just like he believe in you, that lopsided relationship is eventually going to take its toll and crumble.
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