Helen Keller's Perceptions When Writing in Comparison to My Own

Though I love the feeling of writing on paper, I rarely do. My writing style is one that could be considered unsystematic, initially consisting of a free flow of unorganized ideas, which I must arrange and edit later. Writing on a computer, therefore, enables me to do this effortlessly. I’ve realized that it is the visual aspect of writing on paper that I enjoy - something that Helen Keller would not have been able to experience.

It’s difficult to imagine writing without the ability to see your words, and having to rely solely on the feeling of writing. In chapter 14 of The Story of My Life (1905), Helen Keller expresses that, “Trying to write is very much like trying to put a Chinese puzzle together. We have a pattern in mind which we wish to work out in words; but the words will not fit the spaces, or, if they do, they will not match the design” (p.70). She had no visual structure to rely on in the organization of her writing, nor did she have the ability to re-read her work in the process of writing; therefore, she could only disseminate based on her memory.

The genre in which she writes is one that is so unique, we simply cannot imagine the experience of it, nor can we begin to understand the conscious processes that she undergoes when putting her thoughts and feelings into words. She is writing from a deep consciousness of the human mind – one free of outwardly distractions or influence. The continuous hardships she faced when learning to write are unfathomable, yet she never gave up. Helen Keller was constantly driven to further her education and her ability to communicate through her writing, even with the adversities of her disabilities; therefore her work will forever be an inspiration to all.

Keller, H., Macy, J. & Sullivan, A. (1905). The story of my life. New York: Grosset & Dunlap.

Cab-less in Manhattan

It was our last full day in New York City. The trip was booked through a student tours company, which meant five days of non-stop New York City action, from dawn until dusk. With a strict timetable of the boats and buses we must catch to each venue, attraction, landmark and reservation in our itinerary, there had not been a single “New York minute” to spare the entire trip.

This final day had started off the same as the rest. The alarm sounded at 5 a.m., and the hour-long struggle for bathroom time between the five student roomies would commence. There was a total of 30 students on the trip, as well as, seven chaperones, my fabulous aunt being one of them. Before meeting with the trip coordinator in the foyer at 6 a.m., I made my way to the corner store on the block of our hotel for a Toblerone and Red Bull, as I had done each morning for the last five days. I’m not sure why I remember this so clearly, or why it was always a Toblerone; but breakfast, to me, of any sort, has always been a necessity. (Somehow each morning, the hotel’s continental breakfast was completely scoffed by the time we made it downstairs.)

We were all aware that that night was the night of the main show, the one which all of our other escapades had been planned around. The one we had all been looking forward to seeing, above all else. Though, just as every other morning, the day’s itinerary was never really known until the morning of. Thus, it was to our excitement to learn, that this day, our last day in Manhattan, prior to the evening’s main event, was free time. In case you didn’t catch the emphasis: A full day, free to do what ever we wanted, in the Big Apple.

So off to Chinatown, we went. In case you’re unaware, Manhattan’s Chinatown is the Fifth Avenue to all those who do not make a three digit salary biannually. The interesting shops and boutiques were endless, however it is the back rooms, hidden doors, and locked stairways that held the treasures. Learning this for the first time is quite a fear-provoking experience; Beginning with the curiosity as to where the polite Chinese shop owner is taking you, followed by a brief moment in which you are certain that your life is about to end having just entered a dark hallway through a hidden passageway. Soon, though, you realize that there is light at the end of these tunnels, leading you to what can only be described as “Designer Heaven.” Or perhaps, “knockoff designer heaven”, but what’s the difference?

After a fun-filled day of shopping, we realized that it was time to catch a cab to the hotel in order to give ourselves just enough time to get ready before the bus would arrive to take us to the event.

           

“Where are all the cabs?” said a fellow student in our small shopping group.

           

We had all been too busy to realize that as the day progressed, the streets of Lower Manhattan were slowly beginning to clear. At this point, there was not a cab, or vehicle in sight and it’s common knowledge, even to those who have never experienced New York City, to know that in the city that never sleeps, this was quite a peculiar anomaly…

... To be Continued

What's a Life Worth Living if it's not on the Edge?