Author: William Gibson
# of pages: 120
Plot Summary:
The play begins when Helen Keller is a an infant with a severe illness. Her parents are worried whether or not she will survive, but the doctor tells them that she is lucky that she will live after the disease. However, although Helen recovers from the illness, she becomes blind and deaf.
Her parents, Kate and Captain Arthur Keller, are horrified when they discover their child's impairment. They try their best to find someone who can cure Helen, until they hear of the Perkins Institute for the Blind. They write to the institute, and a new teacher, named Annie Sullivan, arrives to teach Helen to "see".
Annie discovers that Helen has been spoilt by her parents, having whatever she wants because they prefer to follow Helen's orders than to go through the hassle of teaching the deafblind child a lesson. Annie refuses to follow suit, and she takes measures to discipline Helen. In the end, she succeeds once Helen realizes that objects have their own names, the "miracle" that Annie created.
Opinion:
The Miracle Worker was a touching portrayal of the memorable story of Helen Keller. Annie Sullivan was constantly met by apprehension from the Kellers when she tried to teach Helen, despite her best intentions for Helen's future. They only realized the effectiveness of Annie's teaching methods after Helen learned some manners and that objects have their own names.
However, I believe that Helen Keller's story has been told so often, that reading The Miracle Worker simply bored me. There were no surprises; I was already familiar with the plot since a novel study back in Grade 2, and was constantly reminded of it since then. The play merely served as a more in-depth perspective on the well-known tale, with its dialogue and specific descriptions of the characters' actions.
Admirers of Helen Keller's accomplishments may be interested in reading this script for a play. Otherwise, I would not recommend it to others.
Main themes and subjects:
- Deafness and blindness
- Perseverance
- Rebellion
- Miracles
Genre: Biographical play
Rating: 2/5
Book review by Fiona T.
* 42 hours so far
1 comment:
Hi, Fiona:
I was like you and had been familiar with Helen Keller, since I was a young girl.
I must admit that I have seen the original movie, again from the olden days which I greatly enjoyed.
Helen Keller was my first experience with someone, with a disability or being differently abled.
Sorry, the play was not interesting.
catherine
Post a Comment