2.2 HELEN KELLER ANS ANNE SULLIVAN
WARMING UP
1. Discuss the challenges that people have to face due to disabilities.
Ans: Inaccessibility, Low Representation, Barriers to Health Care, The Education System is still not Inclusive, Attitudinal Barriers, Inaccessible communication systems prevent access to information and knowledge and opportunities to participate, Institutional Barriers, Inadequate Data & Statistics
What provisions should be made in public places so that everyone gets the same access to public facilities? Observe your surroundings and write whether such facilities are available.
Ans: Provisions:
i) Ramps, elevators should be provided where necessary for physically disable.
ii) Adding disabled parking spaces.
iii) Public places like hotels, shopping malls, railway stations should be equipped with facilities that the disabled needed.
iv) Government should introduce additional subsidies on goods and services required by the disabled.
How can you help to improve the situation?
|
Disability |
Challenges |
Necessary Facilities |
|
• Hearing loss and deafness |
unable to communicate and learn any language |
low cost hearing aids should be made available |
|
• Vision loss and blindness |
unable to walk independently, travel alone |
audiobooks library, computer lab where they can’t hear and learn |
|
• Speech disorders |
unable to converse with others and share ideas thoughts and fillings |
expert teachers, technological support |
|
• Physical disability |
Unable to use public transport easily add do daily activities. Take part in all sports |
reserved seats should be kept for disabled people |
|
• Intellectual disability |
Difficult to learn and accept the social rules. |
provision expert teachers, technical support |
|
• Learning disorder |
difficult to get food job and social status |
should treat them as per their requirements |
MARGIN QUESTIONS
1) Guess the meaning of :
• immeasurable contrasts
• eventful day
• upturned
• unconsciously
• white darkness
2) The author refers to two contrasting emotions- what are they?
Ans: The author refers to two contrasting emotions- feeling dumb and felling expectant.
3) What does the author compare herself to?
Ans: The author compares herself to a ship that is trying to find its way towards the shore using a plummet and sounding line through a dense white fog. She compares her disability to the white darkness of the fog.
4) What did young Helen’s teacher do when they first met?
Ans: When they first met, young Helen’s teacher held Helen’s hand and held her close in her arms lovingly.
5) What is the difference between finger play, spelling a word mechanically and writing a meaningful word?
Ans: A finger play means learning to spell using fingers. Hand movements are coordinated with words to engage and sustain children’s interest. Finger plays can be in the form of songs or chants. Spelling a word mechanically means learning the words using touch in the beginning. It is just imitation. Writing a meaningful words means writing a word knowingly by understanding its meaning properly.
6) What is the difference between wordless sensation and thought?
Ans: Thought occurs in brain while sensation occurs at different organs. Thoughts is an idea or opinion coming in mind while sensation is a physical feeling when something comes in contact with body. Thought is expressed through words while sensation is to be felt without using words.
7) What were the barriers? How could they be swept away?
Ans: The main barriers in the process of Helen’s education were her lifelong blindness and deafness. When Helen understood that everything carried some name she wanted to know names and meanings of everything but she couldn’t even speak. So it was difficult for her to express what she wanted to know. But she decided to sweep away these barriers with the help of her teacher, Anne Sullivan and her strong desire of learning.
8) Why did young Helen feel repentance and sorrow?
Ans: Helen Keller’s thought process was changed after knowing the word water. She realized that her teacher wanted to tell her meaning of ‘doll’. Now she was experiencing all the feelings, emotions, tenderness and love so, she felt sorrow and repentance for her unfair act of throwing the doll.
ENGLISH WORKSHOP
1. Say whether the following sentences are true or false:
(a) The most important day in Helen Keller’s life was when her teacher came to her.
True
(b) When young Helen stretched out her hand, her mother took it.
False
(c) Young Helen learnt to spell many words without
understanding them. True
(d) One day, young Helen understood that everything has a
name. True
(e) Young Helen did not try to put the pieces of the doll together.
True
(f) Young Helen felt sorry that she had broken the doll.
True
2. Listen carefully and classify the following into ‘one’ and ‘many’. Day, contrasts, teacher, lives, months, years, afternoon,
porch, signs, face, fingers, leaves, blossoms, anger, bitterness, weeks, struggle, ship, darkness
|
One |
Many |
|
day, afternoon, teacher, porch, face, anger, bitterness, struggle, ship, darkness |
contrasts, lives, months, years, signs, fingers, leaves, blossoms, weeks, |
3. This narrative is written in the first person – using ‘I’. Rewrite the following sentences using ‘Helen Keller/Young Helen’
appropriately in place of ‘I’ and making other necessary changes in the sentences
(a) I did not know what the future held of marvel or surprise for me.
Ans: Helen Keller did not know what the future held of marvel or surprise for her.
(b) The morning after my teacher came she led me into her room and gave me a doll.
Ans: The morning after Helen Keller’s teacher came she led her into her room and gave her a doll.
(c) On entering the door I remembered the doll I had broken.
Ans: On entering the door Helen Keller remembered the doll she had broken.
(d) Then my eyes filled with tears; for I realised what I had done, and for the first time I felt repentance and sorrow.
Ans: Then her eyes filled with tears; for Helen realized what she had done, and for the first time she felt repentance and sorrow.
4. Read the following sentences and frame at least two relevant questions on each.
(a) I was like that ship before my education began.
(Questions with ‘who’, ‘what’, ‘when’.)
Example :
Who was like that ship before her education began?
When was she like that ship?
(b) One day I was playing with the new doll.
Ans: Who was playing with the new doll?
What was she playing with one day?
(c) I learnt a great many new words that day.
Ans: What did she learn that day?
Who learnt a great many new words that day?
(d) She brought my hat.
Ans: Who brought her hat?
What did she bring?
(e) We walked down the path to the well-house.
Ans: Who walked down the path to the well-house?
Where did they walk to?
(f) That living word awakened my soul
Ans: What did the living word do to her?
What did the living word do to her?
5. Write about your own experience. Do you remember an occasion when you did something successfully for the first time? Write about it in short (10-12 lines). Prepare an outline of your composition before you write it.
Ans: While you’ll are writing your experience let me share my experience with you’ll.
Outline
Solo piano performance- nervous- scared- took a deep breath- performed- received a loud applause- happy- felt
confident.
I had performed a solo piano recital for the school
annual day function. I was very nervous and scared as this was the first time I was playing for an audience. I was sweating profusely and my hands were very sweaty. I took my place at the piano and looked at the audience. I took a deep breath and closed my eyes and began playing. As soon as I heard the notes it was only me and the piano and before I knew I was done playing my piece. There was a loud applause from the audience and I stood and took a bow. Now I feel very confident about performing in front of a crowd.
6. Gather more information about the following:
(a) Different types of impairment that limit a person’s activity or make it difficult for him/her to mix with others in society.
Ans: Disability is a wide term that refers to not just health issues but also covers impairments and restrictions of participating in society and social activities. It is a complex phenomenon which reflects the interaction between the person’s body features and societal features in which they live. There are different types of impairments which isolate a person from the society due to complexes. A few examples are:
i) Cognitive disability
ii) Deafness and loss of hearing
iii) Invisible disability
iv) Vision disability
v) Impairments in mobility
vi) Spinal cord injury
vii) Psychological disorders
It is important to help people suffering from these impairments to overcome the difficulties by removing social and environmental barriers.
(b) How modern technology can be used to overcome these problems
Ans: The use of modern technology has helped people with disabilities. Special hearing aids help people with hearing problems. Interactive hand held devices that use voice, touch to operate, specialized wheel chairs and computer systems are being invented to help the disabled.
7. Complete the following sentences using your own ideas:
(a) The most important day I remember in all my life is the one on which I scored a hundred in my math paper.
(b) I did not know what the name of the book stall.
(c) One day, while I was playing a stray dog bit me.
(d) I realised what my mistake was.
(e) I do not remember what homework was given by the teacher