This week we chose an article named The Heroic Companionship of Helen Keller and Anne Sullivan, introducing the story of Keller and her teacher which shows us that how Keller overcame all kinds of hardship under assistance of her teacher Sullivan and grew from a helpless blind and deaf girl to a prolific author and a world-famous advocate for people with disabilities. When reading the article, please think about the following questions:
1. Should Helen Keller and Anne Sullivan be considered heroes? Why? How did their behaviors and qualities relate to the definition of heroism?
2. The article introduces the definition of companionate heroes. What are differences and similarities between this kind of hero and the typical heroes who dedicate their lives to others or the common good?
3. Keller and Sullivan were considered two of the most respectful women and their story was inspiring to generations. What made it so special compared to other similar stories about assistance to disabilities? How can you relate this to the social functions of heroes?
By: Yang Zhang, Yali Song, Mei He, Shinan Ma
http://blog.richmond.edu/heroes/2011/04/18/the-heroic-companionship-of-helen-keller-and-anne-sullivan/
I believe that what Anne Sullivan did with Helen Keller was absolutely amazing. I think that they fulfill a completely different vision of what a hero is. Anne Sullivan is obviously a hero to Helen Keller and everyone that had a close bond with her. It took immense patience for her to help Helen like she did. I also think that Helen is considered a hero to many people that are deaf and blind. She over came so many odds to end up where she did. These two definitely differ from any other form of hero that the public thinks of. They are not saving lives or pulling someone from a burning building, they are changing lives in a different way to try and make life easier for others. They are definitely inspirations to many people with disabilities and they are companionate heroes because they help each other out and try and make things easier for one another. This story is different from a lot of people's stories about disabilities because they both had disabilities and they were helping one another make it through the hardships of everyday life.
ReplyDeleteBeing deaf and blind would probably be the worst thing in the whole world. I have learned about Keller in school before when I was younger but hearing the story now hit me a lot harder. The fact that Anne Sullivan taught her how to communicate in such a unique way is simply amazing. People in the world today go through hard things and we need compassionate heroes like Anne in this world. One of my friends is a double amputee and I know how hard it is for her so the story at the beginning was very touching to my heart. We all need to help each other like Anne helped Hellen, think outside the box and never give up hope on something close to impossible.
ReplyDeleteI don't think Helen Keller should be considered a hero but Sullivan should because Sullivan dedicated her life to helping Keller overcome some huge obstacles. Helen Keller is not a hero but more of an inspiration because she had to overcome these obstacles.A companionate hero is one who dedicates their life to one specific person whereas a hero dedicates their life to helping anyone. It made it special because it was unheard of and it was thought that no one would ever be able to help Keller.
ReplyDeleteThis article attracts me because the concept of companionate heroes is sort of the thesis of my ARP. I wouldn’t agree that considering both of them heroes separately. Because I think it is just like only one hand couldn’t make a clap. It is the “heroic companionship” that makes their story extraordinary and inspiring to generations. Besides the braveness of selflessness, I think the comments below the article point out some important traits of a hero on another aspect, which are patience and compassion. I do consider people heroes when they are selflessly helping others and this article points out that the way people help is also very important. I think it is Sullivan’s patience and compassion that makes the story heroic to us.
ReplyDeleteI think both of these great women are heroes in their own way. Sullivan's companionate heroics are admirable because her dedication to Keller is unbelievable. She dedicates herself to helping this girl and becomes her hero along the way. I can't imagine more difficult circumstances to work with. Keller is a hero herself because of the inspiration she has given millions of people. I am willing to call anyone who overcomes obstacles like these two did heroes and give them the credit they have earned.
ReplyDeleteI think the biggest hero in this story is Anne Sullivan because of her courage and patience with Keller. She is also a hero to me because she succeeded in something seemingly almost impossible and she helped her learn and try live as close to a normal person as possible. Although it is commendable that Keller went on to teach others how to overcome disabilities I don't consider her a hero just because of that. I agree with Tony in the sense that a companionate hero is someone who steps up to the plate to help someone in need and a real hero is similar to that in my eyes because heroes attack the task at hand whether it be to save lives, put out fires etc. Either way it takes both a great amount of bravery, persistence, patience and courage.
ReplyDeleteI believe that both Helen Keller and Anne Sullivan should be considered heroes for different reasons. Sullivan should be a hero because of her dedication to Keller. She changed Keller's life and if it weren't for her, who knows if Keller would have learned to function the way she did. Keller should be considered a hero because of the inspiration she has brought to people. So many people look up to her that it would be hard not to call her a hero.
ReplyDeleteHelen Keller and Anne Sullivan definitely posses commendable characteristics. Like Damien said, Anne Sullivan is a hero because of her selfless devotion to Helen Keller. If she wasn't in the picture, there definitely is no way Helen Keller would have been made into the person she is today. But I do agree with Carissa because I don't consider Helen Keller as much of a hero figure as Anne Sullivan, although it is extremely commendable that she not only overcame her disability but inspiring everyone along the way. Both are great, inspirational women, but I feel that only Anne Sullivan posses heroic characteristics.
ReplyDeleteI believe Helen and Anne were both heroes in their own right, and the definition of companionate heroes fits them perfectly because without one another they would almost be unheard of. Anne is a hero for putting up with Helen and having the patience to teach her, and Helen was a hero for working hard through her disabilities and making something amazing of her life. I have always been amazed my Helen Keller and Anne Sullivan and their accomplishment of doing something that was thought to be impossible. I think this is what makes them heroes; conquering the impossible is definitely a trait of a true hero and I think both of them did this in their lifetime. They were a team who worked together to perform a miracle. The difference between them and other heroes is that they needed each other to make everything happen. They are two of the most inspirational women I have ever heard of and their story inspires me more and more every time I hear it.
ReplyDeleteI have never heard of companionate heroes before reading this article. I think the idea is fascinating. This type of co-dependant relationship is not uncommon, and it should be more relevant in todays society. In the case of Keller and Sullivan, both of these women are heroes to me. Sullivan is a hero at least to Keller, if not more people, for helping her become who she is. And Keller is a hero and inspiration to many of people with disabilities. One other aspect of this article that I found interesting, although it is a little off of the subject, is the opening. A farmer in Germany had a double arm transplant. Ill say that again. He lost both of his arms and German doctors put two new ones on. That just blows my mind. This example really helped me understand what companionate heroes are. And the fact that this farmer is getting stronger every day makes him a hero to me.
ReplyDeleteI think that Anne Sullivan and Helen Keller certainly fall under the definition of companionate heroes. Keller was in need of considerable help to survive and Sullivan's particular skill set assisted Keller in becoming educated and gaining language abilities. I also think that companionate heroes differ from the conventional hero that people tend to think of. This is mainly because companionate heroes act on more of a small scale whereas conventional heroes usually commit heroic acts to help numerous people and benefit the common good.
ReplyDeleteSince a new concept called companionate heroes mentioned in the article, Keller and Sullivan is a whole, neither of them can be consider as a hero separately. Without Sullivan's patience and love, Keller can't over come her disabilities. Meanwhile, without Keller, the unselfish dedication of Sullivan can't be reflected. Just as what shows in the photos, both of the photos which were inset in the article, indicate the close relationship between them. Moreover, the vedio at the end of article also gives a good illustration of the heroic companionship of Keller and Sullivan.
ReplyDeleteThe story of Helen Keller is always a very inspiring story, one where two people worked there whole lives to learn basic needs like taking. The article explains that Keller and Sullivan are not only heroes but they are companionship heroes. Things types of heroes where explained to be people that need each other to achieve goals and become heroes. Knowing this, I would definitely consider both of these people heroes. There are many other disabled people considered heroes, because they overcome so much, but Keller and Sullivan are two of the most famous ones because of how disabled Helen Keller was and how hard they worked with each other. This is a very inspiring story for everyone, because it shows not only average people can be heroes but how people with disabilities can also be heroes.
ReplyDeleteThe article’s concept about companionate heroes is new to me since in my mind heroism is always about singular actions and even for the group behaviors like the firefighter team’s saving the people, still the individual decision determine their reaction and they do not rely or affect on one another. But this concept show two individual’s behaviors as a whole as heroism and they bring out the best of the other. Also both Helen Keller and Anne should be treated as heroes. It is obvious Anne is a hero using her unselfish love to save Helen from the dark world and let her feel the beauty of the world. But also I disagree with the comment above that Helen may not be a hero. Yes, Helen devote her first half of her life to saving herself but her behavior surly affected others who are in the similar situation and influence the whole generation across the culture. Her behavior had done the positive influence people just like the other heroism. So instead of saying that the heroic behaviors change the world, I think it is the effect he or she brings to the rest of the world really matters.
ReplyDeleteI really think Helen Keller and Anne Sullivan are heroes because they not only help themselves from difficulties but also use their story to inspire others. Anne devotes herself to the disable girl Helen and help her not only physically but also mentally. Helen overcome so many difficulties and try to live as normal people and achieve her dream hardly. These are all evidences of their heroism action. And the name of the definition of companionate heroes really change the thought of hero who must be lonely and working by his own. The friendship of Helen and Anne touch everyone deeply.
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