Helen got a terrible fever in Act 1 when she was a little more than a year old, and the illness made her deaf and blind. This changed the direction of her entire life. The effect was that she became deaf and blind.
Annie Sullivan stood firm when Helen wanted to eat food off her plate in Act 2 and Helen eventually ate with her own spoon. Mr. and Mrs. Keller pleaded with Annie to give in and let Helen eat off her plate just for that one meal. They told her it was the only way they could have "adult conversation." Annie refused to back down, even though Helen threw a tantrum and stubbornly refused to cooperate. In the end, Annie guided Helen's hand as she used the spoon to put food "into her open mouth." She even "folded her napkin." The effect was that Helen ate almost on her own, from her own plate
Annie Sullivan finger spelled into Helen's palm repeatedly, and eventually Helen learned to communicate. She tried spelling many things, but Helen was unable to make a connection between the letters and their meanings. Finally, Helen had a breakthrough moment at the water pump. She understood that the letters "w-a-t-e-r" meant the cool liquid on her hand. She finally could understand words and communicate them. The effect was that Helen learned that each thing had a name and she soon learned to communicate.
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