Question

Had it not been for the wisdom of Helen's mother, the long night would have lasted forever, blocking all hope. Comment.
(Cbse class 10 English Communicative Question paper 2015)

Answer 1

Helen became both deaf and blind when she was hardly 2 years old. She would intensely feel the agony of her handicap as she had not been blind and deaf from birth. She became increasingly restless and tyrannical. Some of her relatives thought she was a monster and should be institutionalized. But Helen's mother Kate Keller kept her focus. She remains so disturbed that lines of her worry became clearly etched upon her sensitive face. She felt helpless about how to deal with Helen destructive behaviour. The girl could do real physical harm to herself and others. One day as Kate was cradling the exhausted child she remembered a piece once she had read by Charles Dickens her favourite author. It was about Dicken’s own experience of visiting a blind-deaf woman in America who had become educated. And with this thought there began a determined search for a teacher who could teach Helen. And no one was more please than Kate Keller when 21 year old Anne Sullivan who had herself been blind for a time agreed to teach Helen. Thus we can say that had it not been for the wisdom and patience of Helen's mother, the long night would have lasted for ever , blocking all hope.