Question

why was the book writen by one of Hellan's ancestors A Singular co-incidence?

Answer 1

According to Chapter One, Helen Keller had an ancestor from Switzerland who was the first person to teach deaf children at a school in Zurich. This ancestor's occupation is a coincidence since Helen is also deaf and her family's primary concern is to find a way to adequately educate Helen. Remember that Helen was not born this way: in fact, she was born able to both hear and see but contracted an infectious illness in infancy which left her deaf and blind.

Reflecting on this coincidence, Helen does not seem shocked to learn that her ancestor taught the deaf. In fact, she has a very pragmatic attitude, stating that many kings have a slave in their ancestry and vice versa. In other words, it is not unusual to find every possibility in your ancestry. For Helen, that is the nature of life.