Extremely dangerous
One of the most ironic elements which can be found in the play is the idea that Helen is seen as a dangerous creature which everyone should be wary of. The reason why this is ironic is that Helen is just a child of not even seven years old, incapable of taking care of herself, less make any damage or hurt any person. The reason why she is seen as dangerous is rather that she is different and thus hard to be understood by those around her.
The blind teaching the blind
When Annie is first described, the narrator describes her eyes which are affected by a grave illness. It becomes clear Annie is almost blind and because of this, it is ironic to see how she is sent to teach another blind person to learn how to communicate and how to live a normal life.
The man who is not respected
Mr. Keller is the father of the family and, considering the times, he is the one with the most power in his family. In the 17th century, the family was patriarchal in nature and the wife and children had little to no power or say in the family. Because of this, it is ironic to see how Mr. Keller, despite the times he lives in, is the person who has the least amount of power in his family in comparison with the rest of the family members.
The girl who does not recognize her father
When Kate goes to the train station to pick up Annie, Mr. Keller remains alone with his daughter. He tries everything he can to make Helen be comfortable and safe, but he soon realizes he is unable to do so and that his own child behaves as if she does not know who she is. The ironic idea in this context is that Helen seems to recognize every person in the house, except her own father.
The servants have power
The Keller family has a rather large number of servants helping them with the work in the house and on the homestead. When the action took place, the servants were commonly treated like animals and had little to no rights. The servants were mistreated more than often and it was seen as something normal, even to be expected. Because of this, it is ironic to see how the servants working on the Keller homestead felt they had every right to criticize their masters and often did it while they were present.
