Q & A

"We walked down the path to the well-house, attracted by the fragrance of the honeysuckle with which it was covered. Some one was drawing water and my teacher placed my hand under the spout. As the cool stream gushed over one hand she spelled into the other the word water, first slowly, then rapidly." (Chapter 4, pg. 11)

The imagery in Helen's writing is notable because it primarily relies on sensations of touch and smell, rather than sight, as do images in most books. Here, Helen describes the smell of honeysuckles drawing her to the well house, and the feel of cool water on her hand. This is the moment when she understands the mystery of language at last—that everything has a name, and that Miss Sullivan is painstakingly teaching all these names to her.

In addition, Helen feels at home when she is out in nature more so than anywhere else. In the outdoors, she does not need sight or hearing to understand what is around her; she can feel the power of her surroundings through touch and smell, and does not have to rely on verbal communication. Helen learns many of her lessons through interactions with nature, and each time she encounters a new part of it—the ocean, for example, or Niagara Falls—she describes it with a sense of awe and wonder that cannot be found anywhere else in her writing.