the miracle worker
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Created by:
reallydude19 on April 10, 2011
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37 terms
Terms | Definitions |
|---|---|
 water pump | Helen goes here multiple times (with the key, the pitcher, etc.) it is her place of refuge and where her miracle took place |
| battle of vicksburg | North (Annie) vs. South (Keller) for Helen's independence. Annie, like the Northern general, is more stubborn, |
| suitcase | Annie vs. Keller, Annie asserting her independence, foreshadows Annie "winning" with Helen |
| chick hatching from the egg | Helen breaking free from the constraints of not being able to communicate |
| key | locking Helen in to teach her; when helen gives Annie it, it shows that she trusts Annie |
| locked doors | like Helen's ability to communicate, they are necessary in her learning. when the doors are unlocked, helen is also free |
| the well | Helen asserts herself by hiding the key here; it shows Helen's intelligence and the fact that she has potential and will be able to progress |
| water | Helen's miracle of language; her first word, she threw it in Annie's face, knew the word by 6 months old, etc. |
| pity | it is a debilitating handicap and serves to stifle Helen's learning |
| transformation/change | all characters must change in order for Helen to transform. Kate/Keller must relinquish control; James needs to learn to stand up to Keller; Annie needs to change her methods to reach Helen |
| resurrection | 2nd chance for love between Annie and Helen; Helen's resurrection with language; Keller/James relationship resurrected |
| language and meaning | understanding language and meaning sets Helen free and makes her independent |
| stubbornness | Annie's stubbornness contributes to Helen's awakening; she outlasts Kate, Keller, and Helen by being more stubborn |
| north vs. south | Annie is North: strong, stubborn, independent. Keller is South: decorum, manners, appeasement, being proper and authoritative. annie's northern mentality overcomes southern sentimentalities to help Helen transform |
| ivy green | name of the Keller homestead |
| tuscumbia, alabama | location of Ivy Green |
| perkins school for the blind | the school Annie attended |
| watertown, massachusetts | location of the Perkins School for the Blind |
| tewksbury, massachusetts | location of the state almshouse where Annie stayed as a little girl |
| Radcliffe College | sister school of Harvard, for women only, where Helen attended college |
| cambridge, massachusetts | location of Radcliffe College |
| belle | the Keller's dog's name |
| tubercular hip | the disease Annie's brother, Jimmy, had |
| doctor | treats Helen in the beginning of the play |
| Kate | Helen's mom (James's stepmom), and mother of Mildred, too |
| keller | Captain Arthur Keller, Helen's father (and James's and Mildred's father), married to Kate (his second marriage) |
| helen | main character, 19 months old at the start of the play, 6 years old when Annie arrives |
| mildred | Helen's baby sister |
| martha and percy | children of the Keller's servant, Viney |
| aunt ev | Keller's aunt, lives with them |
| james | Keller's son from first marriage (Kate is his stepmom) |
| anagnos | the man who runs Perkins School for the Blind in Boston and sends Annie to help Helen |
| annie sullivan | "The Miracle Worker" - Helen's teacher |
| Viney | Keller family servant |
| blind girls | girls at Perkins School for the blind who say goodbye to Annie |
| servant | works for the Kellers |
| offstage voices | in Annie's head - memories of her past, one includes her dead brother Jimmy |
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