Me though I saw the grave where Jimmie Lays Within that temple where the vestal Flame, Was wont to burn and passing by those ways To see that buried dust of living fame. Annie Sullivan was blind when Jimmie died. At that time Jimmie and Annie were living in the state poorhouse in Tewksbury. There she met her destiny, the destiny to be brave, strong, and never to give up. Later on, when Jimmie was no longer there to support her, she was transported to the Perkins Institution for the blind. That day- October 7, 2003 – changed her life forever. After several eye operations, Annie finally can see, and her destiny is about to be tested.
All the troubles that Annie went trough are nothing compared to our unsolvable problems. In he present situation Annie never gave up, she tried and tried and tried to make Helen Understand what does this little finger game means, that each thing has a certain name, and that paid off. The present situation of Helen depends in Kate and Captain Kellers decision. It is also even worse then it was when Annie was a child. When Helen was two years old she lost her hearing, sight, and speaking abilities. Throughout seven years her parents Kate and Captain Keller tried to do something to help her in any way.
Every doctor couldnt do anything. Everyone lost his or her hope, Captain Keller even thought about putting Helen to the asylum. But like Annie said, that the main sources of Helens problems are not deafness or blindness, thats their love and pity. Captain Keller, Kate, Aunt Ev, all of them never tried to teach her those simple manners, like what does the word spoon means and whats its purpose. Well actually this essay is not about anyones biography; this essay will compare and contrast the Gibsons The Miracle Worker in its written form and in its video version.
It will show us how important to read and watch this play, in order to understand all of the feelings that the author wanted to introduce to us. In my opinion both video and written from are important and easily understandable. When I read the play I had different ideas how each person looks like. I never imagined Annie in such black dresses and Helen was much smaller. In the Helen is around nine years, but in the movie her height was not much smaller then Annies. But also when I saw the play I could hear some sounds that Helen was trying to make. In the book you cannot express all of those emotions that you want to express.
When I read the play I couldnt hear or feel the same way as I was watching the movie that I thought was the biggest difference. In the book there were some parts that were not showed in the movie. For example, in the book there was a scene in the Institution where Gibson described the moment when blind girls came in and cave Annie two presents. One as for Annie- a pair of smoked glasses and the other one for Helen- the doll. In the movie the showed that Annie was in the train and already in glasses. Also the girls were on the platform and waving goodbye to Annie.
Other scenes was taken away, like one when Martha and Percy were doing the operations to the paper dolls. Eventually Percy and Martha occurred in the scene, but they were showed that they were running away when Kate was walking. In other part of the movie they didnt show how Viney was helping to Annie while she was moving to the garden house. There they just showed how Helen arrived to the new house and it was already with her toys, bed, etc. In the movie not only some scenes were taken away, but some were added. When Annie was with Helen in the garden house, the author just told us that its time to pack your bags.
In the movie they showed that Annie was teaching her to Helen how to eat with spoon, she was washing her hair putting her to sleep, how they were in the river, how Annie spelled water and other word to Helens hand, etc. Also the part in the garden house was added when James came in and he started asking Annie about Jimmie, like how old was when he died, why did he die anyway. This part was only in the movie. In the movie not all of the flash backs were showed and some of them were changed a little. Actually when I was reading those flashbacks I never thought that Annie was blind, and that she was poorly dressed.
I just thought of Jimmie and all of the doctors that were around him, and I never realized that there were no good doctors because no one cared about homeless people. The most impressive thing about this play that it was performed on the stage. All of those artists, especially those, who played Annie and Helen, had a hard time doing all of the fighting, stabbing, falling, etc. I cannot imagine for example that scene where Annie and Helen are locked in the dining room and they have to fight, scream, stab, and roll under the table every day when there is a show.
In the scene where Helen stabs Annie with the needle Annie have to act like she was stabbed for real. How did they manage it all? I dont have an answer on this question. In the movie to separate first two years of Helens life from nine years old her, they putted in the subtitles. Those subtitles are telling us the story of Helen throughout seven years, but they tell us without pictures or even words. It has to be in our imagination to be able to understand all of that. Throughout all this report I was telling all the differences between the movie and the play.
How part with paper doll operation and other in the Perkins Institution for the Blind the girls came to say goodbye to Annie were taken away. How scenes in the garden house were added, like all the teaching of Helen was showed, how James came to Annie and asked questions about her brother Jimmie. All the information about presents situation of Helen and Annie were not written in those words in the play, and much more… Those kinds of plays like Romeo and Juliet, Othello, The miracle worker were not meant to be read, they meant to be seen.
