Question

What role did Mr. Gilman play in Helen Keller's life? (120‒150 words)

Answer 1

Mr Gilman was the principal of the Cambridge School for Young Ladies. Apart from Frau Grote, he was the only teacher who had learned the finger alphabet to instruct Helen in her studies. Mr Gilman instructed her for a part of the year in English literature. Mr Gilman's broad views on history and literature and his clever explanations made Helen's work easier and more pleasant. Mr Gilman read all the papers to her by means of the manual alphabet. He sat beside her and read the examination papers sentence by sentence. He spelt out to her what she had written so that she could make the necessary changes. Mr Gilman was the person who sent her written work to the examiners with the certificate that Helen, candidate No. 233, had written the papers. However, he thought that Helen was overworked even though Miss Sullivan believed otherwise. In the end, Helen's mother withdrew her from the school because of a difference of opinion between the two teachers. Mr Gilman helped Helen, but he underestimated her potential for hard work.