The Miracle Worker is a play It is based off of Helen Keller’s 1903 autobiography, The Story of My Life. When illness left baby Helen blind and deaf, it seemed hopeless that she would ever be able to learn, communicate, or live any kind of real life. When a young woman named Annie Sullivan enters the Keller home, everything changes for Helen and her family. The Miracle Worker is truly a story of perseverance, patience, and love.
Create a visual plot diagram of the Miracle Worker
Storyboard Text
The Miracle Worker by William Gibson
EXPOSITION: Annie Sullivan Arrives
Annie, meet Kate and Helen.
Hello!
RISING ACTION: The Garden House
D-O-L-L
Set in Tuscombia, Alabama, Helen is born a healthy baby, but illness leaves her blind and deaf at 18 months old. When she is 6 years old, 20 year old Annie Sullivan comes to live with the Keller family, with the hope that she can teach Helen to communicate.
CLIMAX: Water
Wah wah!!
At six years old, young Helen is unkept, unruly, and uncontrollable. When Annie Sullivan comes into her life, big changes occur and life changes for the better.
FALLING ACTION: New Words
House!
After many chaotic incidents, Annie decides that in order for her to be successful, she must have complete control over Helen's care and basic needs. They live together in the garden house for two weeks, and Helen makes exceptional progress.
RESOLUTION: The Keys
After the two weeks, Helen returns to her family and immediately reverts back to her old ways. After a particularly difficult incident, Annie takes Helen out to the water pump and Helen remembers her first word from before her illness: wah wah.
A light bulb goes on. Helen realizes that Annie has been trying to teach her words all along. She runs around with Annie and wants her to teach her as many new words as possible.
The keys are important throughout the play. Helen hides them from the family as a way to control something. At the end of the play, Helen gives the keys to Annie, showing her that she has earned Helen's trust.
Image Attributions: (https://pixabay.com/en/pump-water-pump-garden-pump-1923466/) - susannp4 - License: Free for Commercial Use / No Attribution Required (https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0)