Revelations Open New Perspectives: Helen Keller, And Mrs. Hale

Revelations Open New Perspectives
Epistemology, the study of knowing, is a multifaceted study. There are several different ways humans come to know things: experiential knowledge, learning through the use of senses, vicarious learning, and even learning through revelations. Each way of gaining knowledge is unique, and every person learns differently. When reading about the old man, Helen Keller, and Mrs. Hale’s experiences, it is easy to see a commonality; Though unique, the link in each character’s story occurs in the revelations they experience. The old man in “A Christmas Story,” Helen Keller, and Mrs. Hale in “Trifles” have all had experiences of learning in different ways, but ultimately it is a personal revelation that leads to their epiphanies of new knowledge in their lives.
The old man has a revelation after which his eyes open to a new world, and he then can see and know about the soup through a fresh
Keller’s deepest desire is to know; She longs for a way to be able to learn. Describing this desire for knowledge she writes, “‘Light! Give me light!’ was the wordless cry of my soul, and the light of love shone on me in that very hour” (Keller 5). This day is the day that Keller’s teacher, Miss Sullivan, comes into her life. Miss Sullivan faced many trials in sorting out how to best communicate outside knowledge to Keller, but they were both committed to figuring out a way for Keller to learn. Eventually, Miss Sullivan is able to connect Keller’s sense of touch to words and objects in the outside world. Through sense, Keller comes to the revelation that “Everything had a name, and each name gave birth to a new thought” (Keller 6). Keller and Mrs. Hale are two people that understand the impact of using senses and intuition. Both women would not be able to know what they do without their clever use of their