Blog #8
Rethinking Media and Popular Culture: The Truth About Helen Keller
July 6, 2025
Part 2 of Rethinking Media and Popular Culture discusses the life achievements of Helen Keller and how her life has been distorted by children's media depictions. The book explains that Helen Keller is portrayed through her accomplishments as an individual, but these depictions typically fail to include the socioeconomic influences that allowed her to reach her goals. According to the book, Helen Keller contended that she would not have been able to achieve her academic goals if she had been born into a different social class—one in which she wasn't able to hire private tutors and receive high-level instruction. Helen Keller wanted it to be known that children from lower social classes did not have the same opportunities for success that she was awarded, but this narrative is often erased from history books.
The book also explains that Helen Keller worked to advocate for women and other disenfranchised groups. She believed that achievement and personal success were only available to certain groups in society, and wrote to support change in society. Despite her noble goals, Keller's sociopolitical writings were not only disregarded by publishers, but even created professional obstacles for her. As her work continued to be political in nature, publishers and other influential individuals resisted her work.
Helen Keller’s story reflects many works in children’s media. Today’s media is highly influenced by a neoliberalist narrative that hard work will always be enough to pay off. While this is an excellent message for kids to learn resilience and grit, Helen Keller would probably see it as little more than a mirage.
Gabi,
ReplyDeleteI didn't choose it for this assignment, but I actually ended reading this chapter too, mostly because I thought "oh no, what did I get wrong?". There was so much I didn't know and this is a great summary. When we talked about Disney and watched Barbie, we focused on how fiction holds secret messages, but this chapter and others from the book emphasize that history has also been warped.
I learned a lot from your post and our breakout discussion, Gabi. I'm inspired to learn more about Helen Keller and others with these differing abilities. Have a great time in Panama!
ReplyDelete