This story comes in Chapter 6. Anne Sullivan was teaching Helen words for all sorts of things, using finger language. Abstract concepts were trickier. One day Anne spelled out, “I love Helen.” Helen responded by asking, “What is love?” Anne pointed to her heart and said, “It is here.” Helen was confused and made some guesses that weren’t quite on the mark. A few days later, while Helen was having problems working with beads, Anne stopped her, touched her forehead, and told her to “Think.” Helen suddenly realized what that word meant. And she related it to the kind of word she thought “love” was. Anne was able to make the additional connection when she described scenes of nature that made Helen happiest:
You cannot touch the clouds, you know … You cannot touch love either; but you feel the sweetness that it pours into everything. Without love you would not be happy or want to play.
This is when Helen understood the concept of love.
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