What would make the best conclusion? A. If we do not take action now, our world will undergo drastic changes that will negatively affect our environment for thousands of years. B. I’ve seen temperatures rise over my lifetime, and I hate to think of them rising further. C. Scientists will lead the way with new evidence, but we all must join together to take effective action against this impending issue. D. More and more, our ice caps will melt and our weather will change, and only those of us who are insightful will take a stand.

that’s the kind of bug henry was; and if we’d a had him along ’stead of our kings, he’d a fooled that town a heap worse than ourn done.”

fears about being blown up

sthe miracle worker  ▾search

home  >   study guides  >   the miracle worker

the miracle worker themeswilliam gibson

themes and meanings

(comprehensive guide to drama)

print  print  document  pdf  list  cite  link  link

there are two central themes in  the miracle worker: that the human spirit can triumph over even the most daunting of disabilities and that a dedicated teacher can transform the lives of those with whom he or she comes into contact. these inspirational themes have long been personified in the widely known true-life relationship between helen keller and annie sullivan, but  the miracle worker  also dramatizes collateral issues that extend beyond the particular case. underlying helen’s process of learning basic principles of what annie terms “obedience” (decorum, etiquette, and hygiene), there are more universal lessons of self-governance—the inculcation of self-restraint instead of willfulness, the development of self-discipline instead of self-indulgence. only when these lessons have been mastered can helen begin to acquire language—which, annie says, “is to the mind more than light is to the eye.”