Worksheet: Analyzing Helen Keller’s 1911 Letter to Mrs. Grindon

Name: _______________________________________ 
Period: ________ 
Date: __________

Follow this link to the digital Helen Keller Archive: “Letter from Helen Keller to Mrs. Grindon about women’s suffrage. January 12, 1911.” Read the letter and answer the questions below.

Sourcing

To whom is Helen Keller writing? To what is she responding? What is the purpose of this letter?

Close Reading

What is Keller’s opinion of the suffrage movement? In England? In the United States?

Identify and summarize the two most important arguments Keller makes in this letter.

Contextualization

What other contemporary problems does Keller link to the struggle for suffrage? Which problem does she consider most important to address?

What unfamiliar names, events, or ideas does Keller refer to in her letter? What topics would you need to learn more about in order to more fully understand her letter? Consult your teacher to find additional information.

Rhetoric and Analysis

Choose two passages in the text you find compelling and explain why you chose them.

Identify one rhetorical device used in the letter. How does Keller use it to persuade her audience?