AN ANALYSIS OF THE CONFLICTS OF

THE PLAY “ THE MIRACLE WORKER”

WRITTEN BY
WILLIAM GIBSON
Annie Sullivan teaches Helen by using
sign language on Helen’s Hand
The following parts are included in our presentation.

1. INTRODUCTION
2. LITERATURE REVIEW
3. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
4. DATA ANALYSIS
4.1 An analysis of the external conflict
4.2 An analysis of the internal conflict
5. FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION
6. CONCLUSION
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
INTRODUCTION
Conflict
Conflict within one person
Conflict between several people or groups
Used the theory proposed by Choo and Yeo
(2013)
 Aim and Objectives
To study the conflict in the play “ The
Miracle Worker” by William Gibson
To find out the conflicts
To analyse the conflict in terms of external
and internal conflicts
To examine how the conflicts affect the turn
of the plot
 Research Question
What types of conflict are there in the play
“The Miracle Worker” by William Gibson?
What is the effect of those conflicts on the
play?
LITERATUE REVIEW
Definitions of conflicts by theorists
Types of conflict by Choo and Yeo (2013)
Biography of William Gibson
Summary of the play
Definitions of conflicts by Theorists
Conflict is
The opposition of forces by L.S.Kahan, (1988)
The interaction of interdependent people by J.P.Folger,
M.S.Poole & R.K.Stutman, (1997)
The perception of differences among people by L.Thompson,
(1998)
An interactive process manifested by M.A.Rahim,(2001)
A belief that one’s own needs are incompatible with someone
else’s by B.Mayer, (2012)
Types of conflict by
Choo and Yeo(2013)

External conflict
Internal conflict
Biography of William Gibson
Born on Nov.13,1914,
Bronx, N.Y
Died on Nov.25,2008,
Stockbridge, Mass
Scored with “The
Miracle Worker”
Received four Tony
Awards
The play opened on
Broadway on Oct,
1959
Summary
Background information about Helen’s fever
Keller homestead
Helen’s behaviour
Annie’s teaching method
Conflict between Helen and Annie
Miracle occurs
Research Methodology
Choose the play “The Miracle Worker” to
analyse the conflicts
Read the play thoroughly
Collect the external and internal conflicts
systematically
Show their frequencies in percentage by a
chart
Discuss how the conflicts affect the plot
development
An analysis of the external conflicts
of the play “The Miracle Worker”
Struggles between the characters in an
external situation
34 external conflicts
Helen and Annie, James and Keller
Helen and Keller, Kate, Keller and Aunt EV
Keller and Annie, Kate and Helen
Data Analysis
Four types of external conflict
Conflict with another character
Conflict with society
Conflict with nature and
Conflict with God
Internal conflicts
“She takes the doll from HELEN, and reaches for her
hand; HELEN instantly grabs the doll back. ANNIE takes
it again, and HELEN’s hand next, but HELEN is incensed
now; when ANNIE draws her hand to her face to shake
her head no, then tries to spell to her, HELEN slaps at
ANNIE’s face. ANNIE grasps HELEN by both arms, and
swings her into a chair, holding her pinned there, kicking,
while glasses, doll, bonnet fly in various direction.”
(Act-1, Page-270, Line-4)
 “HELEN sits tensed motionless. Then she tentatively put out her
left foot and hand, ANNIE interposes her own hand, and at the
contact HELEN jerks her in. She tries her right foot, ANNIE
blocks it with her own, and HELEN jerks hers in.”
(Act-2, Page-284, Line-47)
 “She puts the spoon first into HELEN’s hand, then sets the plate

down. HELEN discarding the spoon reaches with her hand, and
ANNIE stops it by the wrist; she replaces the spoon in it.
HELEN impatiently discards it again, and again ANNIE stops
her hand, to replace the spoon in it. This time HELEN throws
the spoon on the floor.”
(Act-2, Page-284, Line-87)
“ANNIE lifts HELEN’s hand to feel her face nodding;
HELEN grabs a fistful of her hair, and yanks. The pain
brings ANNIE to her knees, and HELEN pummels her;
they roll under the table.”
(Act-2, Page-286, Line-31)
“But the moment ANNIE rising reaches for her hand,
HELEN begins to fight and kick, clutching to the
tablecloth, and uttering laments. ANNIE again tries to
loosen her hand, and KELLER rises.”
(Act-3, Page-312, Line-40)
“HELEN plunges her other hand into ANNIE’s plate.
ANNIE at once moves in, to grab her wrist, and HELEN
flinging out a hand encounters the pitcher; she swings
with it at ANNIE; ANNIE falling back blocks it with an
elbow, but the water files over her dress. ANNIE gets her
breath, then snatches the pitcher away in one hand, hoists
HELEN up bodily under the other arm, and starts to
carry her out kicking.”
(Act-3, Page-313, Line-3)
An analysis of the internal conflicts of
the play “The Miracle Worker”
“But HELEN is poking her fingers inside his mouth, to
feel his tongue: he bites at them, annoyed, and she jerks
them away. HELEN now fingers her own lips, moving
them in imitation, but soundlessly.”
(Act-1, Page-255, Line-24)
“Now HELEN’s face darkens in the in the same rage as
at herself earlier, and her hand strikes at KATE’s lips.
KATE catches her hand again, and HELEN begins to
kick, struggle, twist.”
(Act-1, Page-258, Line-68)
“HELEN bangs her toes on the chair and sinks to the
floor, crying with rage and feigned injury;”
(Act-2, Page-281, Line-8)
“ANNIE closes the door. HELEN starts at the door jar,
and rushes it. ANNIE holds her off. HELEN kicks her,
breaks free, and careens around the rom like an
imprisoned bird, colliding with furniture, groping wildly,
repeatedly her cheek in a growing panic. When she has
covered the room, she commences her weird screaming.”
(Act-2, Page-295, Line-47)
The process of evaluating data using analytical and
logical reasoning to examine component of the data
provided
34 external conflicts and 6 internal conflicts based on
the theory of Choo and Yeo (2013)
The explanation and the discussion of these results
will be described in the next section
In the exposition, four external conflicts and three
internal conflicts
In the rising action, twenty eight external conflicts
and three internal conflicts
In the crisis, two external conflicts
In the falling action and resolution, no external and
internal conflicts
 CLIMAX
 2-external conflict

nal
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tern
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FALL
3 in

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e
28

ING
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AC

ACT




ING


ION
RIS

No co
nflict
4-e rnal
nal

RESO
ION
te
xter
3 in

SIT

LUTI
PO

ON
EX



Chart of plot development including conflicts

 Conflicts between characters
30

25

20

internal conflict
15 external conflict

10

0
Between Between Between Between Between Between Between Between
Helen and Keller and Helen and James and Helen and Kate, Keller Keller and Kate and
herself himself Annie Keller Keller and Aunt Annie Helen
Ev
 Conflict between characters
Types of conflict

External Total

Conflict with another Conflict with society Conflict with nature Conflict with God
Internal
character

Between Helen and herself 5 - - - - 5

Between Keller and himself 1 - - - - 1

Between Helen and Annie 25 - - - 25

Between James and Keller 3 - - - 3

1
Between Helen and Keller - - - 1

1
Between Kate, Keller and Aunt Ev - - - 1

Between Keller and Annie 3 - - - 3

Between Kate and Helen 1 - - - 1

Total 6 34 0 0 0 40

Percentages 15% 85% 0% 0% 0% 100%

DISCUSSION
External conflicts between Annie Sullivan
and Captain Keller, between James and
Captain Keller, between Kate Keller, Captain
Keller and Aunt Eve, between Helen Keller
Internal conflicts between Helen and herself
and between Keller and himself
The events that make up the story
Exposition
• The internal conflict of Helen Keller was
introduced
• An external conflict between her mother, Aunt
Eve and Captain Aurthur Keller
• An external conflict between Keller and
James
• The external conflict between Captain
Aurthur Keller and Helen Keller struggling on
the candy
• The external conflict and the internal conflict
– to attract the reader’s attention
RISING ACTION
Many external conflicts between Annie
Sullivan and Helen Keller, between Annie
Sullivan and Captain Aurthur Keller and
James Keller
Violent struggle at the dining room
The main conflict of the rising action
The Kellers – let her stay at the garden house
The plot – thicker – the use of many conflicts
The Struggle between Annie Sullivan and Helen Keller
CLIMAX AND CRISIS
was a miracle in the
crisis
make the highest
emotion
carried Helen to the
pump
touched Helen’s
hand with the water
speak out “Wah –
Wah”
FALLING ACTION AND
RESOLUTION
The problem began being resolved
She could even spell the words “Mother,
Papa and teacher”
Helen gradually know everything had name
Annie could do the miracle
The plot of the play was more interesting for
the readers
CONCLUSION
is one of the important literary elements of
plot
Is use to develop the plot
creates the play mostly based on the type of
external conflict
can see the struggles between Annie Sullivan
and Helen Keller vividly and obviously
will help to a certain extent for those who are
interested in conflict
“Conflict refers to the key problem or tension
in the story. Conflict may take two main
forms: external and internal conflict.”
( Choo and Yeo , 2013)
THANK YOU

GROUP - IX