“Beauty: When the Other Dancer Is the Self” - Alice Walker Essay

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English 101 13 June 2012 “Beauty: When the Other Dancer is the Self” - Alice Walker Essay How does a person learn to accept herself after her image is altered? It took Alice Walker half of her life to learn to accept her altered appearance after an accident at the age of eight. Alice Walker’s journey from confidence as a beautiful little girl, through insecurity as a scarred young woman, and eventually to acceptance of her altered appearance is a journey that readers travel on with her. As a little girl Walker had an abundance of confidence. She writes, “Whirling happily in my starchy frock, showing off my biscuit-polished patent-leather shoes and lavender socks, tossing my head in a way that makes my ribbons bounce, I stand, hands on hips, before my father. “’Take me, Daddy,” I say with assurance; “I’m the prettiest!”’ (51). Her young confidence comes from others’ perception of her in her frocks and polished shoes and her sassy attitude; it’s that reception from others that is detrimental to Alice’s confidence after her accident. As Alice states, “It was great fun being cute. But then, one day, it ended.” (52). Alice loses her confidence when she is shot in the eye with a BB; the injury leaves “a glob of whitish scar tissue, a hideous cataract” (53). Readers realize Alice’s parents’ oblivion to the impact of her injury. Christine Kerr elaborates on this aspect in Bloom’s Literary Reference. Kerr states, “...Walker’s parents are unable to get their child to a doctor until a week after the ‘accident’. Prior to this visit, the parents’ medical therapies-lily leaves and soup-show their lack of awareness as to the severity of the injury. In fact, their assessment of their daughter’s injury is limited only to the physical; they fail to notice how Alice’s self-esteem has been damaged.” (1). Alice let her scar define her; the little girl that once stared at

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