Self Organizing Maps (SOM) Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Self Organizing Maps (SOM) - Research Paper Example The performance of ANNs is better than that of traditional methods of problem solving. This enhances a comprehensive understanding of the human cognitive abilities. From the available learning algorithms and neural network architectures, the SOM forms the most popular SOM. They use data visualization techniques by Teuvo Kohonen to reduce data dimension using self-organizing neural networks. The data visualization problems attempt to handle problems that are beyond human visualization for high dimensional data. SOMs act as a non-parametric network containing combination of data spatialization and abstraction, hence used in visual clustering. SOM is among the most popular methods of neural networks for use in cluster analysis. This occurs due to topology preserving and self organizing nature for SOM. The SOMs act as abstract model for topographic mapping. Modeling and analysis of mapping enhance understanding of perception, encoding, recognition and processes received and beneficial to the machine-based recognition of the patterns SOM possess prominent visualization properties. Developed from the associative memory model, SOM uses unsupervised learning algorithm characterized by simple computational form and structure enhanced by the retina-cortex mapping. The self-organization nature act as a fundamental process of pattern recognition, and allows learning the intra- and inter-pattern relationships for the stimuli without potential bias. SOM may provide the topologically preserved mapping to all the output spaces from input. Though the computational form proves to be simple, most aspects related to the algorithm must be investigated (Zhang et al 2010, p. 6359). 2.0 Basic principles of SOM The Kohonen self-organizing map encompasses a neural network, and various characteristics similar to the working of the human brain. Basically, SOM avails some classificatory resources that are organized based on patterns available for classification. The single layer of the neu ral network consists of neurons within n-dimensional grid. The grids allow the definition for the neighborhoods in the output space rather than the input space. The input and output spaces constitute the main SOM. This can also be performed through the use of tools that map vectors within the input space to output the space that preserves topological relations in the output space (Yang et al 2012, p.1371). SOM use unsupervised competitive learning and attempts to conform to the available input data. The SOM nodes act as inputs and contain some principle SOM features. Topological relationship between inputs is preserved after mapping into the SOM network. This pragmatically represents the complex data. SOMs use vector quantization in data compression processes. The SOMs offer an appropriate means of representing the multi-dimensional data in the lower dimensional space using one or two dimensions. This enhances visualization and understanding of data in low dimensions. Therefore, SOM s facilitates manipulation of complex data, especially in visualization of large quantities of data in an

Research week10 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Research week10 - Essay Example I have chosen the very same mixed research method to conduct my study while involves dealing with a similar participant base and challenges. Assignment 3 A brief (1–3 sentences) description of your area of interest, and the mixed methods approach you proposed in Discussion 1: Mixed Methods Strategies. Then explain how the mixed methods approach you proposed could eliminate the weakness inherent in using only one of the primary approaches. Also identify and describe the weaknesses in the mixed methods approach you proposed. My area of interest is that of criminology, the study of the nature, extent, causes and control of criminal behavior in an individual as well as a society. To narrow down my area of interest into a specific branch of criminology I have picked the topic of juvenile crime and delinquency which analyses the acts committed against the law by underage individuals. The mixed method research design that suits research into my area of interest is sequential explanat ory strategy. Similar to sequential explanatory strategy, it is conducted in two phases. However this strategy is characterized by the collection and analysis of qualitative data followed by the collection and analysis of quantitative data. ... r strengths and their weaknesses form a crucial part in contributing to the overall research; so quantitative research’s key weakness is the possibility that due to to the focus on hypothesis testing and not generation, the overall objective of the study might not be fulfilled. Also the generalizability of the study might be limited to certain areas, situations or individuals (Knowledge base). This is where the sequential explanatory strategy comes in as it will incorporate both qualitative and quantitative methods. Key challenges of this approach can be the time factor required to gathering the data and analyzing both the quantitative and qualitative data since incorporating both is crucial to the research design. (Creswell, 2009). References: Creswell, J. (2009). Research design. Thousand Oaks, CA; Sage.   Knowledge base. Retrieved from: http://www.socialresearchmethods.net/kb/datatype.php Assignment 4 During my research I came across an article about Buck et al on ‘ Profiles of Urban, Low SES, African American Girls’ Attitudes Toward Science’. Since my own and the writer’s chosen method to conduct the research was that of sequential explanatory strategy. The purpose of his study was to increase the education community’s understanding of the experiences and needs of girls that are discriminated on basis of gender, race and socioeconomic status in a manner that has left their needs largely invisible. The researchers followed a sequential explanatory strategy, in which they used two data collection phases, qualitative followed by quantitative, to investigate 89 African-American girls’ personal orientations towards learning. The mixed method analysis provided four personality orientations which linked academic success and experiences with confidence and

Reflective Diary Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Reflective Diary - Assignment Example Day 1 Reflection DESCRIPTION What happened? I went to my work area as a customer service representative, where I realized that there was a direct association with resistance to change, specifically with my manager’s unwillingness to cooperate with the workers, even for smaller things, like changing a schedule. FEELINGS What were you thinking & feeling? This is aggravating when working and makes the job harder to complete. It reminds me of the square wheel demonstration where resistance from the manager creates frustrations and harder work for others involved. EVALUATION What was good & bad about the experience? BAD – The manager is inflexible and workers are unable to keep the needed pace because of what has happened, making both the employees and organization suffer. GOOD – I can recognize what the environment is and understand that there is a resistance to change from the manager. There is a direct recognition of Maslow’s matrix (Timm, 1993) with the man ager needing security of a job. ANALYSIS What sense can you make out of the situation? An organization can’t change unless the resistance from everyone stops. Top managers have to recognize the resistance and be pro-active in the change. CONCLUSION What else could you have done? The only thing employees can do is to try to initiate the change by stating the problem to managers. However, this requires a change in the organizational environment. ACTION PLAN If it arose again what would you do? I can respond by making a statement about the need to change. I can also consider talking to other managers about one or two situations that have arisen to grab their attention about the problem. Reflection Day 2 DESCRIPTION What happened? I have talked to other employees about changing managerial job descriptions. The conclusion which I have drawn comes from the horticultural application of the need to ‘make a change’ within the organization (Jenkins, 2006). FEELINGS What we re you thinking & feeling? Urgency first arises with the need to change the organization. This leads into pressure from the awareness of what might happen to my job if change doesn’t occur. I then feel a sense of urgency and begin to communicate with terms such as â€Å"We have to start making changes or the organization won’t grow.† EVALUATION What was good & bad about the experience? BAD – The feelings that arise from the need to change are never followed through. The same problems and sense of resistance within the organization continues to arise. GOOD –I can recognize the patterns that are dangerous to an organization, specifically which can help me in the future. ANALYSIS What sense can you make out of the situation? There is a strong difference between thinking about change and communicating with analysis, as opposed to actually going in and making the change. For the message to communicate to a team, each individual has to have the same resp onses and understanding. CONCLUSION What else could you have done? At this point, there isn’t anything that can be done to change the outcome of the work organization. ACTION PLAN If it arose again what would you do? If an action arose, I would be a part of the plan and make sure to help

Acquire Communicative Competence In Second Language English Language Essay

Acquire Communicative Competence In Second Language English Language Essay Communication is very important to both, children and adults. Regardless of any disabilities, all human being acquire the ability to communicate subconsciously. The topic is chosen as an issue of education due to two main reasons. First, it is within the same topic that the writer chooses as his research scope. Secondly, because it is the most prominent problem that the writer realizes faced by the students in the school that he did his practicum. A child acquires his mother tongue through exposure he receives from the surrounding namely his parents, friends and the societies. The mutes learn the sign language base on a similar purpose to any normal kids, which is to deliver and receive messages. The developmental stages of the acquisition process are best defined through various aspects throughout the childrens ageing process (Lightbrown Spada; 2006). Due to the similar fact on the importance of communication, people are required to master more than only one language. Improvement in technologies, business opportunities, education and many other fields has open more opportunities for the world societies to exchange and share ideas of similar interest. One of the most typical technologies that have increased the needs of learning English as a second language is the enhancement of the internet. This is why learning and mastering a second language becomes crucial. In answering this question which is, what does it means to acquire communicative competence?, it is important to clarify the meaning of all of the important terms included in the question such as the terms acquire, communication, as well as communicative competence. Literally, acquire means to gain something by your own efforts, ability or behavior: She has acquired a good knowledge of English (Oxford Dictionary; 2005). Acquire is best understood when being compared to the word learn where it is a process gone through by learners in formal settings with a well-defined stages according to the appropriate level of difficulties. Acquire on the other hand is a process of automatically empowering a skill or ability through either formal or informal settings. Communication means the activity or process of expressing ideas and feelings or of giving people information: Speech is the fastest method of communication between people. (Oxford Dictionary; 2005). It includes process of sending info rmation either verbally through words of spoken mouth or non-verbally through sign language. Communicative competence has been so far considered as a major term in the field of second language acquisition. There is no specific definition yet that can be claimed as the most suitable meaning in defining what does communicative competence means. However, base on various readings, I managed to find the best explanation in defining the meaning of this term. According to George Yule (The study of language; 2006), communicative competence can best be defined as the general ability to use language accurately, appropriately and flexibly. However the degree of such competencies can be measured in three different components. It consists of the grammatical competence, sociolinguistic competence and the strategic competence. The first component is grammatical competence, which involves the accurate use of words and structures. (George Yule; 2006) Noam Chomsky definition of grammatical competence takes into account phonological competence as part of the components. One good example of this component is learners need to learn and understand the different time references of sets of words such as he takes, he took and he has taken, and to be able to make appropriate time reference when speaking or writing the words. In short, it can be interpreted as the ability to recognize and produce the distinctive grammatical structures of a language and to use them effectively in communication Concentration on grammatical competence only, however will not provide the learner with the ability to interpret or produce second language expressions appropriately. This ability is actually the second component, called sociolinguistic competence. It enables the learner to know when to say Can I have some water? versus Give me some water! according to the social context. Much of the discussion on the pragmatics aspect has to become familiar in the cultural context of the second language if the learner is to develop sociolinguistic competence. (George Yule; 2006) The third component is called strategic competence. This is the ability to organize a message effectively and to compensate, via strategies, for any difficulties. In second language use, learners inevitably experience moments when there is a gap between communicative intent and their ability to express that intent. (George Yule; 2006) The implications might either be good as well as bad. The good thing is when learners try to express themselves using a communication strategy. Example is when a learner use the vocabularies that already known to them in referring to things that they have no idea of its English word such as, a plate to put cigarettes dust that refers to an ashtray. In the worst cases, learners may just stop talking, which is a bad idea in learning a language. In close reference to only the definition provided above, communicative competence can best be defined as being able to automatically and interpret received information accurately with correct grammatical application that reflects the real contextual meaning wished to be conveyed, as well as able to compensate unknown or difficult words into typical, understandable language. There are a few assumptions made by linguists in regards of the nature of verbal communication which I believe may help to further explain the meaning of acquiring a second language communicative competence. The assumptions include that communication is meaning-based, conventional and interactional. (Jack Richards; 1985). Under the meaning-based aspect of communication, most of the examples given are based on people that learn English as their second language. It helps a lot in making my very own assumption in regards of determining the true meaning of acquiring a second language communicative competency. This assumption differentiate English users base on two different needs. The basic survival need and the survival level need. The basic survival need refers to, learners who have active vocabulary of perhaps two hundred words, minimal knowledge of the syntax of English, but in a situation where English is required for simple and basic communicative purposes. The immediate need refer to a core basic referents or things in the real world such as name of things, states, events and attributes using known words. Basic survival requires learner to be able to link words together to make predications, that is, to express propositions. At this level, learning a language is seen as learning how to create propositions. (Jack Richards; 1985) The survival level need implies more than construction of propositions. At this level, learners are usually identified as adult speakers. They use propositions in utterances in a variety of ways such as to ask a question about a proposition, to affirm a proposition, deny or negate a proposition or express an attitude toward a proposition. Speakers immediate need is to work out a way of performing such operations as stating, affirming, denying, or questioning propositions as economically as possible. Here speakers have needs similar to children who are learning their mother tongue as complex utterances are expressed within the limited grammatical system known to the speaker. However, the way they express the need is rather more advance and complex compared to children expression or utterances. By making comparison of both levels, it can be concluded that being able to make propositions alone does not make a second language learner communicatively competence. The skills that learners and speakers of a second language use to express their needs as well to be able to produce accurate utterances and acquire the ability to restructure their existing vocabularies to meet the demand of contextual suitability, is a part of the components of acquiring a second language competency. The next assumption is on the conventional aspect of communication. Under this assumptions, the goals of English language learners change through the acquisition process. It is stated that, as language acquisition proceeds, the learner revises his or her ideas about how propositions are expressed in English. Learners syntax become more complex as his or her knowledge of negation, the auxiliary system, questions, word order, embedding, conjoining and so on expands. (Jack Richards; 1985) At this stage, learners are believed to have gained the grammatical competence. Propositions or utterances made by learners are differentiated into two kinds. The first is a conventional way of making propositions and utterances which is in close context to daily usage and the second is novel utterances. The best way to explain the difference between both types of communication forms is by looking at these two sentences below. Would you mind mailing this letter to me? It is my desire that this letter be mailed by you. (Jack Richards; 1985) The first is an example of a conventional utterance as it is used by native speakers of the language and in close context to real life conversation. The latter is an example of a novel utterance. Even though it is a grammatically correct sentence, it holds no status as a potential utterance within discourse, which is not applicable in daily conversation. This assumption address that, once learners have progressed to the stage where they are beginning to generate novel utterances, they find that many of their utterances fail to conform to pattern of conventional usage, although they are undoubtedly English sentences. (Jack Richards; 1985) This proves that, only a fraction of sentences that could be generated by our grammatical competence are actually ever used in communication. This is because communication is largely consists of the use of language in a more conventional ways. In reference to defining the meaning of acquiring communicative competency, I believe that producing grammatically correct sentences is of ultimate importance because it hinders misunderstanding and increase the intelligibility. The fact that language is conventional has important implications for language teaching as it suggest that language acquisition is better compared to the process of language learning. However, it is also important for learners to practice communicating, verbalizing or delivering their thoughts using sentences which are in close context to the purposes of the communication that takes place so that the intended meanings become clearer and more authentic. The next assumption is on the interactional aspect of communication. Under this assumption it is said that, language is used to keep open the channels of communication between people and to establish a suitable rapport. (Jack Richards; 1985) In any action, each actor provides a field of action for the other actors, and the reciprocity thus established allows the participants to exercise enacting a self or identity, and using strategies to accomplish other interactional ends. (Jack Richards: Goffman: Watson; 1985) In explaining the quoted explanation, it is best to look into the initial stage of conversation between two strangers. To raise a safe topic is a typical strategy in starting a small talk. Topics are carefully chosen so that there is a strong likelihood of mutual agreement. This allows speakers the right to stress his agreement with the hearer, and therefore satisfy the hearers desire to be right or to be corroborated in his opinions. (Jack Richards; 1985) A safe topic is de fined as much of what passes for communication with the purposes of sociability. (Jack Richards: Bolinger: 1975) Examples of safe topics are topics for virtually everyone such as the weather, the beauty of scenery, opinions on the public transportation and many more. (Jack Richards: Brown Levinson: 1978) These are examples of what has been called phatic communion. Basically, there are three main mechanisms of phatic communion namely the speakers repertoire of verbal and visual gestures, speakers stock of canned topics and formulaic utterances and lastly the awareness of taking turns in a conversation. Speakers repertoire of verbal and visual gestures refer to the signals send and receive by speakers which signal interest in what his or her conversational partner is saying. This includes the use colloquial utterances to show agreement as well as disagreement such as mhmm, uh-uh, a-hah, yeah, really? and many more. The importance of colloquial language in terms of addressing appropriate context according to the appropriate social class has been highlighted by Janet Holmes in her book, An Introduction to Sociolinguistics. She stated that, there are other strategies besides topic manipulation which have been used in order to capture people most relaxed or vernacular speech style. The second mechanism is the speakers stock of canned topics and formulaic utterances. These are produced at relevant points in discourse, such as the small talk that is required to make brief encounters with acquaintances. (Jack Richards; 1985) From my opinion, I think the terms stock of canned topics and formulaic utterances here refer to the utterances that a speaker says while the conversation takes place either between his or her common friends as well as to strangers. This is the ability to connect topics which is in the similar context with what has been said at the initial stage of the conversation with the purpose of extending the conversation for a longer period. The third mechanism is the awareness of taking turns in a conversation. This refers to the awareness of when to talk and when not to talk, that is, appropriate use of turn-taking conventions. (Jack Richards; 1985) This is a mere fact of practicing politeness in a conventional communication. Being polite is a serious business in any language. It is difficult to learn because it involves understanding not just the language, but also the social and cultural values of the community. In fact it involves a great deal more than superficial politeness routines that parents explicitly teach their children. (Janet Holmes; 2008) The assumption has provided me with another insight towards defining second language communicative competency. It takes into account the credibility as well as the ability of a learner or speaker to speak freely regardless of who the receivers or hearers are. The selection of suitable topics in initiating a conversation, the ability to hold a conversation for quite some times and to show respect towards the other speaker without stereotyping and by not neglecting the affectionate factors such as politeness is also a key element in acquiring a second language competency. To conclude, acquiring a second language communicative competency requires learners to master the basic needs of communication which are the ability to transmit and interpret received information accurately with correct grammatical application that reflects the real contextual meaning as well as able to compensate unknown or difficult words into typical, understandable language. Other than that, learners need to be able to acquire the ability to restructure their existing vocabularies to meet the demand of contextual suitability. Furthermore, it is important for learners to practice to communicate using sentences which are in close context to the purposes of the communication that takes place so that the intended meanings become clearer and more authentic. Learners should also be able to manipulate suitable topics in initiating a conversation and to hold the conversation for quite some times while showing respect towards the other speaker without stereotyping and by not neglecting th e affectionate factors such as politeness. There is a major difference between communicatively competence and speaking competently. I realized that throughout the essay, most of the explanations made were regulated around only two points. First, is in defining the meaning of communicative competence. Second, is elaborating the meaning of acquiring second language communicative competence from the perspective of only verbal communication. I realize that the process of communication is not restricted to only one channel which is speaking. It can also be through other means of sending and receiving messages such as writing, listening and reading. This is considered as a delimitation which I encountered in accomplishing the task. My initial plan was to define the meaning of acquiring communicative competence from the four main components of English language learning which are speaking, listening, reading and writing. However, due to the limited resources, I decided to choose only one part of the second language communicative comp etency aspect.

The Physics Behind Remote Sensing :: Physics

Remote Sensing is the science of acquiring, processing and interpreting images that record the interaction between the electromagnetic energy and matter (Sabins, 1997). Remote sensing offers extensive applications in almost every area of science from monitoring forest fires to geologic mapping . Although many aspects of remote sensing are complex and difficult to understand the basic theory behind remote sensing is simple physics. There are four major stages of remote sensing. The first stage is the source of energy, usually the sun, which sends energy to a target. The second stage is the interactions that the energy will go through as it passes through a vacuum and the earth’s atmosphere. There is then interactions that occurs with the body on earth’s surface. The energy again, goes through the atmosphere and finally the sensor is able to detect and record the electromagnetic energy. Electromagnetic Energy Electromagnetic energy is a dynamic form of energy that is caused by the acceleration or oscillation of a charged particle. All substances above absolute zero (0 Kelvin) emit a range of electromagnetic energy. The sun emits electromagnetic energy and practically all of the natural electromagnetic energy injected into the earth is produced by the sun (Prakush, 2002). Electromagnetic Radiation Electromagnetic Radiation is the streams of mass-less particles, traveling in a harmonic, sinusoidal fusion at the velocity of light each possessing a specific amount of energy. The distance from one peak to the next is the wavelength and the number of peaks passing through a fixed point per unit time is the wave frequency (Lillesand and Kiefer, 1994). Electromagnetic radiation is Electromagnetic energy in motion and can be described by the basic wave theory. Electromagnetic Spectrum Electromagnetic waves are characterized by their wavelength location within the electromagnetic spectrum which is most commonly measured in micrometers. Names are often assigned to regions of the electromagnetic spectrum, but there is no clear cut dividing lines from one region to the next (Lillesand and Kiefer, 1994). Stefan - Boltzmann Law How much energy any objects radiates is a function of its surface temperature. The Stefan - Boltzmann equations tells one that as a temperature of a body increase the total radiance of the body will also increase. (Sabins, 1997). Interactions The way electromagnetic radation interacts with matter can be detected with different sensors. How the radation interacts depends upon the properties of the medium, the wavelength of the incedent radation and the incident angle. There are four major types of interactions that occur: transmission, reflection, scattering and absorption (Lillesand and Kiefer, 1994).

Renaissance Patronage

Renaissance Patronage This paper explores different motivations for art patronage throughout the Renaissance. Art in the renaissance was often commissioned by a patron who wanted to use it as a way to communicate something to the intended viewer. Art was usually commissioned for religious and political reasons or used as proof of wealth or power. The corruption of the church allowed for wealthy patrons to make a donation in order to buy his or her way into heaven. This is called a sale of indulgence, and it is the motivation behind countless works of renaissance art.The entire Arena Chapel painted by the artist Giotto was commissioned by Enrico Scrovegni to atone for his sin of usury. The Chapel was completed 1305 and is located in Padua, Italy. As was a common practice at the time, Enrico himself is depicted in on the wall of the chapel. â€Å"On the wall of The Last Judgment, Enrico kneels to offer a model of his church to three figures. It is commonly accepted that Enrico saw his church and its paintings as a votive gift made as a partial atonement for his father’s mortal sin of usury and to strengthen his own hope of salvation. By having his image painted into the scene, Enrico assures that his intended audience knows it was his money that paid for the art. This is both politically and religiously motivated. Masaccio’s Pisa Altarpiece commissioned in 1426 Pisa is another example of religiously motivated art patronage. This altarpiece was commissioned by â€Å"Ser Giuliano di Colino di Pietro degli Scarsi and the Carmelite church of S. Maria del Carmine† The intention behind this altarpiece was simply to give churchgoers a piece of relevant art to view during church and to attract more members.An example of politically motivated art can be found in Sienna’s Palazzo Pubblico. Allegory of Good and Bad Government by Ambrogio Lorenzetti was commissioned by the Sienese government. The frescos of Allegory span the walls of the building depicting life in the city under good government versus bad government. The intended audience for this commission was the citizens of Siena. The paintings were propaganda meant to show the viewers how successful and prosperous the city was under the current leadership of the Council of the Nine. Another politically motivated piece is the well known portrait by Jan Van Eyck, Giovanni Arnolfini and his Wife.This portrait was commissioned in 1434 by Giovanni Arnolfini and is meant to be a physical documentation or witness to him giving his wife leave to conduct household affairs in his absence. This portrait would have been displayed in the Arnolfini household to be seen by visitors and servants and served as proof that Giovanna was in charge of Giovanni’s affairs while he was traveling. Tres Riches Heures by the Limbourg Brothers was commissioned by the Duke of Berry in 1412 France. This book is an example of royal patronage. It is meant to depict and glorify daily life in the court while simultaneously belittling those of the lower class.Tres Riches Heures is personalized for the Duke and includes his likeness and some scholars believe that because the faces in the book are so diverse, that they must be portraits of individual members of the court. This fact and the use of the rare pigment lapis lazuli, the intricacy of the book, and the heavy use of hidden symbolism are all meant to illustrate the wealth of the duke. The court was the intended audience of this commission. Patronage was a defining element of renaissance art. There were many motivations to purchase art such as religion, proof of power or wealth, or political reasons.Commissions varied depending on the motivation and the intended audience. Works Cited Carroll, Margaret D. â€Å"†In the Name of God and Profit†: Jan Van Eyck's Arnolfini Portrait. † Representations 44. 1 (1993): 96-132. http://www. jstor. org/stable/2928641 Web. 26 Feb. 2013 James, Sara Nair. â€Å"Masacc io: St. Andrew And â€Å"The Pisa Altarpiece.. † Sixteenth Century Journal 35. 4 (2004): 1178. Academic Search Complete. Web. 27 Feb. 2013. Perkinson, Stephen. â€Å"Likeness, Loyalty, And The Life Of The Court Artist: Portraiture In The Calendar Scenes Of The Tres Riches Heures. † Quaerendo 38. /3 (2008): 142-174. Academic Search Complete. Web. 27 Feb. 2013. Polzer, Joseph. Ambrogio Lorenzetti's â€Å"War and Peace† Murals Revisited: Contributions to the Meaning of the â€Å"Good Government Allegory† Artibus et Historiae. Vol. 23, No. 45 (2002), pp. 63-105 http://www. jstor. org. ezproxy2. drake. brockport. edu/stable/1483682 Web. 24 Feb. 2013 Rough, Robert H. â€Å"Enrico Scrovegni, The Cavalieri Gaudenti, And The Arena Chapel In Padua. † Art Bulletin 62. 1 (1980): 24. Academic Search Complete. Web. 24 Feb. 2013. ——————————————– [ 2 ].Robert H Rough, Enrico Scrovegni, the Cavalieri Gaudenti, and the Arena Chapel in Padua, pg. 26. [ 3 ]. Sara Nair James, Masaccio: St. Andrew and â€Å"The Pisa Altarpiece. † Pg. 1178 [ 4 ]. Joseph Polzer, Ambrogio Lorenzetti's â€Å"War and Peace† Murals Revisited: Contributions to the Meaning of the â€Å"Good Government Allegory† Pg. 64 [ 5 ]. Margaret D. Carroll, â€Å"In the Name of God and Profit†: Jan van Eyck's Arnolfini Portrait. Pg. 99 [ 6 ]. Steven, Perkinson, Likeness, Loyalty, and the Life of the Court Artist: Portraiture in the Calendar Scenes of the Tres Riches Heures Pg. 144

Alice Walker’s Beauty: When the Other Dancer Is the Self

In this essay, â€Å"Beauty: When the Other Dancer Is the Self† by Alice Walker, is about the realization or fulfillment of one's own potential or abilities, and a detailed and harrowing account of how the author's life has been affected by a childhood accident that left her disfigured and blind in one eye and that the world is what we make it to be. As a child Alice Walker has great confidence in herself, her capabilities, and her beauty or cuteness. We see the different changes and her realizations about herself, which she goes through throughout her life. Walker gives us much more than a simple report of what happened in her early years, however. She engaged the readers in delivering a straightforward and attractive story relating to her life as a recollection by also using the accident which happened during her childhood. She shows that she is confident in her beauty at the age of two and a half when she wants to go to the fair with her father and tells him â€Å"take me daddy. I’m the prettiest. † She also shows she is confident in her capabilities and her beauty on Easter Sunday, 1950, when she is all dressed up in a green, flocked, scalloped-hem dress that had a smooth, satin petticoat and hot pink roses. She feels everyone is admiring her beautiful dress. Alice also states that it was not her dress they admired, but it was her spirit they adored. She thanks them to this day for saying things like â€Å"isn’t she the cutest thing† or â€Å"and got so much sense†. (259)