Nancy Mairs "On Being a Cripple" and Alice Walker "Beauty: When the Other Dancer is the Self"

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Nancy Mairs "On Being a Cripple" and Alice Walker "Beaty: When the Other Dancer Is the Self"
Nancy Mairs, "On Being a cripple," narrates about the challenges she experienced with multiple sclerosis (MS). She begins the essay by explaining more about her life and her crippled nature. In her essay, she perceives that cripple best defines well her condition than words such as differently-abled, handicapped, or disabled. Mairs continues with her story on how multiple sclerosis had affected her life significantly. She further explains how her life changed and how she had to cope with the illness. However, she had to train and execute arduous tasks. She portrays her hatred of society's obsession with normality and physical appearance.
Alice Walker on "Beauty: When the Other Dancer Is the Self" narrates about her childhood injury experience and how it significantly deteriorated her self-image. Alice Walker begins her narrative by stating that the concept of beauty is founded on an individual's perception. However, her beauty perception is established through an extensive period to eventually come into terms with her appearance after the occurrence of a tragic accident that left her right eye deformed and blind as a young girl.
Both Alice and Nancy have similar responses and attitudes toward illness and injury. For instance, when Alice Walker in the self-discovery journey, she transforms into a girl overwhelmed by self-worthlessness feelings and shame caused by her injury. She says that "Where the BB pellet struck, there is a glob of whitish scar tissue, a hideous cataract, on my eye. Now when I stare at people—a favorite pastime, up to now—they will stare back. Not at the cute little girl, but her scar" (Walker 592). Besides, Nancy experiences the feeling is shame and worthlessness because she is much scared that people will often look at her with sympathy because of her condition. Nancy says, "nevertheless, there always is the terror that people are kind to me only because I'm a cripple" (Mairs 15).
Walker's entire life perspective was changed negatively b...