Leadership Development and Self Awareness Research Paper

Leadership Development and Self Awareness - Research Paper Example This paper highlights  the Army’s existing Army curriculum pushes the most multifaceted subjects to the final stages of a soldier’s learning career. As a result, only some soldiers get an opportunity of expanding their intellectual limits through creative and critical thinking before their field grade experience. Doing business, in such a manner, denies junior level soldiers the opportunity to develop the necessary skills required to excel in the leadership area. The Army has to promote superior learning opportunities to a young soldier’s career in order to develop the essential leadership skills needed to manage the 21st century warfare scenery.From the discussion it is clear that  the education and evaluation methodologies should be modified to replicate the complexities of the current operating environment to encourage a change in the career progression of leaders equipped for the 21st century warfare. In order to achieve this, the Army should adjust its l eader development systems to identify and promote strategic thinking before it is too late.  The Army education system plays a vital role in creating strategic leaders for the logical challenges they might encounter against an equally resolute enemy. However, it does not stress much on the essential factors of creating able leaders who will lead the Army for many generations to come.  Strategic leadership education should offer soldiers options regarding how they might proceed decisively to overcome adversaries that know no limitations or regulations of war.

Queen Elizabeth I Essay Example for Free

Queen Elizabeth I Essay The play A Midsummer Nights Dream was written by William Shakespeare in 1594. From the theme and context of the play, I can conclude that it was probably written for a wedding. It would be similar to the epithalamion written at weddings at this time, but a more elaborate version. Many of the lines rhyme and it all has the feel of poetry: some beautiful and some seeming supernatural and spell-like. It canvasses all aspects of marriage through plot, characters and symbolism, touching on both light and dark areas. The tragic side is shown more through references that actually spelling it out; Pyramus and Thisby is one example of a union which ended in catastrophe. However, despite this, the main idea of marriage is perceived as harmonious; all is shown in a comic frame, with a humorous touch and a happy ending. This would be an appropriate feel for a wedding play because it gives the concept of marriage an idyllic feel, telling the newlyweds what they want to hear: that marriage is a good idea. If you search the play in depth, you will find that not only is it about the union of people in a marriage, but also about the unity of opposing forces in nature and bringing harmony from chaos. It is also, in an even broader sense, about the Elizabethan ideals about God and the universe. To clarify exactly what these ideals were and how A Midsummer Nights Dream defines them, I must start at the beginning with the story of Adam and Eve. Elizabethans believed in everything fitting into its natural place. After studying the sky, they thought the universe was made up of spheres, one containing the stars, one containing planets and so on. They thought the Earth was at the centre of the universe; the spheres they believed in were a way of dealing with the fact that different bodies in the sky moved in different ways. It was thought that these spheres made the world harmonious, but humans couldnt see the true beauty of it because of Adam and Eve. The legend goes that Eve was tempted by the serpent and ate the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden. This, apparently, caused the whole human race to fall from Gods grace. Now, the relevance of this to A Midsummer Nights Dream and the theme of marriage is that when this happened, it meant man kind could not the music of the spheres; they were only told by God that everything had its place. Even the evil in the world has a reason for being there. Humans cannot see quite how everything fits in because of their sin. They do not fully understand why some things happened because they cant see the big picture. This was illustrated by the Great Chain of Being. God came at the top of this chain, with angels under Him. Then came nature (represented by Oberon and Titania), people (shown in all the human characters), and below them animals, plants and rocks. Humans came between animals and Angels, a relationship personified by Bottom. He is a typical human, not very bright or beautiful, but just a normal working class person. He then has a link with both the animal and angel world; he is turned into an ass and he has a relationship with Titania. This establishes the link between animals, angles and humans, and also tells you about the human nature. They are always trying to find something greater that themselves (for example fairies or angels) but to the greater beings, they must look as animals do to us far beneath them and having little or no brains. Also exhibiting the same way of thinking was the fact that men came above women in the category of humans. If you were to sum up the play with one idea, this is the single idea addressed most eloquently. Many events in A Midsummer Nights Dream suggest the superiority of men, through the media of imagery, plot and characters, which will be tackled later. The Elizabethan idea of the cosmos is also addressed by the union of opposites connected with marriage. Their idea of the universe is that everything joins together perfectly and everything has its place. Things which may not seem to have a purpose will have been created by God for a reason; we just dont know what that is. The prime example is the joining of a man and a woman in marriage. It may seem to make more sense to join two women or two men, as these will have more in common, but this play is trying to say a little of both the male and female persona is needed to make the match united. They are like opposite forces, but marriage brings them together. It is as is they have only half of the qualities needed to bring harmony and they must be brought together in marriage to make a whole. The same is also being expressed through the union of other opposite forces. There are many contrasting pairs which link hand in hand in this play: night and day; sleeping and waking; supernatural and mortal; discord and harmony; passion and reason; and ultimately female and male. These pairs are all the exact opposite of each other; and yet Shakespeare is presenting the notion that we need each half of the pair to make the world harmonious.

Exposing Boundaries in Wilsons Fences :: Wilson Fences Essays

Exposing Boundaries in Fences Fences is a play that deals with boundaries that hold people back and the trials and tribulations of those who try or wish to cross them. The characters are African-Americans in a time before the civil rights movement, living in an industrial city. The main character, Troy Manxson, is a talented baseball player who never had the chance to let his talent shine, with restrictions on race and his time in jail as the main obstacles that held him back. He is now hard working and loves his family. However, he tends to exaggerate and has his faults, most prevalent a wandering eye when it comes to women. His wife, Rose, is younger than him and loyal, but she may not have known about all of his faults when she married him. At the beginning of the play, Troy has a son from a previous marriage, Lyons, and a son with Rose, Cory. Also appearing are Bono, Troy’s drinking buddy, and Gabriel, his brother. All of the characters are "fenced in," by various barriers. Troy is working in a job where African Americans can get the lowest and most difficult tasks. On the home front, he has responsibilities to his family. Rose has chosen life with Troy as an alternative to "a succession of abusive men and their babies, a life of partying, or the Church." Troy’s son, Lyons, is supposedly a musician but is going nowhere. Cory has potential but has his dream of playing college football extinguished by both protective and jealous Troy. The characters must deal with hardships of daily life, racial discrimination, straining relationships with each other, and the feeling that this is all their lives are: somewhat of a confined space with no escape; fenced in. Troy’s brother Gabriel, although minor, is important to the play for many reasons. The most important is that while Gabriel perhaps has highest and most impassable fence around him, he is the only one who ignores it; he is not bounded, at least not in his own mind. Gabriel is seven years younger than Troy. They were both in a large family with a frustrated and abusive father. Gabe is the only family Troy speaks with now. Injured in World War II, Gabriel had part of his head blown away. He now has a metal plate and is confused and somewhat delusional.

What Has to Kill a Mockingbird Taught You About Prejudice and Justice?

What Has To Kill a Mockingbird Taught You about Prejudice and Justice? After reading this book I had a great knowledge of prejudice and justice in the Deep South in the 1930s. In 1861 – 1865 war was on. Parliament abolished slavery in America in 1865 but the south needed slaves for their trade. So they carried on mistreating blacks, disobeying the law. After the war (with the North winning) blacks were still treated with injustice and inequality. The blacks still had bad jobs and most of them worked for the whites for instance a cleaner or maid. When Tom Robinson was on trial in the court there were no black people in the jury.The black people who wanted to watch the trial had to sit on the upper tier where there were limited seats so most of them stood. †Your fathers no better than the niggers and trash he works for† Miss Dubose told Jem. This is an extremely racist and somewhat unnecessary comment for Miss Dubose to make. This implies that Atticus is worse than, in her opinion, the blacks and other lower class of the town. Whites treated blacks like dirt and looked down on them whenever they would pass them in the street. There was a clear social hierarchy in Maycomb; the whites viewed themselves significantly higher than the blacks.All of Tom Robinson’s evidence in the court case showed that he was not guilty but because he was black the jury sentenced him to prison. Judge Taylor did not want to sentence Tom Robinson but the majority of the jury agreed on him being guilty. They all thought that just because he was black he lied and was cruel to people. Aunt Alexandra had a somewhat haughty attitude towards things like this. Atticus and Aunt Alexandra had very different views on the way of life and the way people should live. For instance they both had very different perceptions on the word trashy.Atticus uses the word trashy to describe a stuck-up white man being racist towards a black man but Aunt Alexandra uses it to describe Walt er Cunningham and his family. The clear distinction between these two very different uses of the word is that Atticus uses it to describe people who are generally ignorant but Alexandra uses it to describe people of the lower class who are dirty. This reveals that the whole way through the story Alexandra sticks to her views and not even after Tom Robinson’s court case does she change her mind. In a way Atticus does the same thing and throughout the novel fights to uphold justice.Atticus is the only white man apart from Judge Taylor who is not racist or prejudice towards the blacks. In the middle of the novel when Tom Robinson is in jail, Atticus guards him himself all night and when Mr Cunningham and a group of other men ambush him all Atticus does is try to keep the peace. Miss Dubose constantly has a moan about Atticus and what he stands for and Atticus completely ignores it and is extremely polite to her. He is an extremely kind and gentle man who is loyal to Tom Robinson . At the start of the novel Scout is incredibly naive, angry and violent.She also has no respect for other people like Walter Cunnigham. Scout finds it odd and strange that Walter Cunningham pours syrup all over his meal and she isn’t afraid to express her opinion vocally. This upsets not only Walter but Calpurnia as well and Scout gets a good telling off from her. This shows that Scout is not only disrespectful and rude but can also be slightly snobby. When she first heard of Boo Radley she pictured him peculiar looking and was awfully scared of him. Then when Boo started leaving gifts in a tree for Jem and Scout she thought that he could maybe be alright and not creepy like she thought.Then towards the end when Boo kills Bob Ewell to defend the children, Scout realises that he is a kind and not at all freaky. In fact she takes him by the hand and talks to him with high regard. These series of extremely shocking events changes Scouts character throughout the story. To Kill a Mockingbird has taught me a great deal about Prejudice and Justice. I have especially learned about Justice from the way that Atticus acted ,the way that Scout changed but most of all Tom Robinson and the people involved in the court case.

Mediating Morality Essay

This case has lots of different goals by each person and different feelings about what needs to be done. Syl priority is to get the project completed while Daniel is more focused on his belief that he is being discriminated against. Robert also wants to get the project completed but does not want to work with Daniel the same way his was before he discovered Daniel is in a homo-sexual relationship. Syl did a good thing having separate conversations with both Daniel and Robert on a way to still complete the project but when she brought them together to discuss how they would precede it fell apart. I believe when things became heated she should have ended the meeting. Allowing the guys to argue back and forth created more tension in the situation. I also believe that she should have been more commanding of here statements and not allow Robert to spread his bias to other employees. Daniel is worried about Robert spreading rumors and dislike for him to other employees. This is especially true because Robert is bringing two other employees into the project to replace Daniel because of he doesn’t like Daniel’s lifestyle. I also agree with Syl about Daniel not having a discrimination lawsuit because this situation is not hurting Daniel’s work life unless they do not complete the project. He may become uncomfortable with certain co-workers because of them listening to Robert but his work position and being able to advance it will not be affected. Robert’s priority is to also complete the project but he does not want to complete it with Daniel. He believes moral standards should be upheld in the workplace and this is important. The only thing I have against this is that this company already has a benefits process in place for same sex spouses. Knowing the company has this if Robert does not believe in same sex marriage and does not want to be around it he should consider finding a new job. This is a hard case to digest and deal with but well placed mediation and goal setting can help the process. Robert should consider a new job or counseling to help deal with his dislike of same sex marriage. Daniel should not let this affect his priorities of completing the project.

How Digital Technology Influences Art

How Digital Technology Influences Art Introduction Digital technology has become part of the everyday life in the world. Various sectors such as music industries have faced the problem of responding to the speedy developments in digital technology. In the world of arts, digital technology changes every day especially in media convergence technologies and digitalisation of production.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on How Digital Technology Influences Art specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Gà ¼ndà ¼z (2012, p. 202) confirms how digital technology factors have become the engine through which the wheels of art and design revolve all across the world. This advancement has made it very difficult for any country in the world to do without digital technology in its arts industry. Various economies have therefore put in place mechanisms to counter the effect of the digital revolution to keep abreast with technological changes. This section of the paper discusses t he impacts of digital technology on the world of arts. It has reduced Expenditure Digital technology has cut down the expenditure of producing art works thus improving accessibility by many people. Just the way the use of cars, motorbikes, and airplanes has increased the speed of travelling, with people reaching their destinations without much efforts, the digital technology has lessened the efforts that people had to put on walking or running to production studios and to areas where artists portray their work. According to Bhattacharjee et al. (2009, p. 140), the art industry, which used to produce its work manually thus using much funds, has increased the speed of production with less efforts and expenses due to digital technology. Since works of art are now produced at a lower cost, it has also become easier for masses to access this work because prices are also lower in the market. Technology reduces production expenditure hence making production expenses cheaper. Constaninides (2004, p. 115) also points out that digital technology has lessened the efforts that producers and consumers put in accessing raw materials and products consecutively. Artists can currently access raw materials for their business from the internet thus cutting on travelling costs. It has expanded the Amount of Artwork that One Artist can do With digital technology in place, one artist can do several activities at the same time. According to Van House (2011, p. 125), an artist can sing on a digital audio recorder, play some digital accompaniments, and dance at the same time. Digital technology enhances efficiency of the whole process of producing artwork.Advertising Looking for essay on art? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Writing of scripts, a stage that was very cumbersome to most artwork producers, has been made easy by the inception of digital technology. Constaninides (2004, p. 112) argues that a lot of informati on is available for artists on the internet and other educative media. From such sites, artists learn how to improve their multi-tasking skills. According to Faye et al. (2012, p. 147), reduction of manual work has also enabled the disabled artists to take part in arts through the digital technology. Recording of artwork was also a cumbersome activity in the past. However, with digital technology, an artist can record a multiplicity of episodes in one day. According to Bhattacharjee et al. (2009, p. 140), today, digital cameras, audio devices and recorders, and editing programs are in place. They have improved the quality of the products that come from artwork. Digital technology makes images and pictures clearer, attractive, and clean for the consumers despite having been produced simultaneously. Accessibility of cost effective machines and gadgets for example Digital Versatile Discs players (DVD) and video players though which consumers can access products of art has also enabled the artist to produce more. For artists who involve themselves in drawing and designing, digital technology has enabled them to produce their products in bulk. Digital technology has also improved on the quality of artwork that artists produce. It has improved the Capacity of Artists to show up their expected Designs Digital technology has widened consumer platform. With a wider consumer contact point, artists can access millions of consumers hence providing the right information and impression about their products directly to them. These platforms include televisions channels, cinema, video players, social media, and the internet among others. As the number of platforms increases, the number of audiences that the artists have also increases. It is also possible that digital technology provides more elaborative information about an artist. Consumers are therefore more informed. Hence, they can make the right choices in picking products. Faye et al. (2012, p. 147) affirm that even th e visually impaired artists can display their products through the help of the digital technology.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on How Digital Technology Influences Art specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Live recording and presentation programs such as programs on beauty pageants competitions that are televised live are an opportunity for designers to show up their designs (Van House 2011, p. 125). Artists can now televise, record, and sell various works of arts including martial arts as videos. Through digital technology, the artist can now reach almost every person who accesses the new media. The audience has also been empowered through digital technology. Foss (2001) argues that the media has been so active in monitoring the behaviour and conduct of leaders in various nations. Artists have become opinion leaders due to their fame and acceptance as celebrities. Most of the people would want to be achievers in certai n areas just as the artists. When the audience accesses information about immorality or underperformance of their favourite artists on the digital platforms, they are empowered to change their opinions about them and even to stop consuming their products. In fact, digital technology provides a better platform in which the audience can interact, scrutinise, and even criticise the artist. However, uncontrolled access to the websites of these artists can be problematic. Moore argues, â€Å"Identifying and accessing various resources of network system can allow a way into confidential documents or even databases† (2005, p.258). Cyber crimes have intensified with growth in digitalisation. Therefore, digital communication technology has brought the power of people-to-people. Artists have become very powerful and influential across the world. Almost every commercial advertisement, political advertisement, charity, and even religious advertisement is using artists as product ambassad ors thus increasing their platforms. Aghion and Tirole (1997) also affirm that people are also exchanging information through the social networks about how various celebrities are conducting themselves. For example, a gospel artist whom a company has adopted and paid to advertise and become the product ambassador for a product or a program that is sponsored by a beer or cigarette company is likely to be criticised and mocked on the social media. Similar complains and ridicules have been raised on televisions and radios through call-ins from the audience. Digital technology has therefore increased the platform for the audience to monitor the lives of artists. Foss (2001) insists that various artists and art companies have established websites that they post information about themselves and their programs for the citizens.Advertising Looking for essay on art? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The consumers of artwork who prefer plays, songs, paintings, and martial arts can also access any information they want from such websites. This possibility is a great response to digital communication exploration in the world today. Digital technology has paved a way for artists to speak to wider spectators Spectators are the target markets for all artists. They can watch the artists live on televisions and on the internet as they perform on stage. According to Marchese (2011, p. 302), although most of the spectators may not be in a position to travel to the venues of the concerts and exhibitions, they can become part of the program through digital communication. As artists display their products and talents, many more spectators are now able to access the proceedings in real time. In fact, some people become spectators and fans through accident. As one scrolls through the channels, he or she is likely to find such a program proceedings. If the work of art is interesting, educative , or entertaining, the audience becomes part of the spectators of such an artist. Digital technology increases the number of spectators. Marchese (2011, p. 302) argues that the response to digital technology in arts that is clearly visible in most countries is the development of e-commerce. E-commerce enables artists to market and sell their products to a wider market. With e-commerce, the artist does not have to meet one-on-one with the customer. All the transactions can be done online. Calvo and Monge (2009, p. 281) argue that many countries of the world have realised that trading in arts especially in the current world of digitalisation cannot escape the impact of modern technology. DRozario and Bryant (2013, p. 9) confirm that the adoption of digital technology by most nations of the world today has made the world of economics a small business village. One can trade and even converse with his or her fans that are in a far continent. Constaninides (2004, p. 112) argues that digit al technology has eliminated the geographical boundaries between trading partners such as artists, their fans, art firms, and their fans hence reducing transport cost and increasing the quality and quantity of information flow between parties. Calvo and Monge (2009, p. 281) argue that, in the United States, a spectator can order for certain products from an artist online and pay for them online and wait for delivery online within no time. The indication is that digitalisation of arts has even enlarged the market to spectators and artists (Garcà ­a Whittinghill 2011, p. 309). Another good example is the use of digital technology to purchase ringtones for mobile phones and even to download videos. During live concerts, artists pause to take the audience through a process of prompting downloads of ringtones and videos over the mobile phones and iPods. In such a forum, artists gain a lot of money instantly since most of the fans buy their products online as prompted by e-commerce. Acc ording to Bonsu and Darmody (2008, p.356), e-commerce has empowered consumers in the world of business to undertake their roles. Customers of the products of arts have become more informed in making choices between products. DRozario and Bryant (2013, p. 10) argue that the roles played by buyers and sellers in the US before the inception of e-commerce have drastically been changed. The time of passive customers and over active sellers has been eliminated in the American economy through digital technology. According to Gronroos (1994, p.9), quick evolution of e-commerce has made consumers of art products active players in the whole transaction. Customers have an opportunity to choose from an assortment of goods and services advertised online. In the same way, consumers can trade with the artist that they consider the best according to the information posted on their websites. Gronroos (1994, p.9) also argues that e-commerce has made many economies turn from 12 hours to 24-hour workin g economies. According to Constaninides (2004, p. 112), increase in the number of hours for doing business in many nations has also increased the number of online customers and audience for artists. Largely, this case increases the market since most people can access the products of the work of art that the artist places in stalls. Such is the economy of the United States. Gronroos (1994, p.9) believes that customers and artists can carry out exchange transactions at any time of the day or night via the internet. Garcà ­a and Whittinghill (2011, p. 309) affirm that artists in the economy of United States have become very powerful and influential across the world. Conclusion In conclusion, digital technology has had a big influence on art. The world has become a global village today due to digital revolution. Gà ¼ndà ¼z (2012, p. 202) affirms that as the economy of the world grow, its cultural aspects must also grow with it. Growth in digital technology has cut down the expenditur e of producing artworks hence improving the accessibility of artwork by many people. Digital technology has extended the array and amount of artwork that one artist can do in a given period. Artists can produce many products in a short period and even in real time. The paper concludes that digital technology has improved the capacity of artists to show up their expected designs though various digital platforms such as the internet, social media, televisions, videos, and mobile phones. References Aghion, P Tirole, J 1997, ‘Formal and Real Authority in Organisation’, Journal of Political Economy, vol. 105 no. 1, p. 29. Bhattacharjee, S, Gopal, D, Marsden, R, Sankaranarayanan, R 2009, ‘Re-tuning the Music Industry -Can They Re-Attain Business Resonance?’, Communications of the ACM, vol. 52 no. 6, pp. 136-140. Bonsu, A Darmody, A 2008, ‘Co-creating Second Life: Market- Consumer Cooperation in Contemporary Economy’, Journal of Macromarketing, vol . 28 no. 4, pp. 355-368. Calvo, E Monge, J 2009, ‘New Technologies in Central American Contemporary Art: A Partial Archaeology and Some Critical Appreciations from the Institutional Realm’, Third Text, vol. 23 no. 3, pp. 281-292. Constaninides, E 2004, ‘Influencing the Online Consumers Behavior: The web Experience’, Emerald Research Journal, vol. 14 no. 2, pp. 111-126. DRozario, D Bryant, K 2013, ‘The Use of Dead Celebrity Images in Advertising and Marketing- Review, Ethical Recommendations and Cautions for Practitioners’, International Journal of Marketing Studies, vol. 5 no. 2, pp. 1-10. Faye, W, Selvadurai, C, Smithwick, Q, Cain, J, Cavallerano, J, Silver, P, Goldring, E 2012, ‘The Seeing Machine Camera: An Artistic Tool for the Visually Challenged Conceived by a Visually Challenged Artist’, Leonardo, vol. 45 no. 2, pp. 141-147. Foss, K 2001, ‘Organising Technological Interdependencies: A Coordination Perspective on the Firm’, Industrial and Corporate Change, vol. 10 no. 1, p. 151. Garcà ­a, E Whittinghill, D 2011, ‘Art and Code: The Aesthetic Legacy of Aldo Giorgini’, Leonardo, vol. 44 no. 4, pp. 309-316. Gronroos, C 1994, ‘From marketing mix to relationship marketing: Towards a paradigm shift in marketing’, Management Decision, vol. 32 no. 2, p. 9. Gà ¼ndà ¼z, U 2012, ‘Digital Music Format Mp3 as a New Communications Technology and the Future of the Music Industry’, Scientific Journal of Humanistic Studies, vol. 4 no. 7, pp. 202-207. Marchese, T 2011, ‘Conserving Digital Art for Deep Time’, Leonardo, vol. 44 no. 4, pp. 302-308. Moore, R 2005, Cybercrime: Investigating High Technology Computer Crime, Bender Company, New York. Van House, A 2011, ‘Personal photography, digital technologies and the uses of the Visual’, Visual Studies, vol. 26 no. 2, pp. 125-13.

Mary Cassatt Biography - Painting History

Mary Cassatt Biography - Painting History Born on May 22, 1844, Mary Cassatt was one of the very few women who were part of the French Impressionist movement in art, and the only American during the movements productive years; she often painted women in ordinary tasks. Her help to Americans collecting Impressionist art helped bring that movement to America. Biography of Mary Cassatt Mary Cassatt was born in Allegheny City, Pennsylvania, in 1845. Mary Cassatts family lived in France from 1851 to 1853 and in Germany from 1853 to 1855. When Mary Cassatts oldest brother, Robbie, died, the family returned to Philadelphia. She studied art at the Pennsylvania Academy in Philadelphia in 1861 to 1865, which was among the few such schools open to female students. In 1866 Mary Cassatt began European travels, finally living in Paris, France. In France, she took art lessons and spent her time studying and copying the paintings at the Louvre. In 1870, Mary Cassatt returned to the United States and her parents home. Her painting suffered from a lack of support from her father. Her paintings in a Chicago gallery were destroyed in the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. Fortunately, in 1872 she received a commission from the archbishop in Parma to copy some Correggio works, which revived her flagging career. She went to Parma for the job, then after study in Antwerp Cassatt returned to France. Mary Cassatt joined the Paris Salon, exhibiting with the group in 1872, 1873, and 1874. She met and began studying with Edgar Degas, with whom she had a close friendship; they apparently did not become lovers. In 1877 Mary Cassatt joined the French Impressionist group and in 1879 began exhibiting with them at the invitation of Degas. Her paintings sold successfully. She herself began collecting the paintings of other French Impressionists, and she helped several friends from America acquire French Impressionist art for their collections. Among those she convinced to collect Impressionists was her brother, Alexander. Mary Cassatts parents and sister joined her in Paris in 1877; Mary had to do the housework when her mother and sister fell ill, and the volume of her painting suffered until her sisters death in 1882 and her mothers recovery soon after. Mary Cassatts most successful work was during the 1880s and 1890s. She moved from impressionism to her own style, significantly influenced by Japanese prints that she saw at an exhibition in 1890. Degas, upon seeings some of Mary Cassatts later work, was said to have stated, I am not willing to admit that a woman can draw that well. Her work was frequently characterized by depictions of women in ordinary tasks, and especially with children. Though she never married or had children of her own, she enjoyed visits from her American nieces and nephews. In 1893, Mary Cassatt submitted a mural design for display at the 1893 Worlds Columbian Exhibition in Chicago. The mural was taken down and lost at the end of the fair. She continued to care for her ill mother until her mothers death in 1895. After the 1890s, she did not keep up with some of the newer, more popular trends, and her popularity waned. She put more of her efforts into advising American collectors, including her brothers. Her brother Gardner died suddenly after Mary Cassatt returned with him and his family from 1910 trip to Egypt. Her diabetes began to create more serious health problems. Mary Cassatt supported the womens suffrage movement, both morally and financially. By 1912, Mary Cassatt had become partially blind. She gave up painting entirely in 1915, and had become totally blind by her death on June 14, 1926, in Mesnil-Beaufresne, France. Mary Cassatt was close to several female painters including Berthe Morisot.  In 1904, the French government awarded Mary Cassatt the Legion of Honor. Background, Family Father: Robert Simpson Cassatt (banker)Mother: Katherine Johnston CassattSiblings: fiveAlexander was president of the  Pennsyvlania  Railroad Education Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, Philadelphia, 1861 - 1865Studied under Chaplin in Paris (1866) and Carlo Raimondi in Parma (1872) Bibliography: Judith A. Barter, editor. Mary Cassatt, Modern Woman. 1998.Philip Brooks. Mary Cassatt: An American in Paris. 1995.Julia M. H. Carson. Mary Cassatt. 1966.Cassatt and Her Circle: Selected Letters, New York. 1984.Nancy Mowll Mathews. Mary Cassatt: A Life. 1994.Nancy Mowll Mathews. Cassatt: A Retrospective. 1996.Griselda Pollock. Mary Cassatt: Painter of Modern Women. 1998Frederick A. Sweet. Miss Mary Cassatt, Impressionist from Pennsylvania. 1966.Forbes Watson. Mary Cassatt. 1932.Mary Cassatt: Modern Woman. (Essays.) 1998.