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Ways of Seeing

          In Ways of Seeing by John Berger, the aspect that struck me the most had to be the first sentence. It has a captivating nature about how it was worded. "Seeing comes before words. The child looks and recognizes before it can speak" (7). This is a very simple concept, that I had never considered before. Once a child enters the world, they take everything in through their senses. Sight, even though very blurry and near-sighted at the beginning of life, is a child's way of exploring and trying to make sense of the world. I believe that this sentence sets the tone for the rest of the article as intriguing, powerful, and thought-provoking.
          Another aspect that stuck out to me was the fact that seeing is different for everyone. All individuals can look at something and connect it to something else. "The way we see things is affected by what we know or what we believe" (8). I agree with this statement, because it emphasizes the fact that individuals go through various experiences throughout their lives that shape the way that they interpret or view other things. That makes sight so beautiful. For instance, if someone who was recently broken up with witnessed a proposal, they might see it as "disgusting" or "off-putting." On the other hand, if someone who has been in a long, happy, and healthy relationship witnesses this same proposal, they might become overjoyed or excited for that couple. Berger says, "Every image embodies a way of seeing" (10), and I believe that this example illustrates that idea well.
          Overall, I believe that a certain person's way of seeing largely depends upon their perceptions of the world around them. Towards the end of the article, Berger discusses how the invention of the camera changed the way that people looked at images or paintings. This is another example of how a change in perception can change how the world around them is looked at. I really enjoyed the beginning of the article, but once it started getting into art history, the pace slowed down and became less interesting.

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