John Bergers way of seeing essays

John Berger's way of seeing essays The ways the image and texts are interpreted are based on interpreters perception, belief, past history and interpretation of events. In John Bergers book, Ways of Seeing, the writer explores the way we view and interpret the art. The message provided by the writer relates to interpretation of the message. In the book (both in text and image) there is a message about the relationship of men and women and presence of their power and position. Berger starts his essay with: "It is seeing which establishes our place in the surrounding world; we explain that world with words, but words can never undo the fact that we are surrounded by it" (Berger, 7). In the very beginning of his essay, Berger implies to his readers that it is actually seeing which develops our thoughts and meanings. Using these thoughts and meanings, we interpret our surrounding with words. This very clearly underlines that we describe what we see and what we make of what we see. John Berger's central insight - that "the way we see things is structured by what we know or what we believe" is an insight into how Berger views and acknowledges the fact that what we interpret an image, text or an event according to our knowledge and believe. Yet the clearest indication of Bergers statement that what we view is based on our perception, is in the first chapter itself where he mentions, "Yet, although every image embodies a way of seeing, our perception or appreciation of an image depends also upon our own way of seeing. (11). One of the most interesting aspects of this work of Berger is the manner in which he underlines the relationship between the men and women. It is worthwhile to discuss the observations and find out what they mean. Chapter 2 and 3 of the book are devoted to the images women and how the presence of Man differs from the women. Men dream of women. Women dream of themselves being dreamt of. ...