Berger And Tompkins Essay, Research Paper

John Berger & # 8217 ; s composing & # 8220 ; Ways of Seeing & # 8221 ; is a expression into the universe of art. Throughout his composing, he gives his sentiments on assorted subjects about art. Jane Tompkins essay & # 8220 ; Indians: Textualism, Morality, and the Problem of History & # 8221 ; is a expression into the universe of history. Within her essay, Tompkins discusses her positions on the quest of happening truth in history. She uses footings such as & # 8220 ; relativism & # 8221 ; , the apprehension that adult male or adult female can ne’er happen the absolute truth in facts, and & # 8220 ; epistemic predicament & # 8221 ; , a quandary where in her instance she could non happen the right cognition and facts to construe and larn the factual information she desired to possess. These footings help to develop her manner of happening the historical truth when there are many different histories of history.

Reproductions occur in many different facets of life. Two of these such facets are art and history, the countries of expertness of Berger and Tompkins severally. Berger believes that non-exact reproductions of art are of great

Widro 2

value while Tompkins believes that there is small value if there is a non-exact reproduction or recount of history.

John Berger, an art critic every bit good as an writer, is a advocate of reproducing art in different signifiers other that the original. When Berger talks about this positive position of reproduction, he says that,

In the age of reproduction the significance of the pictures is no longer attached to them ; their significance becomes catching that is to state it because information of a kind, and, like all information, is either put to utilize or ignored ; information carries no particular authorization within itself. ( 65 )

This quotation mark explains Berger & # 8217 ; s feelings on the reproduction of art in our clip. He illustrates to the reader that reproductions give the art viewer a more specific angle on a art piece. By making this the art chaser can understand the piece on a greater degree doing the original piece more comprehendible. Because of this, Berger makes the averment that reproduction enhances the apprehension of the original piece therefore doing reproduction justified and a worthy thing to carry through.

Widro 3

This belief that reproduction farther explains a piece of art carries into Berger & # 8217 ; s believing on modern movie and the modern camera. Not merely can art or pictures be reproduces with another picture but it can be reproduced with the camera. A film-maker can utilize art to exemplify a subject or point that he or she is seeking to do. & # 8220 ; When a picture is reproduced by a movie camera it necessarily becomes for the material film-maker & # 8217 ; s statement & # 8221 ; ( 66 ) . Because of this & # 8220 ; a movie which reproduces images of a pictures leads the witness through the picture, to the film-maker & # 8217 ; s ain decisions & # 8221 ; ( 66 ) . Film is another locale for people to broaden their apprehension of pictures. Therefore, Berger is for this signifier of reproduction. This is another point that Berger uses to further expose the benefit of art reproduction.

An alternate position of reproductions is held by Jane Tompkins. She analyzes history with the application of & # 8220 ; relativism & # 8221 ; , the apprehension that adult male or adult female can ne’er happen the absolute truth in facts, to the quandary of history. In the terminal, she describes her decisions sing historical reading. First she begins to recognize her quandary with set uping non-biased historical fact when fixing to learn a class in colonial American literature. Tompkins wanted to larn what she could about the Puritan & # 8217 ; s

Tungsten

idro 4

relationship with the Americans Indians, but she shortly found highly conflicting studies. She explains,

Some of the conflicting histories were non merely contradictory, they were wholly incommensurable, in that their premises about what counted as a valid attack to the topic, and what the topic itself was, diverged in cardinal ways ( 619 ) .

In other words, when a individual researches a fact they will ever happen conflicting studies which is shown here by Tompkins. Tompkins felt a loss because she was frustrated with this & # 8220 ; array of reciprocally unreconcilable points of position & # 8221 ; ( 619 ) and decided to turn to what she viewed as & # 8220 ; primary beginnings & # 8221 ; ( 620 ) for farther elucidation. Yet here Tompkins discoveries further grounds of prejudice, and farther defeat. She describes her state of affairs as a complete & # 8220 ; epistemic predicament & # 8221 ; ( 620 ) . This is a quandary where in her instance she could non happen the right cognition and facts to construe and larn the factual information she desired to possess.

This proves to the reader that Tompkins believes that reproductions of history have limited value and must be interpreted. The history that happened is the absolute truth

Widro 5

but the resulting reading that occur are diluted and are non the complete truth. Because of this, the historical history that historians write have be read with relativism in head. If the reader does non make this the individual can be believing that the history that they are reading is the absolute historical truth. Believing in false facts can take to stating and learning other people these false facts therefore making a Domino consequence of prevarications.

Unlike art, history is non something to be interpreted, it is consecutive facts. Art is created by an creative person to convey a message or a subject to his or her audience. I believe that history should non be explored, instead, that in an ideal universe, history is known and there is no demand to run for it. On the other manus, art is to be interpreted by people. However, reproduction can take to many of the original creative persons thoughts and subjects to be left out. A individual could be mislead by what the & # 8220 ; reproductioner & # 8221 ; has put before them. Berger says, & # 8220 ; Uniqueness of the original now lies in the original of a reproduction? no longer what its image shows that strikes one as unique ; its first significance is no longer found in what it says, but in what it is & # 8221 ; ( 61 ) . I believe that if the chief significance is now found in the reproduction the original inspiration of the creative person can be lost everlastingly. This is much like the Domino consequence of prevarication that can happen if

Widro 6

history is told falsely because the constructs of the & # 8220 ; reproductioner & # 8221 ; will now be thought of as what the message is supposed to be. Much like the inaccurate histories of history can be thought of as fact even though it is non.

As you can see Tompkins and Berger have distinct thoughts on whether or non there are virtues to reproductions life. Berger believes that there is a batch of virtue because if there is a reproduction of the original piece than the original piece can be understood better therefore doing the creative person & # 8217 ; s message that he or she wanted to convey through their pictures more feasible. Tompkins believes that history is ever changed for the worse when reproduced. It is changed for the worse because the truth is frequently non decently written in historical text. Thus the truth is obscured and Tompkins believes that this is a negatives and because of that she doesn & # 8217 ; t think that historical reproduction is meriting of virtue.