Perspective refers to the idea that all texts—written or visual—are
to some degree subjective or express a subjective position. There is a seeing
"I" that tells the reader some sort of story or argument. With some
texts and images, the perspective is obvious and expected, such as an advertisement's
point of view that you should buy the product. With texts that claim objectivity
and scientificity, identifying and reacting to the perspective takes a bit more
thought and work. Even texts such as maps that claim to be truthful representations
are actually symbolic expressions just like any other kind of text; they are
not the territory itself, but a seeing "I" 's symbolic rendering
of that territory. All texts are coded by a certain perspective and constructed
to deliver their message in a certain way.
In
Beyond Borders: See Alan Thomas and Ben Crow, "Third World Atlas:
Maps, Projections, and Ethnicity"; Jesse Levine, "The Turnabout Map of the
Western Hemisphere"; and Agha Shahid Ali, "The Correspondent."
In
Beyond Borders Online: See Web Research Activities, "
Virtual
Tourism."
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