Despite the well-known idiom to “not judge a book by its cover,” it is merely human nature for people to make snap judgments about something at first glance. The metaphorical “book” can be person, a place, or a picture, and it’s respective “cover” is a physical, external entity. How initially see things or people, is how we call it until otherwise. Errol Morris author of “Will the Real Hooded Man Please Stands up” recalls a controversial photo that swept the attention of the world. Morris wanted to explore how the use of the media, particularly through photographs led to misidentification of the real “Hooded Man.” Similarly, Gloria Anzaldua in her piece “How to Tame A Wild Tongue” explores how she was misidentified growing because of her language and Spanish descent. Both pieces are written with an effort aimed at conveying how much perception is influenced by our own beliefs, thus altering our initial thoughts and reactions. There is no one perception, there is no one reality.…show more content… What is evident to one, might not be to another. Morris notes that people often assume, “that seeing is believing. But we do not form our beliefs on the basis of what we see; rather, what we see is often determined by our beliefs. Believing is seeing, not the other way around (Morris 62). Our perception of the world and the people around us is influenced highly by our gender, race, ethnicity, or country of origin. In the case for Gloria Anzaldua, a daughter of immigrant parents, growing up in the United States was difficult. Anzaldua was ostracized for her native tendencies and behaviors, her Spanish dialect being the most apparent area of
