Introduction
As one of the most popular directors in Hollywood, Christopher Nolan was known for his complex storyline and non-linear structure of the film. His most famous work including The Prestige (2006), Inception (2010), Batman series (2005, 2008, 2012), many of his work has been nominated for numerous awards. This paper mainly analyses two famous film posters from his works, The Dark Knight (2008) and Inception (2010). Semiotics, known as the science of signification, was first originated by Ferdinand de Saussure and Charles Sanders Peirce. This paper will implement the semiotics analysis and introduce the theory of semiotics and review the history generally. Semiotics is the interpretation of meaning, based on the Saussure’s approach of semiology; he was mainly focused on the structure on linguistics, while Peirce was more concentrate on the logical dimensions of the science. In general, semiotic is a study of signs. According to Gordon, he defined that sign is “Anything that tells us about something other than itself” (Gordon, 1996:14) A sign is a representation of an object or implied deep meaning behind the object. Saussure developed the principle of semiotics as he applied to language, he also elaborates the relationship of a sign with the following formula: “signifier + signified=sign” Based on Saussure’s notion, signifier is the sign carries the meaning, including the marks on the paper and the sound in the air. Signified is a mental concept of meaning, which the person who has the same cultural background can share the same language. The sign is embraced both of them, which make the sign, have the wider use.
Peirce’s idea of semiotic is a statement of signification, representation, reference and meaning. As the most influential and logical theory in semiotic analysis history, Peirce’s views of semiotic are compatible with Saussure’s theory.
“Symbolism.” Dictionary of World Literature: Criticism - Forms - Technique. Ed. Joseph T. Shipley. New York: Philosophical Library, 1943. 564-9.
Since the 1940s, comic book readers have been entertained by stories of a mysterious caped crusader. Batman, the symbol of justice on the streets, prowls rooftops and alleys both thwarting common street thugs’ petty misconduct and sinister schemes of criminal masterminds with the same self-righteous zeal. Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy is an epic, three-act saga that presents the rise and fall of this famous antihero. Archetypes, recurring symbolism found so often throughout literature that they have turned into tropes, are liberally scattered through Batman comics and movies. Symbolism is taken to its natural extreme in Nolan’s works of art. The movies of the Batman trilogy contain many archetypes in the form of characters such as Batman, The Joker, Scarecrow, and Bane.
As we said earlier, the sign is composed of two parts, the signifier and the signified which can be replaced by connotation and denotation. When we take the example of the one dollar note, the meaning of this piece of paper and what it convey is only understandable by what it represent. The signs are here to support representation. It is only when you put the signs together, and thanks to a semantic analysis, you manage to access to a meaning. The meaning or the ideology of that an image evokes is only reachable thanks to our knowledge of the different signs we put together. In my opinion, the one dollar note represent a good illustration of this comprehension because, when we look at all the sign separately we can then understand what this picture means. By gathering all the important figures of the United States, a strong patriotic feeling comes
According to Etherington-Wright and Doughty, “The signifier is the form that the sign takes. It can be a word. It can be a word. It can take the form of a specific sound or marks on a piece of paper (a combination of letters of letters or symbols). The signified is the conceptual stage of communication. This is when the sign stimulates a mental idea/image” (Doughty, p. 65). A signifier in Alice in Wonderland, is the world of Wonderland itself. The signified is her quest for knowledge. The signifier is her physical journey through wonderland, but signified is her search for understanding. Another example is the signifier of the white rabbit. The rabbit signifies a figment of her imagination. While the thing that is signified by the rabbit is her curious nature as whole. In the Wizard of Oz, a signifier is the ruby slippers. They symbolize magic, and what’s signified by them is Dorothy’s potential power. “She has it, she just doesn’t know how to use it yet, which is really why Glinda sends her off to see the Wizard. Only after all of her adventures, and the attendant self-reliance that comes with taking out two wicked witches single-handedly, can she tap into that power and use it to get what she want” (Shmoop). In the move Big Fish, the fish is another great example of signified and signifier. The signifier is the fish, representing Edward himself, while the signified is his life and
Now I want to turn to another situation. What would it be like to try desperately grasping the meaning that we have already known? What if one day suddenly like the way that we entered to the cultural world which was constructed by language, an unknown physiological or psychological force withdraws us from the complicated territory of language? Would it be possible that a demonic forgetfulness spell puts a curse on our memory and intends to throw us into the blackness of oblivion? Would it be possible that we move backwards and rewind the story of Victor then instead of gradually gaining the sense of language we start to lose it? Well, I think after years of having The Wild Child as the best example of Saussurian theory of semiotics, this is the time of watching movies like Still Alice and try to analyze the way in which language shape our personality and our identity. I do recommend watching this movie and having it in your mind as one of the best films about language, memory and identity. We can get back to it soon. (After watching
Despite trying to understand English symbols, in an attempt to distinguish between myths and reality, Kincaid may in fact find herself not getting any closer to truth, as Suzanne K. Langer suggests in her essay, “Signs and Symbols,” all human activity is “based on the appreciation and use of symbols” (Langer 526). The basic human trait consists of symbolic thinking; what we see is only a projection, an understanding, or a mental image of the world after data from our five senses have passed through the biological, linguistic and cultural filters of our
Symbolism is a literary technique that is used to clarify the author's intent. Sometimes it is used to great effect, while other times it only seems to muddle the meaning of a passage. In "Young Goodman Brown," Nathaniel Hawthorne uses objects and people as symbols to allegorically reveal his message to the reader.
Analysis of Film Posters Having studied film posters this term, it is apparent that certain forms and conventions are applied. [IMAGE]The major forms and conventions of film posters could include: A large title which attracts the eye, bold colours which stand out from the background, intriguing picture which would attract viewers to the film, persuasive language which might persuade the viewers to go and see the film, using the main character's name for promotion, and the certification will either to ensure that the right type of people are watching the film. An example of how different types of film (e.g. comedy, horror) poster use these forms and conventions to attract a certain type of person (e.g. teenagers, horror fans) would be a really scary horror film, which will use eerie images in order to appeal to horror fans. A successful film poster will accomplish attracting the target audience and persuade them to come and watch the film.
What do you think of when you see or smell your favorite food? On one hand the sight or smell of that food might trigger hunger, or even a memory of the last time you shared that meal with a loved one. The point is, the smell or sight of our favorite food would trigger a different thought or feeling in each of us. This is an example of Semiotics. Semiotics is defined as "anything that can stand for something else." Roland Barthes was one of Europe's most renowned theorists of semiology. Barthes believed that in order to generate a complete sign, there were two parts that have to work together. These two parts are known as the signifier and the signified. A good example of this is your favorite food you thought of earlier, it would act as a signifier, and the thought that came to your head when thinking of this food would act as the signified. Together they create a sign. This is just a simple example of a complete sign.
The first theory used to analyze this magazine is the semiotic theory, developed by C.S. Peirce. This theory is used to find the meaning of signs and claims it is all in the meaning of the signs used. “A sign refers to something other than itself – the object, and is understood by somebody.
ABSTRACT: Of all the German idealists, Jean-Paul Sartre refers the least to Fichte-so little in fact that there have been long-standing suspicions that he was not even familiar with Fichte's writings. It is perhaps ironic, then, that Fichte's writings are as helpful as they are for clarifying Sartre's views, especially his views on subjectivity and inter-subjectivity. Here I want to look closely at a key concept in Fichte's mature writings: the concept of the Anstoss, a concept which Dan Breazeale has called "Fichte's original insight." Fichte introduces the Anstoss, or "check," to explain why the I posits the world as it does. In effect, the Anstoss is the occasion of the facticity of the I. I will show that his concept can be uniquely helpful in understanding the role the body plays in Sartre's theory of inter-subjectivity. The importance of Sartre's account of the body for his theory of subjectivity and inter-subjectivity has been chronically under-appreciated by his interpreters; this comparison is the beginning of an attempt to rectify that. In turn the concept of the Anstoss provides a means for analyzing the necessary differences between any Sartrean and Fichtean ethics based on their respective accounts of inter-subjectivity.
Symbolism is when an author uses a symbol or an object to relate it to another meaning other than its literal meaning. It is normally used
A symbol is an object, action, or event that represents something or that creates a range of associations beyond itself. In literary works a symbol can express an idea, clarify meaning, or enlarge literal meaning. Select a novel or play and, focusing on one symbol, write an essay analyzing how that symbol functions in the work and what it reveals about the characters or themes of the work as a whole. Do not merely summarize the plot. (2009 Open-Ended Question for AP English Literature and Composition).
An important first step in this discussion is to firmly establish that a stop sign is, in fact, a sign. This may seem obvious, as, after all, it does have the word "sign" in its name, this in an important technical consideration that must be made before we can proceed. According to Charles Pierce, one of the major pioneers of the field of semiotics, a sign has three fundamental parts. These are: the object, the representamen, and the interpretant. The representamen is what most people w...
Saussure followed that if we are able to recognise things through mental representations, then the brain also has to recognise words we hear via mental representations, in conjunction with distinguishing what the words mean via representations. From this, Saussure goes on to make the sign the unity of sound-image and concept. Thus like Aristotle he seems to think that there are mental facts (concepts). He does not believe however of the sound as a sign of those concepts, rather that the sound that travels due to the physical disturbance in the air (is associated with a mental representation of the sound) the sound-image.