Semiotics: The Significance Of Meaning In Signs

1 Saussure developed a powerful approach called semiotics, this approach unpacks how there is meaning in signs. It allows us to interpret meaning through representation. To elaborate further the approach argues that meaning is either representative of something or in affiliation to it only then is the sign meaningful.

2 The three concepts, the sign, signifier and signified are profound concepts according to Hall. A sign is a basic concept of meaning, its anything that asserts meaning and it could be an object or abstract. We are free to perceive and interpret signs that represent what we are accustomed to so meaning can be conveyed. (Hall; 1997;5) “Signs stand for or represent our concepts, ideas and feelings…” Here we begin to understand how Hall stresses on the significance of signs as a form of communication. People who share culture or carry the same conceptual maps are likely to fall into the same discourses and can both use certain signs to evaluate the world’s problems similarly as opposed to an individual who would interpret the sign differently because of a different background. As time progresses, people become more socially, politically and historically aware and interpretation of certain signs may progress into another

The poster is a representation of Steve Biko’s death, (Samuel Nhlegethwa,1990) How do I conclude to this? Firstly the Title gives a clue, his eyes are closed suggesting there is no life. With specific knowledge to the historical background of Steve Biko the police van denoted earlier could be the van coming to fetch him to take him after his death. Also his naked body can suggest that he died from pneumonia and not ‘Hunger’ as the Minister of Justice James Kruger reported (Life and death of Steve Biko; Duron Chavis; 2012 ) What caused his death was unknown to the public and this closely alludes to the setting of the room and how it’s unclear of what’s happening though it was never really determined what the case of his death