Essays on Signifier

Introduction

The conflict theory suggests that ideology and bias in media is correlated to the effects of ideology on society. This means that the influence of ideas on people’s perception of the society reflects on their actions and representation of gender. Examining examples from the Dove commercial and parody will explore the subject of media de-gendering, ideology, hegemony, representation, and the semiotic triangle. Furthermore, the discussion will also demonstrate how images constituted by the media creates the description of semiotic triangle and how represents the culture industry. Lastly, an image in social media will be examined trough the lenses ...

The theory of deconstructivist architecture postulated by Jacques Derrida supports the idea of the architectural discipline, allowing the architects to go beyond the traditionally installed restriction. The main idea is for architects to emphasize less on functionality and focus on the appearance of their architectural work. Apart from deconstructism coming out to challenge traditional practice in design, it is an ideology that seeks to introduce aspects of humanity, especially rhetoric into architectural practice. The central point in defining deconstruction is finding a balance between essence and value. As Derrida puts it, architects, in understanding his point of view should ...

English

The cult classic 1958 film “The Blob” starring a young Steve McQueen, is not only interesting to watch, it also gives the viewer a number of insights into that era. The milieu in Post World War II America is the dominant sign in the film. The era is the signified and there are a number of signifiers. The film begins with the theme song “Beware of the Blob, it creeps and leaps” and the viewer is made aware of the fascination for monsters that Americans had during that period. Spook movies as they were called were very popular and ...

ANALYSIS OF FASHION IN TWO MOVIES

Analysis of Fashion in Two Movies Fashion is a way of life in many cultures. It encompasses a certain mode of dressing and an absolute preference for clothes, fabrics, or designs of a particular nature. In life every person aspires to look different and unique in their way, that is why there are custom-made, limited editions of shoes, clothes and as well as accessories that many individuals pay a lot of money to have. Life itself in modern times is controlled by fashion that is a reflection of the social, economic, political, and cultural changes. In essence, fashion represents ...

Fashion Films Analysis

Nowadays, the fashion industry requires a lot of attention in order to create demand for its products. Due to the fact that fashion exists to make a human appearance more beautiful and attractive, the most common ways to promote the products or services is to let people see it. Therefore, almost all brands of clothes, accessories and cosmetics organize their advertisement as visual material such as photos, fashion shows or even short films. In these terms, the advertisement of this merchandise ought to be specifically designed by different signifiers in order to capture the attention and encourage to purchase ...

(Student’s Full Name)

According to Jacques Derrida, “language is a way and so always had a certain connection with habitability and with architecture” (Derrida 320). Therefore, it can be assumed, based on the quote above, that architecture can be seen as a form of language. In fact, some scholars argue that architecture can be considered as a type of written language. Furthermore, some academics note that Derrida’s philosophy questions the “one-to-one relationship between signifiers and signified” (Eisenman 111). Hence, it is the duty of the observer to recognize the meanings of symbols that are present within a ...

Introduction

There is no doubt that advertisements have meaning: this is the fundamental purpose of advertisements in today’s culture—to impart meaning on the viewer. However, through a thorough understanding of semiotics, it becomes clear that sometimes the meanings contained in advertisements are deeper and more complex than they seem at first glance. Everything that is produced in culture has a cultural meaning—some things, however, are much more culturally resonant than others (Chandler). Some thinkers have even suggested that all cultural realities and productions can be understood as a kind of cultural communication—and that this communication may ...

For Saussure (67), the linguistic sign is constructed through the relationship of two other notions: the signifier and the signified. The arbitrariness of this relationship is what advertisers take advantage of in subliminally showing a different meaning to their advertisements. The same can be seen in the advertisements for Axe’s Excite and Dove’s Go Sleeveless deodorants. Whereas the former’s Even Angels Will Fall ad conforms to the fantasies that men have regarding their masculinity, Dove’s commercial conforms to the supposed liberation of women by going sleeveless. Advertisers subliminally change this meaning by associating a different ...