Semiotics

Widely recognized symbols are the backbone of political cartoons. These symbols allow illustrators to communicate their ideas with few words. Larry Bush, author of “More Than Words: Rhetorical Constructs in American Political Cartoons”, separates these symbols into two groups; natural metaphors and ad hoc symbols. Natural symbols are considered “symbols that humans automatically understand” (Bush 68). For example, lightness and darkness would symbolize good versus evil, respectively. Ad hoc…

An image is something we see everywhere we go but the way we interpret its meaning and try to recognize its importance is what really matters. The symbol being acknowledged today is the Khanda. The Khanda is a symbol that represents the Sikh religion just as the cross symbolizes Christianity. It is not only a symbol for Sikhs but also a belief in my religion for me and many other Sikhs. It symbolizes “divine knowledge, truth, and a God who is eternal” (http://www.sikhs.org/khanda.htm). The…

To Semicolon, or not to Semicolon? Semicolons are a great way to change the structure of a sentence, separate clauses and add something new to a paper. Unfortunately, it appears there are not a lot of people who know how to use semicolons correctly, whether it is from not being taught properly, or from assumptions on how to use them. Semicolons seem professional, and they certainly can be when they are used under the right circumstances; however, inserting a semicolon where it is deemed…

Esther Akerewusi Ms. Jackson ENG4U 31 May 2018 The Leverage of Language in Gilead What is Language? Language is a method of human communication, either spoken or written, that consists of the use of words in a structured yet conventional way. In the book, The Handmaid’s Tale, the people of Gilead are powerless as they have no means of communication amongst themselves. The use of religious language creates power for the Gilead government to control the behaviour of its citizens while neologism…

In “the death of the author” Barthes essentially gives power to the reader. It addresses the power of the author in reading and analyzing writing. It says that the reader has the option to cast off the background of the writer and focus more on his ideas. Volitair’s Candide and Tolkien's opposition to allegorical corresponds to "the death of the author". So what is "the death of the author"? To understand how Tolkien’s opposition to allegorical writing, one must fully understand the…

In an 1979 essay by James Baldwin, he describes language as a “Key to identify” by associating intelligence and social acceptance with language. While some aspects of language Baldwin claims are true, there are some flaws as well. Baldwin states “You have confessed your parents, your youth, your school, your salary, your self-esteem and alas, your future. To a certain degree, half these statements I agree with and the others I do not. I believe your youth, salary, and school can’t be determined…

Implied lines are lines disguised through the use strokes, colors, values or shapes that usually help direct the eye when looking at an artwork. Directional lines are a type of implied lines that draws attention or point to the focus of a painting, there many types of directional lines that represent different meanings. In The Death of Socrates, implied lines are apparent throughout the whole painting, the outlines that separates the figures (the people) from the background can be considered…

Language is the method of human communication, either spoken or written. However, language is not easily attainable, you have to work hard to achieve any kind of proficiency. Sometimes life itself shows you a deferent type of language. For “the deaf and the blind find it very difficult to acquire the amenities of conversation” (Keller, p. 148). Helen Keller was able to surpass her obstacles: being deaf and blind, a status she acquired after a bout with scarlet fever at a young age and eventually…

According to Branston and Stafford (2006, p.12) Semiotics can be defined as the study of signs, or of the social production of meaning by sign systems, of how things come have ``significance´´.) Drawing largely on the work of the linguistics Saussure, Peirce and Barthes, semiotics argues that verbal language is just one of many of meaning. Others systems such as gesture, clothing or architecture can be studied like verbal languages. (Branston and Stafford 2006, p.12) Pretty Hurts video…

By choosing to tattoo the bodies with symbols and signs, usually associated with the gangs that they are in, they prove their loyalty and allegiance to the gang. Tattooing is a painful process by norm. It involves bleeding and coloring your skin layer to form designs. In prisons without proper equipment and sanitation it is a risk and even more painful procedure in getting a tattoo. It's called the free hand method in which the inmate gets ink and a needle and uses the original Polynesian weapon…