MDSA01H3 Chapter Notes - Chapter 5: Roland Barthes, Semiotics, Bottle Cap
Document Summary
Rhetoric: refers to the ancient art of oratory, where texts and symbols influence consumers" thoughts and feelings in certain ways. The meanings conveyed by the media are never objective or neutral, but allow us to take on our own beliefs, feelings, and attitudes towards events while overlooking others, creating bias. Signs: a display that invites someone to think of something other than itself ex. the way the word dog" causes us to think of the 4-legged pet. When multiple people agree on the meaning of a sign, it is said to have shared meaning, which allows for human communication (otherwise social structure wouldn"t exist). No sign is guaranteed to evoke the same reaction or interpretation in all people. Ferdinand de saussure: a swiss linguist who shifted the study of language away from historical roots and changes in the meaning of words towards the study of language as a structure system.
