Blog 4 Barthe's Essay

“At the level of the literal message, the text replies – in a more or less direct, more or less partial manner – to the question: What is it? (274)”

“The absence of code disintellectualizes the message because it seems to be found in nature the signs of culture. This is without a doubt an important historical paradox: the more technology develops the infusion of information (and notably of images) the more it provides the means of masking the constructed meaning under the appearance of the given meaning. (279)”

“Italianicity is not a Italy, it is the condensed essence of everything that could be Italian, from spaghetti to painting. By accepting to regulate artificially – and if needs be barbarously – the naming of the semes of connotation, the analysis of their form will be rendered easier. (282)”

In Barthe’s essay, Rhetoric of the Image he dissects the art of dissecting an image and its literal meanings and the messages they are trying to convey. He points out the difference between paintings and photographs and how they portray an object with symbolism behind it regardless of the medium.
I chose these three quotes because I felt they pertained and summarized the semiotic process that can be applied to all images, advertisements and other forms of general media withheld from the essay.
The first quote addresses the usage of text compiled over an image and its overt meaning - the blatant message it is supposed to convey to the audience. The text can be subtle, simple or more or less direct with whatever is written. The text for example, Made In America, refers to the American Dream – the hard working American ideal that we are the strongest country and so if it’s made in America, you can’t count on it’s quality. The time and the title are also present though much of the ad and it power stems from the phrase below it. The title answers the question, “What is it?”
The second quote however convoluted it may appear to be, is actually simple in what it means. When Barthes was addressing the differences between a painting and a photograph and how they depict an object he brings up this point that as technology progresses, it gives greater power to the producer, to take away the reality of the object and “mask” its real meaning, substituting it for something of their own. In other words, paintings and photographs are done to replicate a sort of reality though they always fail because it can never be truly re-done. Although the photo was taken probably because this character was merely looking around or behind him, his facial expression gives him this “badass” persona to him. The photo kind of “masks” this meaning and one has to dig deeper in order to truly understand the reason for its usage. These fallacies behind the photograph and paintings allow for greater symbolism within a piece that may not have been the producer’s intentions though it is possible.
Further on in Barthe’s essay I selected the third quote which addresses a much wider aspect of semiotics. The fact that advertising assumes that the viewer can associate and image with a culture, although stereotypical, is effective in selling the product is an interesting point to make clear. In the advertisement for the Sopranos, they have the seagulls flying in front of the Statue of Liberty which symbolizes New York, the tough city, of the American Dream, home of the Italian Mobsters. These symbols and their stereotypes are used on a daily basis to cross cultures and borders in order to appear to broader audiences and more potential customers that may not understand.