SUMMARY OF BARTHES’S WORKS
Barthes has written on semiotics, giving a deep analysis of Saussure’s works which, he uses as a foundation of his philosophy. He tries to break down the idea of signs and symbols being the main pillars of language. Barthes expounds on the aspect of interpretation being key for the particular sign or symbol to convey the needed message. He goes on to use different analogies of things that may seem similar to the eye but carry different meaning depending on the interpretation given to it by a particular culture or society. According to him, signs have both a signifier and a signified bit, which he argues to be the most important for the proper understanding of the message that the particular sign seeks to communicate.
In ‘the Ring’ analogy, he gives an in-depth explanation of the message behind wrestling. In this analogy, Barthes argues that wrestling is more than a predetermined collection of actions. He stresses that it holds moral connotations that are presupposed by the actions of the wrestlers which bring out their passions and characters. He goes on to say that this may either be real or acted, thus bringing out the idea of signs and symbols to be either real or seemingly real depending on the interpretation of the audience in particular.
In the ‘Saponids and Detergent’ analogy, Barthes brings about a theory of nuances that are often overlooked in the interpretation of a sign used in communication. He uses the idea of detergents by pointing out the small differences in the different forms of detergents such as foam, powder and fluid. He further points out the great impact that is realized as a result of the nuances hence expounding on his theory that similarity does not necessarily mean sameness. He points out the idea that the interpretation of the particular action will determine the message that is driven home to every individual person in the audience.
Moreover, Barthes uses other mythologies that bring out the idea of the signified bit of a sign being paramount for proper interpretation. In his works, he explains that two persons may be at a particular place looking at a given action taking place at the same time, yet leave the place with varying explanations of what they saw taking place. In this, he argues that both people can be equally accurate in their reports, depending on what they focused on while watching the particular action taking place. Mythologies such us ‘wine and milk’ and ‘power and cool’ are used to point out the idea of interpretation and nuances.
Further, Barthes brings out examples of re-known philosophers such as Chaplain in the analogy of the ‘poor and the proletariat’ to further emphasize his theory on semiotics. He uses counterintuitive expressions which could either raise questions or challenge a reader to think beyond the ordinary meaning of the information, pushing an audience to resonate with the interpretation that the philosopher seeks to draw their attention towards.
The video on the ‘Ways of seeing’ reiterate the issue of ideas being totally dependent on the interpretation that a person gives a given action. It further communicates the issue of interpretation being purely dependent on what an audience focuses on as the main signifier of the means of communication. This video talks on nudes being different to nakedness and expounds on the same, with women giving their views on the message behind the European tradition, mirroring it to the modern life.
In light of the above, the following questions arise:
- Are the meaning of signs standard or dependent on the interpretation of audience?
- Is there a limitation to the scope of interpretation?
- What decides the right or wrong focus when interpreting the message behind a sign?