Preliminary Exercise 1: Barthes' Theory of Denotative and Connotative Signs Semiotics Analysis Table 1

    The key concept of the lesson was to see if we were able to identify hidden and deeper meanings behind pictures. Semiotic is the study behind symbols and signs and their interpretation. Roland Barthes was a famous French essayist and lyrical critic. His theory was that every narrative of something is different and that every sentence in a story has a different meaning to it. Signs are the simplest form of meanings. Denotation is that literal meaning of something example being that a rose is a flower. Whereas connotation is the signified meaning of something example being that a rose is a sign of love and beauty.

    Our activity was to show that we knew the difference between denotation and connotation. Everyone did this themselves or could work with a partner. I learned what exactly was connotation was and how it was involved in everyday life. 

    For my table, I chose a rose, a black cat, and a bald eagle to break down and find the connotation and denotation of them. For example, a black cat might be a black cat, but also it can represent evil, bad luck, witches, etc.