Semiotics Reading for Monday

Pop culture is always changing. Therefore, our ways of studying must change as well. A sign is something that carries a meaning to the audience. Pretty much anything can be a sign in pop culture. The semiotics method uses these signs. It is a method where you focus on these signs and interpret the meaning behind these signs. It’s often times more than what you can just visually see. The second principle in semiotics is finding the connotation and denotation behind the signs you see. The third involves over-determination which is when there is multiple reasons behind a sign. The last one involves cultural myths and how they are different with different cultures. The example they gave involves vampires. Back in the day vampires were scary. Dracula was a nightmare that would sneak up and suck your blood. Nowadays because of twilight and vampire diaries and other shows like that, these vampires are tendy, sexy, and attractive. You can use semiotics to analyze this.

When reading about this I thought about The Dark Knight. The movie features multiple references to dogs such as Batman being bit by dogs in the beginning of the movie, Joker putting his head out the window like a dog, always licking himself like a dog, Joker wondering “how loyal his dogs really are”, or in referring to Joker, Joker’s just a mad dog! I want whoever let him off the chain!” and even in the end when Batman takes the blame, being chased by dogs

Many fans speculate that all these dog references are Christopher Nolan creating a distinction between the “trained” society that Batman lives in and Joker, who acts like a dog, being wild and anarchal. In the end, Joker succeeds in making Batman like him, Joker wants to break Batman and make him break his rules. In the end Batman ends up being chased by dogs, symbolizing that he succeeded. This is the use of semiotics. Symbols and signs have meanings and connotations.