Visual Texts and Communication: Semiotic Analysis of Images and Signs

This assignment analyzes two visual texts using semiotic principles. The first question focuses on Charles Sanders Peirce's classifications of signs (symbol, index, and icon) and applies them to an image of the Statue of Justice, discussing how these signs convey ideas of justice and equality. The second question examines an image of two boys flying kites, analyzing how meanings are constructed using Roland Barthes' theory of denotation and connotation, exploring the concepts of poverty, wealth, and social inequality. The analysis provides detailed explanations of semiotic concepts and their application to the chosen images, supported by relevant references.

Running head: VISUAL TEXTS AND COMMUNICATION
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Visual Texts and Communication
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VISUAL TEXTS AND COMMUNICATION
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Visual Texts and Communication
Q1: Demonstrate your grasp of Charles Sanders Peirce’s semiotic classifications by using
the concepts of symbol, index and icon to discuss the ideas and messages that could be
associated with the scene.
Symbol
The signifier and the signified shown here are symbolic. The Statue of Justice which is
carrying a scale of justice in the left hand and a sword in the right hand. The signifiers, in this
case, are the sword and the scales of justice. The signified meaning in the image is that justice is
achieved using the sword. It is completed by an interpretant (in this case Wonder Woman) and
fulfills the triadic structure of sign interpretation posited by Peirce (Wheeler, 2014). The goal
(justice) determines the action (using Wonder Woman) while the sword is the means to achieve
justice (Liszka, 1996). The triadic structure is completed in the sword, scale of justice, and
Wonder Woman.
Icon
The Statue of Justice in this image is the icon since it is associated with liberty.
According to Peirce, an icon is associated with resemblance (Glazer, 2017). The Statue of Justice
is a physical resemblance of liberty which comes and achieved through equality in society. It is a
rhematic iconic qualisign since it predominates the character of freedom. A just society that is
founded on the ideals of equality for all where the legal system functions well, the statue is a
symbol of “liberty through justice and truth” (Nelson, 1986). All the other signs such as Wonder
Woman, the sword, and the scale of justice are directly or indirectly involved with it. Without the
icon, the sword and scales lose their symbolic significance in the image.
Index

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An index is a sign that makes connections between the signifier and the signified. The
dark clouds in the image make a connection between the signifier (sword and scale of justice)
and the signified (justice and equality). Just as clouds appear before the rain, the sword must
appear before the scales of justice and has a sign-interpreting agency in meaning (Liszak, 1996).
The dark clouds have a causal effect as the result of the darkness of injustice in the society. The
dark clouds are a symptom that rain (justice) is about to pour down (Johansen, 2002). When
justice prevails in the society, equality is achieved. Total word count=350
Q2. Examine the key signs in Image B and analyze how meanings can be constructed using
Roland Barthes theory on denotation and connotation.
Barthes postulates that there is a signification between a denotation and connotation. This
image is endowed with facts with meaning using the first and second order meanings in its
depictions (Chandler, 2014). The denotation is the “plane expression” that shows two boys flying
kites (Yan & Ming, 2014). One is at the ground level while the other is standing on the upper
floor of a building. The boy at the ground level is shabby and flies a kite which is torn using a
longer rope. The boy on the upper floor of the ground looks well groomed and flies a neat-
looking kite using a shorter rope. The image denotes the signification of comparisons of poverty
and wealth in life; the boy on the upper floor is rich while the boy on the ground floor is poor.
Connotation which is a secondary-order meaning gives rise to the signified or concept
intended in the image. It shows the boy on the ground, born in poverty, as having to work longer
and harder in order to catch up with the boy born into wealth. It also signifies that the concept of
equality is a false hypothesis since the poor will always remain the same despite working harder
than those who are rich. The image denotes the inequalities witnessed in the society where those

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at the lower end of the social ladder work longer and earn less; their dwelling, clothing, and
general quality of life is also much lower. They are consigned to poverty. Word count=250

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References
Chandler, D. (2014). Semiotics for Beginners. Visual Memory. Retrieved from http://visual-
memory.co.uk/daniel/Documents/S4B/sem06.html
Glazer, T. (2017). The Semiotics of Emotional Expression. (2017). Transactions of the Charles
S. Peirce Society, 53(2), 189-215.
Johansen, J., D. (2002). Signs in Use: An Introduction to Semiotics. New York: Routledge.
Liszka, J., J. (1996). A General Introduction to the Semiotic of Charles Sanders Peirce. Indiana:
Indiana University Press.
Wheeler, W. (2014). The carrying: Material frames and immaterial meanings. Sign Systems
Studies, 42(2/3), 399-411. doi:10.12697/SSS.2014.42.2-3.11
Yan, S, & Ming, F. (2014). Reinterpreting some key concepts in Barthes Theory. Journal of
Media and Communication Studies 7 (3), 59-66.