The “Seeing is Believing” article has many vocabulary words that were in the “They Wrote on Clay” article and the group presentations that we did in class. Both articles explain in depth about signs and symbols. But there is a huge difference between them. The first article is about how signs and symbols were first created; referring to cuneiform and early writing systems. It talks about the people that began using them and their origins. It explains how the signs and symbols changed and transformed over time. So it is basically about the past.
On the other hand, the “Seeing is Believing” article reflects on contemporary uses of signs and symbols. It touches on the concept of semiology, meaning the study of signs, and the three types of signs. Symbolic signs are signs we see that we must be taught the meaning of; for example, the American flag. We were not born into the world knowing what the American flag looks like. We had to be taught what this symbol is and what it stands for. Iconic signs are signs we see that we can recognize. If we see a yellow sign that shows children on a seesaw, we would know that there is a playground nearby and to drive carefully. Indexical signs are signs that we can figure out on our own. A siren coming from an ambulance is an indexical sign, because we can assume that there is an emergency or someone in need.
Facial expressions are also signs. I know when I am in a bad mood, I don’t have to say anything at all, and my mother would know right away something was wrong. This would be an example of a nonverbal sign. The world is full of signs, and it is up to us to decode the meaning and respond to them correctly.
Codes are ways that we make sense of signs. When we come to a traffic light, if it is red we know to stop, if it’s green we know to go, and yellow we know to slow down. (I wish more people obeyed the yellow lights.) These are codes of law made for our safety and those around us. Just like the way we raise for the judge when he or she enters the room. Or the way we dress up for an interview, we’re not going to go in sweat pants and old running shoes. The codes were made to keep things in order and maintain a level of respect.
We use codes to associate things into opinions and thoughts. When you think of a rolex watch, you think of rich and wealthy people who drive expensive cars. This is called metonymy. We can also say that something is like something else using analogies. For example, if I say “My neighbor is like 711, his mouth never closes.” This would be a simile because I used the word ‘like.’ If I said “Tahiti is paradise,” I am using a metaphor (a stronger kind of analogy.)
In both articles, they explain how culture has a huge impact on the meaning of symbols and signs. Back hundreds of years ago when signs and symbols were created, each country and separate tribe and culture were taught different styles and ways of reading them. Same thing today, I went to Japan last year, I saw Japanese signs and symbols everywhere I went. But because of the culture and language differences, I had no idea what I was looking at. It could have said “We hate Americans,” and I would have no idea. All cultures are raised and taught things differently then others. And many stereotypes have been formed because of it. Many people tend to label or put people in groups or categories, based on race or color, even sexual orientation. They are not just hurting the people they are stereotyping, they are hurting themselves. Their minds become warped and they have no facts to hold it up. Culture has a great influence on how we see and communicate from day to day.
After reading the two articles, I can conclude that all these forms of communication have come such a long way and I believe they will continue to advance and expand in the future.
