Week 7 Lectorial Reflection
Every individual watches, interprets and responds to every text in an unique way and in creating these texts you must keep that in mind. The question of ‘what is a text?’ is an intriguing question for me as I have always assumed I knew but never paused to deeply understand what I thought the meaning was. Presented with the idea that texts are vehicles for the production of social meanings of the time they were made invites the thought that whenever I am deconstructing a text, that is the first thought I should consider. Texts provide a history of prominent social values and interpreting them in the context of the time it was made and contrasting it with its place in today’s society shows how certain values have evolved and changed over time.
In these texts are signs, which are made up to two parts. The signifier, which is the label or artefact such and the signified, which is all the thoughts, ideas that spring to mind due to the presentation of the signifier. An example of this relationship could be a dog (signifier) and the thoughts of puppies, family, barking and playing (signified). This can also highlight how individuals respond to a text differently as someone who was attacked by a dog during their childhood may bee presented with the signifier of a dog and have images of fangs, growling and bites be the signified, thus having a direct contrast to someone who loves dogs.
Sound as a medium in and of itself has never been as interesting to me as films and television. I like listening to music and podcasts to fill the silence or monotony of a train or car ride yet having it described as pervasive and omnipresent opens my eyes (and ears) to the reality that sound is inescapable. This makes its role in other texts very important as it provides a certain reality and understanding that would be missing with utter complete, disconcerting silence.
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