Semiotic Analysis of The Real Thing by Tom Stoppard free essay sample

The bringing out of themes concerning love, adultery, and the harshness of reality, is supported by the usage of realistic, detailed set design and props in an attempt to recreate human life realistically. These include objects which serve actantial roles, like the typewriter, glasses of wine and cricket bat, being represented authentically or by visual replicas, thus being used as iconic signs of themselves. The set design of Henry’s living room over different periods also serves as an iconic representation of the time the play was set in, when considering specific props used, like the vinyl record player, typewriter, and the rotary dial telephone, which indicates a time set around the 1980’s, thus establishing a consistent time period for the play. This aspect of realistic stage design reduces the challenges of restructuring the stage, while shortening the psychical distance between the audience and the play, creating a natural stage environment the audience is familiar with. We will write a custom essay sample on Semiotic Analysis of The Real Thing by Tom Stoppard or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page This allows the issues of concern to be portrayed in a setting of familiarity, creating the sense that these issues can be inherent anywhere in our world, building the audience’s sense of immediacy with the themes, thus improving the effectiveness of the messages conveyed. Lighting takes on various functions in the play, accentuating moods, and expressing emotions of the scenes more effectively, to underscore themes1. Lighting serves an atmospheric function in the scene where Max was distraught after Charlotte leaves, in their play within a play. Amidst a darkening of the set, a disco ball sends patterns of light in swirls all about the stage, creating a melancholic atmosphere which complements the mood of the scene. Also, this same usage of lighting was repeated when Henry was upset, in a later scene. This usage of lighting serves an effective iconographic function, by drawing attention to the theme of the relation between fiction and reality as expressed in the play, by being deictic to the implicit connection between the two scenes, one of a fictional reality created by Henry, and the other which is reality experienced by Henry himself. While the mise-en-scene successfully aids in bringing out the themes of the play, there are aspects which challenge audience competence, limiting comprehension of certain parts of the play. One aspect would be a blurred distinction between scenes which are â€Å"plays within a play†, acted out by the characters as actors, and the representation of reality in the play. The first scene, which was a â€Å"play within a play†, would be difficult to distinguish from reality, until the second scene, when the answer was revealed explicitly in the dialogue. Also, the scene when Max confronts Annie in reality, for cheating on him, has a set designed in the same layout as the first, â€Å"play within a play† scene, thus creating a sense of confusion in distinguishing when the characters are acting, from when the dialogue was taking place in â€Å"reality†. There is a function of mise-en-scene that aids the ability of the audience to differentiate between them. These scenes that tend to be confused, have their sets very sparsely designed as compared to Henry’s well lit and richly furnished living room. With lighting focused on the characters and dim backgrounds, akin to stereotypical notions of certain plays where only minimal props are required to build an environment, and the focus is on the characters only, these scenes differentiate themselves from the reality of the play, as the nature of their set design is deictic to the idea that they are â€Å"plays within plays†, when contrasted with Henry’s living room, which is used to portray reality in â€Å"The Real Thing†.

internet and its impact essays

internet and its impact essays I. The most frequently used means of communication for me is my computer and the internet. Of course in this day and age, you almost need to own a computer. Other means of communication that I have are telephone [and not cell phone] and my TV. Which is one sided communication. The previous generations didnt have all these different means of communication and are past their best years to learn and comprehend how these new means work. Usually people dont accept things they cant comprehend; so the older generations usually become more conservative and keep to their older means. Many countries dont have the capabilities that we do, maybe thats a bad thing, but maybe it is a good thing. Theyre not wasting away and becoming obese sitting in front of a TV or computer screen the whole day. But theyre more constricted to their own niche and cant get information from one person or place to another easily. Other countries that do have the capabilities for mass communications and faster ways usually dont use it as often as I do. The USA is all about over consumption. II. Usually days off are reserved for entertainment and leisure. So all forms of communication are not urgent or really necessary; but its still nice. Usual days off include a little bit of TV and internet access. The media used most often is definitely the computer and its internet capabilities. It wouldnt be that hard to give it up for a day because its such a small period of time, you can just check up on the things you missed tomorrow. A week is a little tougher because it is my connection to the world and many things can happen in a full seven days. Giving it up for a year would be absolutely ludicrous; I mean I wouldnt be able to talk to people through email or instant messaging. No information would get to me for an entire year. Plus I wouldnt be able to send in any of my homework (just a tho...

Group Ethics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Group Ethics - Essay Example In the next few pages, this essay will take an in depth look at police crimes, especially police brutality, and determine if an individual officer is likely to report crimes against fellow officers. Most laypeople have heard the term â€Å"blue wall of silence.† It refers to the fact that police officers, colloquially called boys in blue, do not report the crimes of one another, and would, in fact, lie to defend another officer if necessary. The author of â€Å"Police Ethics and Integrity: Breaking the Blue Code of Silence† (Westmarland, 2005) administered a study that showed some evidence to the contrary. She performed a questionnaire survey that revealed â€Å"officers’ attitudes towards certain unethical behaviour† (Westmarland, 2005). The questionnaire asked officers about a wide range of crimes including accepting â€Å"gifts† from business owners, accepting money from citizens caught in traffic violations, but wanting to avoid tickets, stealing items from crime scenes, and committing violent acts against community residents. The results of the study showed that in some instances, officers would feel compelled to report the bad deeds of o ther officers. For example, 97 percent of officers reported they would tell on a fellow officer if he saw him taking money from a found wallet; 98.5 percent of officers reported that would inform against an officer who stole a watch from a crime scene; but only 65.5 percent of those officers thought that hitting a suspect during an arrest was a very serious offense, and a small number of officers felt that punching a suspect was not serious at all. Basically speaking, the blue wall seems to have its own code of ethics. Officers who are violent against citizens are still more acceptable than officers who break the law for financial gain. Racial profiling, or targeting members of a particular ethnic group based on preconceived notions about that group, is thought to be one