Key Terms: binary opposition, conflict, themes narrative, ideology.
Claude Levi-Strauss developed a sophisticated but important idea that will help you understand how ideas and meanings are being shaped, created or reinforced in a text. It is ‘a theory of meaning’ and an idea that can be applied to all texts; it is especially useful in narrative where meaning / themes might not be immediately obvious.
He was also an anthropologist (the study of human behaviour) and he wanted a deeper understanding of why human beings told each other stories. Levi-Strauss was more interested in what message was at the heart of the story that was significant.
He asked, ‘What important social message and what values, attitudes and beliefs are being communicated?’
To understand the theme of a story you need to look at the conflicts and the resolutions to those conflicts you are able to understand more fully the theme, message or ideology being communicated.
This theory is known as Binary Opposition
Here are some example binary opposites which might exist in some media texts:
Villain | Hero |
Corruption | Innocence |
Age | Youth |
Reality | Fantasy |
Mundane | Special |
Freedom | Oppression |
Appearances | Truth |
Trust | Betrayal |
Holding On | Letting Go |
Savagery | Civilization |
So What?
Binary opposition is a really useful tool to use when exploring the messages and themes being communicated in the media text, especially one with a narrative. Look for who (or what) is in conflict with who (or what). Consider that each character, place or thing is representative of a broader idea; an emblem / symbol for a big idea.
What exam or essay can I use this in?
Glossary of Terms:
- Binary opposition – a way to describe a themes in terms of the conflicts. Just drop in ‘(Levi Strauss)’ after you drop the term.
- Conflict – The apparent tensions between different characters. Between the same character in different contexts.
- Themes – The big idea underlying the story.
- Narrative – A combination of plot and structure (order in which it’s told / transitions are interesting here…)
- Ideology – Values, attitudes and beliefs