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Semiotic Analysis of The Text "The Moon"

The document provides semiotic analyses of four different texts - a poem titled "The Moon", a song excerpt from the movie Lagaan, a political cartoon from 1967, and eyeglasses as an object. The analyses examine how symbols, metaphors, and cultural references in each text contribute to their intended meanings and messages.

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Reva Dalal
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117 views

Semiotic Analysis of The Text "The Moon"

The document provides semiotic analyses of four different texts - a poem titled "The Moon", a song excerpt from the movie Lagaan, a political cartoon from 1967, and eyeglasses as an object. The analyses examine how symbols, metaphors, and cultural references in each text contribute to their intended meanings and messages.

Uploaded by

Reva Dalal
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Semiotic analysis of the text “The Moon”

The moon has a face like a clock in the hall;

She shines on thieves on the garden wall,

On streets and fields and harbour quays,

And birdies asleep in the forks of the trees.

The squalling cat and the squeaking mouse,

The howling dog by the door of the house,

The bat that lies in bed at noon,

All love to be out by the light of the moon.

But all of the things that belong to the day

Cuddle to sleep to be out of her way;

And flowers and children close their eyes

Till up in the morning the sun shall arise.

Analysis

The poem's line "face like the clock in the hall" serves as the
exact symbol that unites signifier and signified.

As a sign of denotation, the face of a clock means something


that shows time; it can be a timepiece which indicates the time
of the day. However, beyond the dictionary-level meaning, the
clock can symbolically connote the dependable constancy and
permanence of the grandfather clock standing in the hall of a
house. Both moon and clocks have faces and thus both are
indicators of time. With the denotation-connotation results,
another signified of the “face like the clock” is arrived at -- the
moon shines bright constantly in the night sky and shows time
just like a trustworthy grandfather clock standing in the hall of
the house.

The phrase " She shines on thieves on the garden wall,” conveys
the notion that the moon is a feminine figure that casts
unbiased light at night.

In this poetry, the concept of binary opposition popularised by


Levi Strauss is applied. As compared to creatures who "belong to
the day," like children and flowers, which are highlighted in the
poem's closing verse, these nocturnal animals stand in stark
contrast.
Semiotic analysis of a song

“ Madhuban mein jo Kanhaiya kisi Gopi se mile


Kabhi muskaaye, kabhi chhede kabhi baat kare
Radha kaise na jale, Radha kaise na jale
Aag tan mein lage, Radha kaise na jale
Radha kaise na jale ”

Analysis

This song, " Radha Kaise Na Jale," from the movie Lagaan was
composed by Javed Akhtar. This song is written in what sounds
like (Khadi Boli) Braj, suggesting that it was created in the local
tongue so that locals will also be able to relate to the lyrics.

Krishna's mythology is a common point of influence for this


film's music. To simulate the music that would have been played
during Krishna's time, several Indian instruments have been
used in the background. Metaphors have been used in a few of
these lines.
Semiotic analysis of a visual

At first appearance, the cartoon shows a man giving out


medicines to passersby while they observe him. Here the man is
seen holding a bottle of medicine. In addition to him, there is a
board with a list of the issues the nation is currently
experiencing and his proposed solutions.

The vendor selling medicines implies that he is claiming to have


the answers to all of the nation's issues. It also states that the
vendor thinks that making a rule will make everything better. It
also connotes that the government has implemented many
rules as a means of treating various issues.

This cartoon, which appears to be from May 1967, clearly depicts


an ageing Jayaprakash Narayan lookalike who poses as a
roadside healer and claims to have cures for all ills, including
those caused by nations like Pakistan, China, and so on. The
puzzled Ordinary Man observes. Military rule is proposed as a
way to save democracy. Ironic considering that between 1975
and 1977, freedom fighter Narayan fought against Indira
Gandhi's Emergency.
Semiotic analysis of an object- “ Glasses”

● The glasses denote that it is a device used to provide the


eyes clean eyesight.
● This suggests that they are helpful in treating various eye
conditions like short- and long-sightedness.
● This implies that the individual would be seen as a nerd or
intelligent if they were to wear spectacles.
● Glasses may also indicate a person with an optical
impairment.
● Looking at the glasses we can also connote that they
might belong to a person who has high screen time.
● The glasses might also connote that they belong to a
person who is completely dependent on them for clear
vision.

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