What, according to Roland Barthes, is myth?
The paper is based on a reading from a section of Roland Barthes, Mythologies which I will attach below.
Here’s the instructions from assignment:
What, according to Roland Barthes, is myth? How does it function in popular, visual culture (e.g., advertising, cinema, television etc.)? How is myth a “second-order semiological system” according to Barthes? To help you develop your answers to these questions, choose a visual or auditory example that you encounter over the course of the week. This could be an advertisement, public art, a design object, a piece of technology, etc. Analyze its mythological elements. Here, you can focus on visual, narrative, auditory, musical, etc. elements; you can also focus on referential elements within the object that you are analyzing.
Your thesis/argument should emerge from your reading/interpretation of the object that you analyze. It could argue that Barthes needs to be updated to deal with a culture inundated with images and sounds. It could argue that not much has changed since 1957 in this regard. It could argue that myth are more targeted in 2023 than they were in 1957.
Sample solution
Dante Alighieri played a critical role in the literature world through his poem Divine Comedy that was written in the 14th century. The poem contains Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradiso. The Inferno is a description of the nine circles of torment that are found on the earth. It depicts the realms of the people that have gone against the spiritual values and who, instead, have chosen bestial appetite, violence, or fraud and malice. The nine circles of hell are limbo, lust, gluttony, greed and wrath. Others are heresy, violence, fraud, and treachery. The purpose of this paper is to examine the Dante’s Inferno in the perspective of its portrayal of God’s image and the justification of hell.
In this epic poem, God is portrayed as a super being guilty of multiple weaknesses including being egotistic, unjust, and hypocritical. Dante, in this poem, depicts God as being more human than divine by challenging God’s omnipotence. Additionally, the manner in which Dante describes Hell is in full contradiction to the morals of God as written in the Bible. When god arranges Hell to flatter Himself, He commits egotism, a sin that is common among human beings (Cheney, 2016). The weakness is depicted in Limbo and on the Gate of Hell where, for instance, God sends those who do not worship Him to Hell. This implies that failure to worship Him is a sin.
God is also depicted as lacking justice in His actions thus removing the godly image. The injustice is portrayed by the manner in which the sodomites and opportunists are treated. The opportunists are subjected to banner chasing in their lives after death followed by being stung by insects and maggots. They are known to having done neither good nor bad during their lifetimes and, therefore, justice could have demanded that they be granted a neutral punishment having lived a neutral life. The sodomites are also punished unfairly by God when Brunetto Lattini is condemned to hell despite being a good leader (Babor, T. F., McGovern, T., & Robaina, K. (2017). While he commited sodomy, God chooses to ignore all the other good deeds that Brunetto did.
Finally, God is also portrayed as being hypocritical in His actions, a sin that further diminishes His godliness and makes Him more human. A case in point is when God condemns the sin of egotism and goes ahead to commit it repeatedly. Proverbs 29:23 states that “arrogance will bring your downfall, but if you are humble, you will be respected.” When Slattery condemns Dante’s human state as being weak, doubtful, and limited, he is proving God’s hypocrisy because He is also human (Verdicchio, 2015). The actions of God in Hell as portrayed by Dante are inconsistent with the Biblical literature. Both Dante and God are prone to making mistakes, something common among human beings thus making God more human.
To wrap it up, Dante portrays God is more human since He commits the same sins that humans commit: egotism, hypocrisy, and injustice. Hell is justified as being a destination for victims of the mistakes committed by God. The Hell is presented as being a totally different place as compared to what is written about it in the Bible. As a result, reading through the text gives an image of God who is prone to the very mistakes common to humans thus ripping Him off His lofty status of divine and, instead, making Him a mere human. Whether or not Dante did it intentionally is subject to debate but one thing is clear in the poem: the misconstrued notion of God is revealed to future generations.
References
Babor, T. F., McGovern, T., & Robaina, K. (2017). Dante’s inferno: Seven deadly sins in scientific publishing and how to avoid them. Addiction Science: A Guide for the Perplexed, 267.
Cheney, L. D. G. (2016). Illustrations for Dante’s Inferno: A Comparative Study of Sandro Botticelli, Giovanni Stradano, and Federico Zuccaro. Cultural and Religious Studies, 4(8), 487.
Verdicchio, M. (2015). Irony and Desire in Dante’s” Inferno” 27. Italica, 285-297.
Sample Answer
Sample Answer
The Function and Nature of Myth According to Roland Barthes
Roland Barthes, in his seminal work Mythologies, explores the concept of myth and its role in popular culture. He argues that myth is not simply a collection of ancient tales or religious beliefs, but rather a powerful tool that operates within contemporary society. Barthes defines myth as a “second-order semiological system,” a system that takes existing signs and imbues them with new meanings and associations. In this essay, we will delve into Barthes’ understanding of myth and its function in popular visual culture, specifically in advertising, cinema, and television.
The Nature of Myth
According to Barthes, myth is not a mere fabrication or falsehood; instead, it is a cultural construct that shapes our understanding of the world. He argues that myth is a form of communication that is deeply embedded in our everyday lives, often operating at a subconscious level. Myth transforms ordinary objects, events, or ideas into symbols that carry hidden meanings and ideologies.
For Barthes, myth is not limited to ancient tales or religious folklore but exists in contemporary society through a variety of mediums. It permeates popular culture, influencing our perceptions and shaping our desires. Myth has the power to naturalize certain beliefs or social constructs by presenting them as universal and timeless truths.
The Function of Myth in Popular Visual Culture
In the realm of popular visual culture, such as advertising, cinema, and television, myth plays a crucial role in shaping our consumerist society. Advertisements, for instance, employ various mythological elements to create desire and manipulate consumer behavior. They present products as solutions to our deepest desires and needs, promising happiness, success, and fulfillment.
By associating products with mythical symbols or narratives, advertisers create a sense of allure and enchantment. They tap into our collective unconscious and evoke emotions and desires that go beyond mere functionality. Through carefully crafted imagery, soundtracks, and narratives, advertisements create a mythic dimension around their products, elevating them to the status of magical objects that can transform our lives.
Similarly, cinema and television utilize myth to captivate audiences and convey narratives that resonate with deep-seated cultural values and aspirations. Films often draw on archetypal characters, heroic journeys, and universal themes to create emotional connections with viewers. By tapping into familiar mythic structures, filmmakers can elicit powerful emotional responses and convey complex ideas.
Myth as a Second-Order Semiological System
Barthes describes myth as a “second-order semiological system” because it operates on top of an existing system of signs. It takes signs from everyday life and reconfigures them to convey specific meanings and ideologies. Myth transforms these signs into mythical concepts that seem natural and unquestionable.
For example, an advertisement may take an image of a beautiful woman and transform it into a symbol of desire and perfection. Through the process of myth-making, the woman becomes an idealized representation of femininity, perpetuating societal norms and expectations. The advertisement presents this image as natural and universal when, in reality, it is constructed and shaped by specific cultural and social forces.
In this way, myth operates as a powerful ideological tool by disguising its constructed nature. It presents its messages as common sense or universal truths, making it difficult for individuals to question or challenge them. Myth becomes deeply ingrained in our collective consciousness, shaping our beliefs and influencing our actions without us even realizing it.
Conclusion
Roland Barthes’ exploration of myth in his work Mythologies provides valuable insights into its nature and function within popular visual culture. Myth operates as a second-order semiological system that transforms ordinary signs into powerful symbols carrying hidden meanings and ideologies. In advertising, cinema, and television, myth plays a significant role in shaping our consumerist society by creating desire, manipulating behavior, and perpetuating societal norms. By understanding the mechanisms of myth-making, we can become more aware of its influence on our perceptions and challenge the constructed narratives that shape our world.
