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According to Claude Levi-Strauss, texts convey their meanings through a system of binary oppositions. Evaluate this structuralist theory. Refer to the set episodes of Humans.
- Madonna and the whore (Anita and Niska)
- Anita and Laura
- Synth and Human
- construction of gender
In Humans one of the main binary oppositions is between Laura and Anita in the scene where Laura gets home and initially meets Anita. Laura's initial reaction to seeing Anita is not impressed the mid shot of Laura's face can tell the audience she is not impressed. A big focus on this scene is the construct on gender and especially on women and their roles within the household. Th long shot of Anita holding the cleaning products suggests that women's jobs around the house are domestic and they have a role to clean. The fact that Joe got Anita for this reason is a big construction on women that their purpose is to clean around the house. Laura's reaction implies that she feels like she has been re[placed by a synth and the binary opposition between Anita and Laura leads to confrontation. The mise en scene of Anita's outfit is basic and plain compared to Laura's costume but in terms of looks Anita is young and stereotypically beautiful compared to Laura who is much older. This conveys the meaning of humans as it allows the audience to be introduced to Anita the synth but also see the reaction between humans and synths in this show which is a key theme.
Another key binary opposition is between Anita and Niska, Niska who is the "whore" by being in the brothel and Anita who is the "madonna" perfect and almost the domestic housewife figure within the Hawkins family. Anita's costume is very basic and plain compared to Niska who is dressed to impress in the brothel and who is a lot more sexualised. This helps the audience understand the meaning behind the synths and their purpose in the world of humans as almost slaves. The binary opposition represents the different people in society from the domestic to the sexualised. Although Anita is stereotypically beautiful her purpose is to help around the house and help out the Hawkins family but Niska is their to please men. The meaning behind this shows how women are conveyed in society and in both cases are owned by men, one being Joe and the other being the owner of the brothel. The mid shot of Niska talking to Leo in the brothel suggests that although she is a synth she still has emotions which subverts the use of a synth. In the scene where the is a mid shot of Anita looking in on Sophie also suggests that she has feelings which is a binary opposition to synths themselves who are cyborgs and "emotionless". For Niska she chooses not to turn off her emotions and this conveys the meaning that women being sexualised dont ant to turn off their emotion but deal with how they feel and not enjoy it. Compared to ANita who is unaware at this point that she fully has emotions and doesn't really know her identity anymore.
- Madonna and the whore (Anita and Niska)
- Anita and Laura
- Synth and Human
- construction of gender
In Humans one of the main binary oppositions is between Laura and Anita in the scene where Laura gets home and initially meets Anita. Laura's initial reaction to seeing Anita is not impressed the mid shot of Laura's face can tell the audience she is not impressed. A big focus on this scene is the construct on gender and especially on women and their roles within the household. Th long shot of Anita holding the cleaning products suggests that women's jobs around the house are domestic and they have a role to clean. The fact that Joe got Anita for this reason is a big construction on women that their purpose is to clean around the house. Laura's reaction implies that she feels like she has been re[placed by a synth and the binary opposition between Anita and Laura leads to confrontation. The mise en scene of Anita's outfit is basic and plain compared to Laura's costume but in terms of looks Anita is young and stereotypically beautiful compared to Laura who is much older. This conveys the meaning of humans as it allows the audience to be introduced to Anita the synth but also see the reaction between humans and synths in this show which is a key theme.
Another key binary opposition is between Anita and Niska, Niska who is the "whore" by being in the brothel and Anita who is the "madonna" perfect and almost the domestic housewife figure within the Hawkins family. Anita's costume is very basic and plain compared to Niska who is dressed to impress in the brothel and who is a lot more sexualised. This helps the audience understand the meaning behind the synths and their purpose in the world of humans as almost slaves. The binary opposition represents the different people in society from the domestic to the sexualised. Although Anita is stereotypically beautiful her purpose is to help around the house and help out the Hawkins family but Niska is their to please men. The meaning behind this shows how women are conveyed in society and in both cases are owned by men, one being Joe and the other being the owner of the brothel. The mid shot of Niska talking to Leo in the brothel suggests that although she is a synth she still has emotions which subverts the use of a synth. In the scene where the is a mid shot of Anita looking in on Sophie also suggests that she has feelings which is a binary opposition to synths themselves who are cyborgs and "emotionless". For Niska she chooses not to turn off her emotions and this conveys the meaning that women being sexualised dont ant to turn off their emotion but deal with how they feel and not enjoy it. Compared to ANita who is unaware at this point that she fully has emotions and doesn't really know her identity anymore.
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