Reference no: EM133291996

Questions

1. What is the denotation of your object? Describe it in detail. Include a picture if you like!

2. What are the connotations of your object? When considering connotations, think about the political, social, economic, national, environmental, religious and/or cultural (race, class, gender, sexuality, ethnic, and so on) connotations of the object. (Keep in mind that the more you fill out these answers, the stronger your analysis will be).

3. What new connections are beginning to form and what insights show up when you map all of these connotations? How is your object being revealed differently than when you started and it was "just an everyday object"? (You might want to draw a picture at this point to help your thinking).

4. Once you are able to see your object anew, what are some of the values that you see emerging from your object?

5. Based on what you discovered in #3 and #4, what history lies hidden within your object; in other words, what is something that now you can see was "erased" or concealed before?

6. Remember that Barthes says objects only seem "simple," "obvious," "natural" or "just there," its complexity must be hidden. Take note of where or how this history has been hidden (behind what? through what operations or assumptions? through what misunderstanding or through what other myths?). This will reveal the object's "mythical" quality. Make sure the myth is explicit in your analysis. (Einstein's brain reveals a paradox - the more scientific it is, the more magical it becomes!)

7. Comment on how you think-feel about uncovering the complexity of your previously "simple" object. What message would you like to share with others about what you've uncovered?