ashlayla, 1/22

This week in class we talked about "sign, signified, and signifier" and tmesis. Both dealt with how we read texts. I had never heard of the word tmesis until this class, but I realized that when I read books, I always reword what I have just read in my head, making it easier for me to remember what I have just read and making it easier to understand what I have just read. The "a short story" activity was very interesting, especially since many of us thought different things when more was added. A sad thought never crossed my mind when "baby shoes. never worn." was added. I just thought of it as brand new shoes for babies that had never been worn; they weren't hand-me-down shoes. But when some people in the class were talking about how they thought of a baby who never had the chance to wear the shoes, I could see where they were coming from.

I thought it was interesting that Barthes could relate his quote "is not the most erotic portion of a body where the garment gapes?" (108) to reading a text. When the picture of Marilyn Monroe was shown, I saw what Barthes was talking about. Many people who saw the picture of her with the white dress on were attracted to it because she was showing skin. Viewers of the photo couldn’t see her underwear, but they were close to being shown off. And even though Marilyn’s cleavage was not showing, the low-cut part of her dress accentuated it, drawing people in. We are drawn to photos like this because they are playful and teasing. When sneaking a peek at a photo we are being voyeuristic and that’s how Barthes says we should approach a text. We should see the text in a different way and help others see it in a different way as well.

-ashlayla