Structuralism – Levi-Strauss Flashcards
Define the term binary oppositions.
Is a pair of related terms or concepts that are opposite in meaning e.g good and evil or male and female and audiences are then positioned to respond in a certain way. Stereotypes are then constructed through the other attributes we give to the binary oppositions.
Define the term the theme.
A fundamental part of narrative structure (typically involving a relationship between a character, an event and a theme) from which myths are constructed.
Define the term cultural codes.
Are parts of a media product that individuals only understand if they’re part of that particular culture, e.g country, nationality, ethnicity, age, gender or historical time period.
Define the term deconstruction.
This is the careful and close analysis of a piece of media, looking beneath the surface – the characters, plot, language, etc. – to understand its deeper meanings.
Binary oppositions in Stranger Things.
People vs government Ordinary vs supernatural Patriarchy vs feminism Lost vs found Children vs adults
Explain the people vs the government aspect in Stranger Things.
In the beginning, we see that a scientist is attacked by an unseen creature at a U.S. government laboratory connoting the idea that the government has some link to the supernatural. While this is happening people, everyday citizen’s of this government are going missing from this unknown source.
Explain the ordinary vs supernatural aspect in Stranger Things in relation to the creature.
Will is just an ordinary who plays board games with his friends when he was faced with a mysterious creature that chases him. He tries to call for help, but the phone wasn’t working. As the creature breaks in Will tries to load a gun to protect himself. The shed’s light bulb begins to flicker; a strange, guttural growl is heard, and Will vanishes. This signifies that this creature has supernatural abilities since he was able to dim the lights, make inhumane noise and make a boy vanish. Therefore, these supernatural beings have won against ordinary as the family starts frantically trying to look for their missing son.
Explain the ordinary vs supernatural aspect in Stranger Things in relation to Eleven.
Will’s friends Dustin, Lucas and Mike begin investigating his disappearance; while looking for Will in the local forest, the boys find a girl with a shaved head in a hospital gown, who they let stay in Mike’s basement. They learn her name is Eleven and that she has psychokinetic abilities. Eleven proves Will is still alive, manipulating several radios to project the sound of Will’s voice without the supernatural alien Eleven they wouldn’t have learnt this.
Explain the patriarchy vs feminism aspect in Stranger Things.
Stranger Things was set in 1983. In the 1980s the second-wave feminism began which emphasizes the similarities between women and men in order to argue for equal treatment for women. There was liberal feminism aims to make society and law gender-neutral. Stranger Things were beginning to show women independence as Nancy Wheeler (mother) was raising Will by herself, which is what was starting to happen around the 1980s. At the time Stranger Things was produced (2016) it was just a norm to have a single parent. Therefore, Nancy was a new representation of women in the 1980s. Furthermore, Nancy Wheeler had to go to the police, Hopper, which portrays that a woman still needs to have a male figure to help them and also signifying the ideology that if her husband was around this wouldn’t have happened.
Explain the lost vs found aspect in Stranger Things.
Will has gone missing so he’s lost after the appearance of a mysterious creature and then he will be found by the last episode of season one.
What’s a strength of structuralism in Stranger Things?
Can be a useful way of identifying key conflicts and values within LFTV drama as well as suggesting intended audience response. This can help to identify ideological messages communicated.
What’s a limitation of structuralism in Stranger Things?
Application of Strauss’ ideas may lead to assumptions about audience response and does not consider the influence of other elements such as technical or genre codes on audience response.
