Super Bowl Champs...again
Unlike Barthes’ image where he states it is signifying an exact replica of reality, the image I created failed to do so. My image, however, has been combined with other images and altered allowing it to be symbolic and have many different insightful meanings. Combining images of the Green Bay Packers, the National Football League logo, and the Vince Lombardi trophy I have created this one image for interpretation. The rhetoric of the image contains three main symbols: linguistic, literal, and symbolic.
First off, the simplest meaning is the linguistics of the transparent NFL logo in the center of the image. This is the worldwide trademarked symbol to represent the National Football League. Even if one did not know what NFL stood for, it is easy to figure out what it represents because of the football across the top of the logo. The only other linguistics to this image is the letters “G” and “C” on the players’ helmets. Again, these letters represent something specific and have only one meaning; the “G” standing for Green Bay and the “C” standing for Chicago. All three of these are symbolic icons in which we use to represent concepts and ideas.
As for what this image actually means, its literal classification is that it is just one play taking place in a football game. The trophies are not representing anything, they are just trophies, and finally, the NFL logo is just an icon. Grouping these pictures as one image, the overall literal meaning is still perceived to be football. Though this is looked upon as the literal image, like Barthes stated, “we never encounter a literal image in a pure state.” Instead the literal message this image conveys helps support the deeper, symbolic meanings.
The symbolic meaning may be interpreted in several different ways. For those who may be a Packers fan, or just someone who follows the game and would know this information, may see this image as a way to represent the recent Super Bowl XLV champions. The use of four Lombardi trophies blended into the four corners of the image may represent the four Super Bowls the Green Bay Packers have won as a franchise, with the transparent NFL logo congratulating them on their recent victory. From another view point, this image’s meaning may be more about the NFL as a whole; with two random (or in this case rival) teams playing in the background along with trophies there to symbolize something such as “the NFL is where champions are made.”
Like all images, people tend to interpret them in their own way, using their own creativity or imagination to understand and tell the image’s story. The creator of an image may intend for it to be looked upon a particular way, however, because all people are different this is not necessarily what people take from it. This proves that the statement that pictures are worth a thousand words is indeed true. Whether or not it is by ignorance of pro football or just simply not understanding the image I have created, this type of person may not understand the symbolism used to tell the true meaning I had hoped to give it. In this case, those are likely to just see the literal meaning and look no further. One may also not know what team I am focusing on in specific, if either. I used a brightening effect to make the yellow stand out more than any other color to help draw attention to the team I am targeting, the Green Bay Packers. The symbolic meaning I wish to portray in my image is that the four Lombardi trophies do in fact represent the four Super Bowl in which the Packers have won and the NFL logo fading into the picture as a way to label them as the best team in the National Football League.
First off, the simplest meaning is the linguistics of the transparent NFL logo in the center of the image. This is the worldwide trademarked symbol to represent the National Football League. Even if one did not know what NFL stood for, it is easy to figure out what it represents because of the football across the top of the logo. The only other linguistics to this image is the letters “G” and “C” on the players’ helmets. Again, these letters represent something specific and have only one meaning; the “G” standing for Green Bay and the “C” standing for Chicago. All three of these are symbolic icons in which we use to represent concepts and ideas.
As for what this image actually means, its literal classification is that it is just one play taking place in a football game. The trophies are not representing anything, they are just trophies, and finally, the NFL logo is just an icon. Grouping these pictures as one image, the overall literal meaning is still perceived to be football. Though this is looked upon as the literal image, like Barthes stated, “we never encounter a literal image in a pure state.” Instead the literal message this image conveys helps support the deeper, symbolic meanings.
The symbolic meaning may be interpreted in several different ways. For those who may be a Packers fan, or just someone who follows the game and would know this information, may see this image as a way to represent the recent Super Bowl XLV champions. The use of four Lombardi trophies blended into the four corners of the image may represent the four Super Bowls the Green Bay Packers have won as a franchise, with the transparent NFL logo congratulating them on their recent victory. From another view point, this image’s meaning may be more about the NFL as a whole; with two random (or in this case rival) teams playing in the background along with trophies there to symbolize something such as “the NFL is where champions are made.”
Like all images, people tend to interpret them in their own way, using their own creativity or imagination to understand and tell the image’s story. The creator of an image may intend for it to be looked upon a particular way, however, because all people are different this is not necessarily what people take from it. This proves that the statement that pictures are worth a thousand words is indeed true. Whether or not it is by ignorance of pro football or just simply not understanding the image I have created, this type of person may not understand the symbolism used to tell the true meaning I had hoped to give it. In this case, those are likely to just see the literal meaning and look no further. One may also not know what team I am focusing on in specific, if either. I used a brightening effect to make the yellow stand out more than any other color to help draw attention to the team I am targeting, the Green Bay Packers. The symbolic meaning I wish to portray in my image is that the four Lombardi trophies do in fact represent the four Super Bowl in which the Packers have won and the NFL logo fading into the picture as a way to label them as the best team in the National Football League.
