An example of paradigmatic analysis is everyone's simple mind compared to Sherlock's highly complex mind. He says other people have"funny little brains". Sherlock ignores people's feelings, signifying his anti-social behavior. He keeps referring to his enemies because he has no friends. He also finds normal relationships "dull". The darkness and loneliness in early scenes signify that Watson was unhappy with his life. Both men wear dark colors, signifying seriousness and how unapproachable they both are. Sherlock's messy room is a metaphor for his messy brain. The skull in Sherlock's room symbolizes danger. Sherlock needs Watson as an "assistant" aka his sidekick, while he is the hero. This is an example of syntagmatic analysis.
A code in London is that people always drink tea. Whereas in America, we usually drink coffee. The music changes to signify that Sherlock is analyzing something. Sherlock is narcissistic. This is signified by the fact that he knows he is right but he wants people to tell him he is right too. He wants to prove his cleverness to them. He also assumes people will do as he commands and he is impatient. The old looking house where the woman was murdered signifies abandonment. The intertextuality I found was when Sherlock said "Houston, we have a mistake". A paradigmatic analysis is danger v. caution. This is an internal conflict John Watson faces. People tell him to stay away from Sherlock, yet he accompanies him anyway. He is always hesitant to try things at first but then he admits he enjoys danger. He goes on missions with Sherlock though he is scared. He wants to live an adventurous life. He also battles with being loyal v. abandoning Sherlock for his own gain. But he ends up staying loyal to him and refuses to spy on him. Another way he is loyal to Sherlock is that he does what he commands without an explanation.
A cultural norm (code) is that it is okay to be gay in London, as is referenced several times throughout the episode. However, both Sherlock and Watson are unsuccessful in having relationships or understanding women. When Sherlock goes to the restaurant, he remember the waiter's name and greets him. This signifies that he genuinely cares about people. Another code for London is that everyone takes taxis. Watson does't need the crutch. It signifies that he is scared of taking risks and uses it as an excuse. It is also a metaphor for security. Sherlock is mad when people talk when he is thinking, signifying that he needs complete quiet and stillness to concentrate.
The killer is right in front of Sherlock the whole time. The old lady kept saying "The taxi is here,"though Sherlock didn't ask for one. This signifies how taxi drivers go unnoticed. "They can hunt in the middle of a crowd and no one suspects a thing," as the murderer says. The taxi was there when each person was killed. The cabbie, who is a genius, wants to be noticed and praised for his elaborate scheme. The cab driver uses the word "copper" interchangeably with the word cop or police, which is a synecdoche. The ironic thing about the villain/hero situation was that the villain was warned about the hero, meaning Sherlock is more dangerous than the cab driver. Sherlock is proven a hero when the policeman says he is a great man. This is an example of syntagmatic analysis.
Sherlock and the cab driver are very similar. When Sherlock and the cab driver go to the big room with empty chairs and tables, it is a metaphor for vacancy and loneliness in both men. They are geniuses who get mad at people who don't think like them. Earlier, Sherlock had a whole map memorized in his head. The cab driver says he sees " a map inside his head". Sherlock smiles when asked to choose a pill, which shows that he is not scared to risk his life to solve a mystery, and neither is the cab driver. He will do anything to prove he is right. Choosing a pill, the man says, is a metaphor for a game of chess.
The window between Watson and Sherlock as he is about to take the pill is a metaphor for helplessness and the barrier Watson is then able to break when he shoots the window and saves Sherlock.Sherlock doesn't need the blanket they give him to feel safe. When Sherlock is thinking, the symbols are the words that float around him. We find out that the cab driver killed people to get money for his kids, signifying that he had an unselfish motive. Watson says he doesn't mind killing someone who isn't nice, which signifies his support of justice and need for revenge.
Signifier/Signified
1.
Sad doll
2.
Rain and tears
3.
Control over
people
5.
Criminal wants
praise
6.
Villain warned
about hero
7.
Villain and hero
are similar
8.
Sherlock isn’t
scared
9.
Unselfish motive
10.
Watson doesn’t
mind killing
11.
Anti-social
12.
Watson unhappy
13.
Dark colors
14.
Music
15.
Arrogant and
impatient
16.
Old house
17.
Both
unsuccessful in relationships
18.
Cares about
people
19.
Normal relationships
are dull
20.
Crutch excuse
21.
Complete concentration
22.
Killer unnoticed
|
Syntagmatic Analysis
1.
Watson’s boredom
2.
Sherlock is
great man
3.
Watson aka
sidekick
|
Paradigmatic Analysis
1.
happiness v
sadness
2.
force v control
3.
intelligent v
unintelligent
4.
danger v caution
5.
loyalty v
abandonment
|
Metaphor
1.
empty chairs=vacancy
2.
pill=game
3.
window=helplessness
or barrier
4.
Messy
brain=messy room
5.
Crutch=security
|
Synecdoche
1.
“coppers”
|
Icons
|
Indexes
|
8.Symbols
2.
words
3.
skull
|
Intertextuality
1.
Houston space
mission
|
Codes
2.
tea
3.
gay
4.
taxis
|
No comments:
Post a Comment