Semiotic Study of Symbol for Sandy The Mute Character in Rise of Guardian Movie
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DOI: 10.24843/JH.2018.v22.i02.p13
ISSN: 2302-920X
Jurnal Humanis, Fakultas Ilmu Budaya Unud
Vol 22.2 Mei 2018: 368-373
Semiotic Study of Symbol for Sandy The Mute Character in Rise of Guardian Movie
Ni Kadek Winda Yanti
English Department, Faculty of Arts, Udayana University [windaynti@gmail.com]
Abstract
This study entitled Semiotics Study of Symbols for Sandy the Mute Character in Rise of Guardian Movie is aimed at identifying the concept as the representation of the symbols and also describing and analyzing the meaning behind the use of the symbols. This study focuses on a character which has disability in producing sound, so he only uses symbols to communicate instead of words or body language. The data of this study were taken from Rise of the Guardian, a movie released by Collombus Home Production in 2011. The qualitative method was used in obtaining the relevant data. The data were collected using the documentation method; the data were taken by capturing and cropping the symbols. The relevant data were analyzed descriptively and in narrative form. The concepts were analyzed using the theory proposed by Saussure about signifier and signified, and were descriptively explained using draft. The meaning was analyzed using the theory of seven types of meaning proposed by Leech and then narratively explains and the final result was the conclusion of the symbols according to the types of meaning. The results of analysis show that symbols do not always have conceptual meaning, and most of them symbolize the further concept to the form of symbols. The concepts that are discovered mostly have different concepts, meaning that the concept is far from its conceptual concept; a dolphin can resemble the happiness of children and so on. The meaning of the symbol can be represented according to the situation where the symbols are used and are also according to the speaker and the producer of it. The combination of symbols can also convey a different meaning.
Keywords: symbol, mute character, meaning.
Abstrak
Skripsi ini berjudul Kajian Semitotik Simbol untuk Sandy Si Karakter Bisu pada Pilem Rise of Guardian dan bertujuan untuk mengidentifikasi konsep sebagai gambaran symbol dan juga mendeskripsikan serta menganalis makna dibalik penggunaan simbol – simbol tersebut. Skripsi ini fokus pada karakter yang memiliki disabilitas dalam memproduksi suara, maka dari itu ia hanya menggunakan simbol – simbol untuk berkomunikasi daripada menggunakan kata-kata atau bahasa tubuh. Data dari skripsi ini diambil dari Rise Guardian, sebuah pilem yang dipublikasikan oleh Rumah Produksi Collombus pada tahun 2011. Metode kualitatif digunakan untuk mendapatkan data yang relevan. Data dikumpulkan dengan menggunakan metode dokumentasi dengan cara menangkap dan memotong gambar dari simbol. Data yang relevan dianalisis secara deskriptif dan dalam bentuk naratif. Konsep dari simbol dianalisis dengan menggunakan teori yang diusulkan oleh Saussure tentang Penanda dan Pertanda, kemudian secara deskriptif dijelaskan dengan menggunakan tampilan kolom. Makna dianalisis dengan menggunakan teori tujuh tipe makna yang diusulkan oleh Leech dan kemudian dijelaskan secara naratif, sebagai hasil akhir berbentuk kesimpulan dari penggunaan simbol-simbol berdasarkan tipe dari makna tersebut. Hasil dari analisa menunjukkan bahwa simbol tidak selalu mempunyai makna konseptual dan lebih banyak melambangkan konsep yang lebih jauh dari bentuk simbol tersebut. Konsep-konsep yang ditemukan lebih banyak berbeda dari konsep nyata, yang artinya konsep-konsep yang ditemukan berbeda jauh dengan konsep konseptual,
seperti seekor lumba-lumba bisa melambangkan kebahagiaan anak kecil dan sebagainya.
Makna dari simbol sendiri bisa dicerminkan berdasarkan pada pembicara dan pembuatnya.
Kata kunci: simbol, karakter bisu, makna
People who have disability in producing sound could not use their vocal organ to produce it, so it is impossible for them to communicate through sound or always interact with people via written text. Moreover, it is found that sign can also convey the meaning as a media of communication. It is well known that the artifact which was discovered years ago contains a meaning; it is also presented in sign symbols. So, signs or symbols become a way of communication used by modern people who have particular condition in producing sound or the other alternative way to interact with the others. Related to the scientific study of meaning called Semantic, this study is analyzed by using the main theory of semiotics proposed by Saussure and then stated by Chandler and also the theory of meaning proposed by Leech (1974). Saussure (Cited in Culler, 1986:102) stated that a sign must have both a signifier and signified. When the signified means the concept it represents, and the signifier means the form which the sign takes. Furthermore, Chandler (2014:15) also stated that relation between the signifier and signified is divided into three: symbols, icon and index. This study entitled Semiotics Study of Symbols for Sandy The Mute Character in Rise of Guardian Movie intends to analyze the use of all the symbols in communication. The character uses symbols instead of verbal signs or sounds because he has disability in speaking. By using symbols, the mute character communicates with the other character. This phenomenon becomes the reason for this study to be conducted. Normally, people use vocal sound to communicate but for people who have
disability to speak will use the other way to communicate instead of the vocal sound.
Choosing this object is the best way of doing this research because some reasons. First, this study becomes very interesting since it is focused on the nonverbal communication through symbols. Second, this study uses more than one symbol to convey a meaning when most of the previous study objected one symbol to convey one meaning. Third, the previous studies generally use written text as the verbal sign, but this study uses oral text. And the last, when the other studies use a 2D character, symbols or sign in a printed book, this one uses the 3D character in a movie.
Based on the explanation above, the problems formulated in this study are as follows:
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a. What is the concept of symbols used by the mute character for communicating with the others in Rise of the Guardian movie?
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b. How can those symbols represent the meanings?
The research analysis focuses on finding the meaning of symbols used by the mute character in the movie Rise of the Guardian, and the aims of this study are as follows;
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a. To identify the concepts of each symbol used by the mute character for communicating with the others in Rise of the Guardian Movie.
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b. To describe and analyze the meaning behind the use of symbols, used by the mute
character for communicating with the other in Rise of the Guardian Movie.
The method was applied in this study includes data source, method and technique of collecting data, method and technique of analyzing data and method and technique of presenting analyzing data.
The data source is needed to support the validity of the study. The data source of this study was obtained from the movie Rise of the Guardian produced by Collombus Home Production in 2011. This study is focused on the mute character called Sandy, which has disability to speak or has disability to produce sound and only uses symbols as means of communication.
The data were collected in qualitative form and the method applied for this study is the documentation method and the data were collected through some steps. The technique of collecting data was by watching the movie frequently in order to get the accurate data, print screen then crop each symbol. All of those steps were used in order to get the accurate data.
The study is analyzed using the qualitative descriptive method. It is assumed as the best way analyzing the data. It is focused on analyzing the suitable use of those symbols to convey the meanings based on the theory of meaning. To answer the first research question, the data were analyzed by using the theory proposed by Saussure. To
answer the second research question, the relevant data are presented in form of group of symbols according to the presence of the following symbols. The relation between those symbols is analyzed by using the theory proposed by Leech (1974) about meaning.
The method is applied by using the table and it is explained descriptively to get the accurate analysis of the data and the method to answer the second research question also was applied using words; the data were explained in narrative method to get the clear explanation and to be well understood.
In the data source, there are 23 symbols collected and analyzed. However, in presenting data, only some of symbols are shown.
5.1 Signifier and Signified
|
Symbol |
Signifier |
Signified |
|
Football |
A girl made from golden sand is playing ball. |
It signifies the happiness of a little girl. When a child demands to play happily without thinking about the world. The positive thought of children which still very genuine and pure |
|
Music note |
A golden music note |
It represents a sound to attract the attention of everyone. A music note is the identification of a sound. The concept that it represent is the sound to take the attention of everyone to him, when he wants to |
Flag
A golden flag
Anchor
A golden anchor which pointed up
Leaf
A golden four-leafs clover
say something.
four-leafs clover on its hand.
It represents an alert to everyone to be realized that something is happened. In application of the flag, it used by the lifeguard in the beach to tell visitors about the sign of the danger in the border of safe area. In this context, the flag also have the same meaning, to tell everyone that something is happened around them.
It signifies a command to look up to something. The anchor has specific meaning in every situation, to show the direction. In this context, it also applied. The anchor meant to give a command to everyone for looking up to the thing that the anchor pointed, to the moon.
It represents an Irish mythological creature named Leprechaun. Leprechaun is one of the Irish mythological creature in folklore. It is representative of the wizard. It commonly known as dwarf wizard, which always wearing green tuxedo set, green hat and always bring a green
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5.2 The types of meaning
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a. Connotative meaning
Symbol : girl playing ball
The symbol of playing soccer in this scene contains connotative meaning by producing this kind of symbol the mute character tries to convey that this little girl is dreaming to play soccer. Playing soccer is one of the most favorite games for people in the world, a limitless time and happiness are the meaning of this symbol. A way of refreshing mind from the stress is playing soccer, but for a child, playing soccer means playing and playing, gathered with friends, spending time together, limitless time to play and doing any interaction to socialize. This conclusion is also supported by the expression of the girl by smiling while she sleeping. This smile supports the conclusion because the smile when everyone dreams means they have a nice dream. This phenomenon also happens to the girl on this scene by happily playing soccer.
Symbol: cloud
This kind of symbol is also determined as having connotative meaning. This symbol has the same idea as figure 2, as the dream of transportation of children. It often occurs in the children movie, for example, in Dragon Ball movie, the cloud is usually called as Clinton cloud. In fact, there is no cloud that can be rode, but through this scene, the uniqueness of the mute character grows higher.
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b. Conceptual meaning
Symbol: question mark
The question mark above his head means a question to the addressee. The question mark is the identifier of
question. This also happen in this scene when the mute character asks the other character about what actually happens until they are called like there is a very emergency situation happened.
Symbol: unicorn
This symbol has its point on the unicorn ridden by the little girl. Unicorn here means the real unicorn, even it is a mythological creature. This unicorn is the center of little girl’s fantasy to be a princess and ride on a unicorn. To the girl in this scene, she dreams of playing with the unicorn, seems that she is so happy and calm.
The smoke comes out from two of its fire as a sign of anger. It is a sign of the mute character’s emotional feeling when he gets angry to his friend when everyone does not listen to him and does not get what he wants to convey, then his friends suddenly say the same thing and anyone else listens to his friend. This often occurs in any movie when the character produces the smoke to show their anger. It is like the smoke which comes from the heat on his body, just like a smoke of the train.
Symbol: whip
The whip in this scene has a meaning as a tool for punishment, to fight against his enemy. This gives a reaction to the opposite character to be afraid of him and the way of him to protect himself and his friend. The whip comes from the two of his hands with the anger expression; he is surrounded by the opposition army to kill him.
The culture of this movie can be identified by producing this kind of symbol. The symbol of four-leaf clover is
symbol of Leprechaun, a mythological creature of Irish. It is illustrated as a dwarf who always wears a green tuxedo set and a green hat. The four-leaf clover is always on his hand. Leprechaun is a mythological creature which is sometimes formed in scary expression and uses black magic to control people, but sometimes it is also illustrated in a nice way with a friendly expression and white magic.
Symbol : carrots
The flying carrot in this scene means the mind of the Rabbit which always thinks about its favorite food. It shows that the one who produces this kind of symbols is rabbit and the background of producing this kind of symbol is the source of the Rabbit character.
Based on the analysis from the previous chapters, there are 23 symbols produced by the mute character in this movie, each of it has its own meaning and uniqueness. The 23 symbols are identified their signifiers and signified and also the meaning of each symbol can be determined. The symbols are found in a very unique way, eac has its own representative and most of it contains a denotative meaning, which has to be deeply understood.
The concept of symbol which is found in this study is the concept of happiness, imagination of children, a question, sound, alertness, direction, fictional character, the expression of anger, the weather, introduction and etc. The signified and signifier of all the symbols are not really easy to be identified. The symbol has different concepts to be represented and they have to be examined through the fact where the pictures are used, for example, how the feeling of person who plays a ball is and how the unicorn appears in little
girl’s dream and why fairy always haunts children for wonderful dream. It can all be examined through the reaction of the people towards all of those things.
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