Binary opposition theory
- 2. WHAT IS BINARY OPPOSITION? A pair or related terms or concepts that are opposites in meaning. Binary opposites are used in films to help the plot, in addition to being used in music videos as part of a narrative to reinforce song lyrics. Binary Opposites structure our understanding of a story due to its conventional narrative which enables an equilibrium.
- 3. THE THEORY Lévi-Strauss believed he had discovered that a myth consists of nothing but binary oppositions. Lévi- Strauss believed that the human mind thinks fundamentally in these binary oppositions and that these are what make meaning possible. He considered the job of a myth to be an association of binary opposition with a reconcilable binary opposition, creating the illusion, that the former had been resolved.
- 4. BINARY OPPOSITES IN FILM Binary opposites are used quite frequently in films. These binary opposites create a plot for a film, for example, a hero and a villain (good and evil) creates a storyline where the hero attempts to defeat the villain. Binary opposites have been said to create a ‘balance’ in the world. For example, if there were no evil in a horror film, there wouldn’t be a horror storyline.
- 5. EXAMPLES OF BINARY OPPOSITES Rich and Poor Good and Bad Black and White Male and Female Clever and Dumb Vampire and Werewolf Strong and Weak Human and Supernatural Being Young and Old Fast and Slow