Semiotics

Semiotics is the study of signs and communication in our culture.  How an image can say one thing but mean another.  For example Saussure wrote about the signifier and the signified.  The signifier is the physical form eg. a rose and the signified is what it refers to eg. love.  They are only understood in reference to each other.

The image of the twin towers just after the planes hit them has become a well known image and shows itself repeatedly when the topic of  terrorism is bought up.  If you were not from this planet, looking at this image would mean nothing to you.  Just two skyscrapers being demolished.  But to everyone on earth this picture is terrorism.  It symbolises terrorism.  The mention of the name 'twin towers' conjures up the word terrorism.  In reference to semiotics, the twin towers are the signifiers.  they are the physical form.  The signified is what the twin towers refers to-terrorism.

references:www.aber.ac.uk/media/Documents/S4B/sem-gloss.html