The Drudgery of Work and Labour

• Denotation: a man working from a white van.

• Connotation: the working class society is forced to wear bright coloured and ‘embarrassing’ uniform that conforms them to a certain class type.

• Myth: the need for society to group us into categories.

We wear a costume to work

• Denotation: men working on constructing a new pavement

• Connotation: as a working force we are forever constructing something new to make our society function easier in order to make a living and get money

• Myth: we work to create something new

All hard labour pays off

• Denotation: the man is sitting on a bench in a suit, on the phone, with a brief case on his lunch break

• Connotation: those of a higher class are seen to have life easier as seen by the way he is dressed and that he is able to take a break

• Myth: if we work in a high level job the benefits are more rewarding than a lower classed job

We work to become better

• Denotation: a man and woman serving authentic food in the local market place

• Connotation: those of a more cultured background bring their own culture into other places as a form of work and making money.

• Myth: People stick to what they know best

Our culture is a way of life

• Denotation: a group of work colleagues standing together

• Connotation: people are building up their work forces to becoming stronger and giving work titles to show levels of authority and control as it is in society i.e. the ruling class

• Myth: a strong team work together

There’s no ‘I’ in TEAM

The Drudgery of work and Labour- Semiotics

• As a social process work is seen as a means of making money and aspiring to become ‘relevant’ within society.

• Structuralists would see work as a way to create a formed structure with in another area of everyday life by the enforcement of shift times, positions of work e.g. Manager and so on.

• However, the Post-structuralist view would reject the idea that human concepts can be explained only by structure.

• They would accepted a negotiated meaning as people have different interpretations of an image or sign/symbol.