With Honors

Once upon a time, I was in a very poorly taught high school sociology class.

In this sociology class, I did not enjoy myself very much. I would prefer to forget my time there.

However, there is one good thing that I gleaned from the class - a great example of "The Wisdom of the Rustic"!

My teacher showed us movies, and one of the movies we watched was With Honors.

The Text

With Honors is about a Harvard government student named Monty, played by Brendan Fraser, who loses his only copy of his thesis when he drops it down a grate by the library. A homeless man named Simon Wilder, who lives in the basement of the library, comes into possession of the paper and agrees to give Monty back one page for every day he receives food. As much as Monty resents this at first, he comes to learn a lot from the relationship that he forms with Simon. It is only after his time spent learning the deeper truths of life from Simon that he is able to graduate with honors.

One of the most significant signs (ha!) in the movie is the thesis paper that Monty loses.

The paper represents Monty's academic ambitions.

Syntagmatic Meaning

The sign gains its meaning from other things around it. For instance, when the paper falls down the grate, it is understood that it is not in its proper place. This creates an uneasiness on the part of both Monty and the audience, as it is obvious that his college career is on the line. Also, the fact that this was a paper on the Harvard campus sends the message that it is not the average term paper. We come to believe that it is something highly academic and important.

Paradigmatic Meaning

The writers could have chosen to use Monty's computer, his writing utensils, or his brain to convey the sense of academic ambition he possessed. However, none of these examples would have been sufficient because they are too impersonal.

The paper represented something extremely personal - something into which Monty had poured his soul. The loss of this paper meant something much deeper than if Monty had lost his computer, in which he had not invested himself so passionately.

Codes

This particular sign draws upon several codes.

Two of the most significant are explained below:

In the code of Academia, it is understood that a thesis paper represents the culmination of a considerable amount of research.

In the code of College Students, it is understood that writing papers takes a great effort on the part of the writer. This adds to the idea that the paper represented Monty's personal ambition and drive.

Second Order and Third Order Meanings

A Harvard thesis paper could also have the following connotations:

1. Diligence
2. Intelligence
3. Piety
4. Lifelessness
5. Legalism
6. Honor
7. Burden
8. Impracticality

Some, in desperation, might say "Everything is meaningless." (Take Jon Foreman, for example).

However, semiotics proves that everything is full of meaning...even a cheesy movie from the 80s that I was made to watch in a less-than-stellar high school sociology class.