Claude Levi-Strauss was a French anthropologist known for his work on structuralism and structural anthropology. He believed that language and thought are structured through binary oppositions, or contrasting terms like good and evil, light and dark. According to Levi-Strauss, these opposing concepts shape how we understand and perceive the world. Examples of binary oppositions in stories include heroes versus villains, as seen in Harry Potter with Harry/Voldemort and in Batman with Batman/Joker.

1. CLAUDE LÉVI-STRAUSS
Hamza Hanif
The wise man doesn't give the right answers, he poses the right

2. WHO WAS HE?
Claude Levi-Strauss was a French anthropologist and ethnologist who’s work was
mainly focused on the theory of structuralism and structural anthropology. After
World War two started and the France capitulation in 1941 he emigrated to New York
and taught social research at a local high school, between 1959 and 1982 he was the
chairmen of social anthropology.

3. BINARY OPPOSITIONS
• What is Binary Oppositions? Binary Oppositions are terms or concepts that have
opposite meanings, Binary Oppositions is a system which in language and thought,
two theoretical opposites are set off against each other. Claude’s theory links our
ideological values and how we feel we should perceive words or see things.
Binary Opposites
Light & Dark
Good & Evil
Right & Wrong
Poverty & Wealth
Strength & weakness

4. SO WHAT’S THE LINK BETWEEN THE TWO?
• Strauss believed that the way which we understand certain words depends not so
much on their literal meanings but more on our understanding of the opposites . For
example Harry (Harry Potter) has always seen as the good guy, Voldemort who is
seen as the evil guy, the image below shows the binary opposites clearly, the way
Voldemort’s eyes have a cynical glow/look

5. EXAMPLES
• Binary Opposites are often used in the horror genre, many films include binary
opposites in their plots, e.g. Good and Evil , Sane and Insane, Rational and
Irrational, Human and Supernatural.
• A good example of Binary Opposites is Batman Dark Knight, Batman (Hero) Vs.
Joker (Evil) and Two Face (Good turned Evil with the help of Joker)