The document discusses Claude Levi-Strauss and his concept of binary opposition. Levi-Strauss believed that our understanding of a word's meaning comes from its opposite. He called these paired opposites "binary oppositions," such as good/bad, young/old, rational/irrational. Soap operas often use binary oppositions between characters, like Phil Mitchell (bad) and Dot (good) in EastEnders. The document concludes that the soap opera being created will include binary oppositions between characters to make them more relatable and interesting for audiences, as other successful soaps like EastEnders do.
2. Claude Levi-Strauss
• A french anthropologist who
lived in the early 1900s
• Strauss believed that our
understanding of a words
meaning is not what is given
to us directly, but our
understanding of its opposite
• He called these ‘Binary
Opposites’
3. Binary Opposites
Good Bad
Young Old
Rational Irrational
Hero Villain
Protagonist Antagonist
Feminine Masculine
Black White
Security Fear
Sane Insane
Relaxed Tense
Guilty Innocent
4. Examples of Binary
Opposites in Soap Opera’s
• Phil Mitchell (bad) and Dot
(good) in Eastenders
• Lucas (irrational) and Trina
(rational) in Eastenders
• Bobby (guilty) and Lucy Beale
(innocent) in Eastenders
• Kat Moon (feminine) and Alfie
Moon (masculine) in
Eastenders
• Denise Fox (black) and Donna
Yates (white)
5. Will we include Binary
Opposition?
• In our Soap Opera we will
include Strauss’s Binary
Opposition. Binary opposition
helps the audience relate to
the characters. We see
opposites in everyday life
therefore, increasing interest
in our soap opera. Soap
Opera’s such as Eastenders
and Hollyoaks, include
copious binary opposites. It
also adds an extra layer to the
character, as these binary
opposites can change.
