This document provides information about Roland Barthes's semiotic codes for analyzing media texts. It defines the five codes: the enigma code involves questions and mystery; the action code involves responses; the semantic code involves connotations and meanings; the symbolic code involves signified meanings and binary oppositions; and the cultural code involves the cultural context and society. It instructs the reader to apply these codes by identifying examples of each code in the media text "Rain for Good" and analyzing the text's media language features using Barthes's semiotic framework.

1. ROLAND BARTHES’S SEMIOTIC
CODES
Revision and application

2. Identifying the 5 codes
Draw up a table of 5
columns.
Label each column with
the title of each of the 5
codes.
In each column give a
short simple definition
of each code
CODE 1 CODE 2 CODE 3 CODE 4 CODE 5
NAME NAME NAME NAME NAME

3. Defining the codes
CODE 1 CODE 2 CODE 3 CODE 4 CODE 5
ENIGMA ACTION SEMANTIC SYMBOLIC CULTURAL
DESCRIPTI
ON
DESCRIPTI
ON
DESCRIPTI
ON
DESCRIPTI
ON
DESCRIPTI
ON
Under each code name try and give a key word definition [one or two
words only]

4. Defining the codes
CODE 1 CODE 2 CODE 3 CODE 4 CODE 5
ENIGMA ACTION SEMANTIC SYMBOLIC CULTURAL
Questions/
mystery
Response Connotations Signified
meanings
often binary
oppositions
The cultural
context/
society

5. Wateraid [2016]
Rain for Good

6. Applying Barthes’s Codes
Top tip. Have your
examples all ready
and prepared before
you sit the exam or
write up a practice
essay.
To complete your analysis of
‘Rain for Good’, you need to
apply a semiotic analysis to the
media language features that you
have previously identified.
 Start with the enigma code and
systematically work your through
each code, identifying examples
of each code.
 You don’t need to have more than
a couple of examples for each, but
you must have at least two for
each code.