What is the surface meaning and what signs and symbols suggest a second level of meaning?

Explore the construction of meaning in media texts with a group of magazine covers, utilizing two of the techniques we have discussed – semiotic analysis and content analysis – to interpret the meaning in the covers. Among the questions that you might consider: What basic messages are being conveyed; how would you decode the meaning of these covers? What signs are evident? What is the surface meaning and what signs and symbols suggest a second level of meaning? What does your relationship to the subject matter, including life experiences, influence how you “read” this text? What do these texts say about American culture? Each set includes seven covers, most over a period of years, but you should focus on three (3) or four (4) in your analysis Write a well-reasoned essay exploring these issues, Think in terms of five paragraphs: opening paragraph that includes a thesis statement that presents your basic argument, three paragraphs to support your position, and a conclusion And please remember that it is far more effective to build an argument around different themes and utilize different magazines to support that argument than it is to discuss each cover in isolation.