Sign and Symbol, by John Onians Signs, Essay

Total Length: 428 words ( 1 double-spaced pages)

Total Sources: 0

Sign and Symbol," by John Onians

Signs, symbols are different depending on Context and Medium:

Context = needs of builders, users

Medium -- physical dispositions of floors, walls, roofs, supports, materials

Link between physical and expressive properties -- gives signs and symbols power in architecture

In architecture, walls, doors have real and symbolic functions

Eg. A wall excludes "before it expresses exclusion" -- has real, physical effects

Wall, roof of hut -- protection; posts -- stability; doorway -- openness; threashold -- controlled access

Group of huts = social coherence

Architecture gave meaning to concepts fundamental to existence

Hut does not just communicate meaning, it constitutes m

Stuck Writing Your "Sign and Symbol, by John Onians Signs," Essay?

eaning, it ebodies eaning

Eg of sybolic architecture that is deliberate -- Dogon -- buildings located to express gender roles, and placeent of head, body

Underlying awareness that response to buildings is "cognate with response to people"

Dense urban cities -- need to differentiate between classes, status, roles; expressed in different durability of aterials -- also with height! -- sybol of tall building being closer to heaven -- ancient ziggurat v hut

By first illenniu -- all cultures seeed to be aware of the role of architectural sign, sybol

Coluns (in Egypt -- decorated to represent abundance with fronds of trees -- v- Greece with.....

     Open the full completed essay and source list


OR

     Order a one-of-a-kind custom essay on this topic


sample essay writing service

Cite This Resource:

Latest APA Format (6th edition)

Copy Reference
"Sign And Symbol By John Onians Signs " (2012, November 28) Retrieved May 20, 2025, from
https://www.aceyourpaper.com/essays/sign-symbol-john-onians-signs-106578

Latest MLA Format (8th edition)

Copy Reference
"Sign And Symbol By John Onians Signs " 28 November 2012. Web.20 May. 2025. <
https://www.aceyourpaper.com/essays/sign-symbol-john-onians-signs-106578>

Latest Chicago Format (16th edition)

Copy Reference
"Sign And Symbol By John Onians Signs ", 28 November 2012, Accessed.20 May. 2025,
https://www.aceyourpaper.com/essays/sign-symbol-john-onians-signs-106578