"Don't Stop Believing" and Iconic Realism

Photo of a lake in New England

Any song that speaks of south Detroit draws my attention, and the classic song, "Don't Stop Believing" by Journey is no exception. How does this song demonstrate the semiotic theory of iconic realism? 

1.  The song reveals iconic images of the human struggle with emotions.

2.  They are juxtaposed with light and enlightenment.

3. This placement brings the audience of this song in tune with the perpetual dilemma of humanity's search for meaning. "It goes on and on and on and on."

Don't Stop Believing

by Journey

Just a small town girl, livin' in a lonely world

She took the midnight train goin' anywhere

Just a city boy, born and raised in south Detroit

He took the midnight train goin' anywhere

A singer in a smokey room

A smell of wine and cheap perfume

For a smile they can share the night

It goes on and on and on and on

Chorus:

Strangers waiting, up and down the boulevard

Their shadows searching in the night

Streetlights people, living just to find emotion

Hiding, somewhere in the night

Working hard to get my fill,

Everybody wants a thrill

Payin' anything to roll the dice,

just one more time

Some will win, some will lose

Some were born to sing the blues

Oh, the movie never ends

It goes on and on and on and on

(chorus)

Don't stop believin'

Hold on to the feelin'

Streetlight people

Definition of the Semiotic Theory of Iconic Realism

Note: Occasionally, I post this to let any reader know what my semiotic theory actually is. Hope this brings some clarity for you. Cheers! 

Definition of the Semiotic Theory of Iconic Realism

by Jeanne I. Lakatos

Realism comprises authentic and independent aspects of the natural world, which individuals comprehend through sensory perception. The term icon describes a realistic person or realistic object, categorically perceived by a population as representative of a specific human activity or an object that bears significance to human activity. Iconic realism, then, involves the placement of an icon within the midst of a unique realistic setting, out of place for this particular icon, creating a static coalescence of the icon with the designated realism. Since both the icon and the realistic setting represent an aspect of the culture, the resulting friction between these two entities is the catalyst that generates enlightenment of a cultural dilemma. 

I used visual examples of iconic realism as the cover photos for my books, pictured below.
(Book #3 is forthcoming.)

A Patriotic Wave and Iconic Realism

I photographed this little boy, waving to the soldier at a local Independence Day parade. It illustrates iconic realism beautifully, for here you'll see a U.S. Army Jeep, ready for war, yet riding through a typical parade route, filled with families, smiles, hopes, and dreams. This brings to the awareness of the audience that no matter how peaceful a society may seem to be, as long as there is hatred in this world, there will be a need to defend against it. 

A Wave

The jeep moves slowly through the parade route

and from the rear seat, a soldier sits, armed

with a rifle and a wave.

Along the side of the road, 

with his mother by his side, a boy stands, armed

with a camera and a wave.

Across the road, a family looks on;

the father hoists a toddler onto his shoulders

armed with a blue balloon and a wave.

The jeep, painted in desert camouflage, 

ready for war in a distant land,

now travels this country route, thousands of waves away,

past a hopeful mother, a father, a child.

The jeep's flag catches a benevolent breeze in its fold,

and weaving peace through its threads, it waves.

© Jeanne I. Lakatos  

To hear me read this, please click HERE. 

The History of The United States National Anthem

Click HERE to view the history of the National Anthem of the United States of America.

"The Field of Dreams" and Iconic Realism

Photo of Derek Jeter, formerly of the NY Yankees, from Google Images

From my book, page 57: 

An example of iconic realism in a film would be the baseball field within the 1989 film, Field of Dreams, based on the novel written by W. P. Kinsella and the screenplay written and directed by Phil Alden Robinson. Throughout the film, the audience knows that the mysterious baseball diamond, carved out of an Iowan cornfield by farmer Ray Kinsella, connects with the sport of baseball. Two iconic factors are present, the sport, which many view as America’s heart and the location, which is the heartland of America.

The realism is the actual grass, the parameters of the field, which consist of the edge of a cornfield and the players, themselves, which are the Chicago Black Socks, a team which had gone through a series of legalities during its prime season. The baseball players are ghosts from this infamous team, who simply wish to play out eternity on a ball field. As the plot unfolds, Ray’s true reason to construct the field revolves around ‘having a catch’ with his father. Therefore, the iconic feature of an authentic baseball field, placed in the middle of a cornfield in Iowa, a very unlikely place for a baseball field, elicits the cultural awareness from the main character. Ray’s illusions of his father were detached from a realistic understanding of his father’s passion, for he very much like Ray, himself, was a hardworking young man, who loved baseball.

Therefore, Robinson’s use of iconic realism in the Field of Dreams illustrates a personal mission of opening the consciousness of America to the conflict within the heart of its people and traditions. The use of illusion and human consciousness illuminate the struggle with personal motivation that produces results as stated repeatedly throughout the film, “If you build it, he will come.” This feature of iconic realism in the Field of Dreams adapts well to contemporary statements of community in iconic characterizations and the realistic dynamics of connection and detachment.