Barthes Five Codes

Roland Barthes was a French literary theorist, philosopher, critic and semiotician. He said that texts can be opened or closed, and he narrowed down the action of a text into five codes, which can be woven into any narrative:

• The Hermeneutic Code/Enigma Codes (HER); This refers to any element in a narrative that is not explained, and therefore creates an enigma for the audience, leaving unanswered questions and creating a mystery.
• The Proairetic Code/ The Action Code (ACT); This applies to any action that implies a further narrative action.  
• The Semantic Code (SEM); Any element in a text that suggests a particular meaning by connotation.
• The Symbolic Code (SYM); Organising semantic meaning into broader and deeper sets of meaning.
• The Cultural Code (REF); Points out a shared knowledge of how the world works through codes.

Analysing using Barthes Codes:

The Cultural Code: This is evident when the television is showing the news, and there has been a terrorist attack, and the news reporter says that Islamic people are to blame.
The Hermeneutic/Enigma Code: This is apparent when there is a meeting being held over the terrorist attacks, as the viewer is asking how can they stop these attacks?
The Proairetic/Action Code: This is shown when the government are talking about killing the man who is most likely in charge of the attacks, this leads to more narrative, as it involved trying to find the man, and how to get rid of him.
The Semantic Code: This is apparent when the clip starts, as there is a low key lighting, as it relates to the sequences being shown.
The Symbolic Code: This applies when the man is shown getting on to the bus, the passengers think he is a terrorist dues to his skin colour and his backpack.