Icon

1)
The denotational meaning of the first image I chose is the geographical location of The Dominic Republic. Even a person, who does not know much about it, is able to understand that this is a country, as well as where it is located on the map – boarding Haiti, the Caribbean sea, as well as the North Atlantic Ocean. According to the legend, the capital is Santo Domingo. No prior knowledge is needed to reach this point of evaluation of information, as everything is illustrated in the image. This is the location, shape, and size of the country.
Connotational meaning: The Dominican Republic is not a very big or famous country. Considering the country it boards, as well as its location, the people, who look at the image could gain an idea in which part of the world it is. It is in the Caribbean region, and the national language is Spanish. This means that there are a lot of people who are living under the poverty line, barely managing to survive another day. Natural disasters, such as tsunamis, tornados, earthquakes as well as flooding, are hitting them all the time, which prevents a lot of people to rebuild what they have lost. This is a result of judgment and evaluation, as well as additional background information.

2)”
“…After that, the orientation follows – Monika sets up the setting – she introduces us to the first step to begin studying in the U.S., emphasizing on the fact that all her tips are based on her own experience, and being from the Dominican Republic. (00:11-00:41) All of that gives her viewers some background about her and about her story, as well as why everybody’s story is different.”

Throughout the whole video, Monika talks about her experience as an international student in the U.S. She emphasizes that everyone’s story depends on their background, culture, past experiences, and so on. Whether the meaning changes depends on the meaning that the icon has – is it denotational or connotational. If the meaning behind the icon is only denotational – then it does not change the narrative, as it does not bring much (if any) useful information. However, if the connotational meaning is considered, the narrative changes, as the high poverty rates reveal that the country’s economy is not big, therefore not many families can afford sending their children to study in the U.S. That, on its own leads to the idea that Monika might not find a lot of other students from her home country, which later on in her video, she brings up as one of her struggles, however, she can meet a lot of Spanish speakers and connect with them.