Roland Barthes is given credit for having created the rhetorical term of semiotics which he defines as “the study of the social production of meaning from sign systems; the analysis of anything that can stand for something else” In my opinion however, humans have been applying meaning to symbols since the beginning of time. Whether it be consciously or subconsciously, even the earliest man knew smoke meant fire. Barthes expands on this idea when he explains the meaning of modern symbols such as diamonds to represent love. Humans go through everyday of their lives applying new meanings to symbols that we grow to understand as an entire culture. An example of this would be the handicap symbol we see everyday as Americans. Whether it be in parking spots, or on bathroom doors we are compltely aware that symbol means only people with handicaps should be using whatever the symbol is on.