Binary Opposition

In computing, Binary is a base 2 8-bit number system represented by the numeric values of 0 or 1, 0 being OFF and 1 being ON, and is the primary language that computers use to communicate.

Claude Levi-Strauss was a French anthropologist who lived in the early 1900's. He believed that the way we understand certain words depends not so much on any meaning they themselves directly contain, but much more by our understanding of the difference between the word and its 'opposite' or, as he called it 'binary opposites'. 

Binary Opposition refers to a pair of related terms or concepts that are opposite in meaning.

These are some general examples of binary opposites:

• On - Off
• Good - Bad
• Light - Dark
• Male - Female
• Young - Old
• Heaven - Hell
• Left - Right
• Alive - Dead

EXAMPLES OF BINARY OPPOSITION IN MEDIA

The most common type of Binary Opposition used in films and movies is the Protagonist - Antagonist pair. 

BATMAN - THE JOKER

(The Dark Knight series)

This is a classic example. 

Batman represents...

• The Hero
• Good
• Order
• Sanity 

but the Joker represents... 

• The Villain
• Bad
• Chaos
• Insanity

POTTER - VOLDEMORT

(Harry Potter Series)

Harry represents...

• Young
• Weak
• Naive
• Good

but Voldemort represents...

• Old
• Powerful
• Experienced
• Evil

I hope to use the following binary opposites in my Thriller Opening:

Light - Dark

Hunter - Prey

Urban - Rural

High - Low

Static - Dynamic

Safety - Danger