Discuss the way in which cameron has used binary opposition to create meaning in titanic.

In the extract we watched , Cameron uses binary opposition to show the difference between the rich and poor.  He does this by showing Rose arriving in a gold plated car which denotes wealth and is symbolic to high class showing her,and her family have power and wealth.  As she steps out the car she looks up at the boat with the sun shining down on her face again creating emphisis on her class and power and making her seem like a god-like figure.  

As the camera is focused on Rose she is wearing a purple hat,this again signifies wealth showing she is upper class.  The colour of the purple hat is very clean and the sun shining down shows how it is almost looking brand new and expensive, this connotes to the viewer that she is a strong character that will stand out. This is then juxtaposed with the use of iconography where as the first part of Jack the audience is him in a smoky room playing poker,dirty hands and messy hair and the only hat that is being worn is his french friends which looks like an old dirty chimney sweeper style hat this is an iconic sign that connotes that he is from the working class.

Also in the very opening we are introduced to the binary opposition between old and new.  The first clip shown is the sunken ship and then the camera pans to show the ship as if it were in 1912. Another binary oppostion between between old and new we see is between Rose and her mother. Her mother seems to be impressed with the ship, where as, Rose is uninterested and compares it to a previous boat she has been on and seems to feel as if its not a new expeirence and its just another boat trip.

Another Binary opposition Cameron used is as the passengers are boarding the ship the lower class and the upper class, because on one hand the lower class citozens are boarding at the bottom of the ship where it’s coloured black which connotes dirt and grime where as the upper class are boarding on the top of the ship which is white which connotes happiness/bliss and purity/clean. This is because people in the upper class can clean wash and dont have to work. On the other hand, lower class usually worked in factories and could not afford many clothes or even wash where as Rose wears very clean new clothes. Also, the lower class have to do health inspections before boarding to check for lice and even desises.  The upper class do not need to do this as they are expected to be clean.  Also, the lower class are wearing browns and blacks which again connotes to the impression that they are dirty as they cannot afford nice fresh coloured clothes that have to be dyed and stains/dirt are not seen on darker clothing.