1. If you were to select a personal symbol what would it be? Why? And, for further discussion, is one symbol adequate/useful/important for defining self? Symbols are very powerful forms of representation. Every socity has their own symbols. These symbols are found in many forms, such as titles, names, characters and more. Although many people would not generally like to think that they can be represented by a single symbol, I believe that not only is this possible but, this is a common occurrence in many facets of society. From birth people are assigned a symbol in the form of a name. In many cultures these names act as a banner or encompassing title to describe or title an individual. It is this reason that I would choose the Hebrew letter Alef as a personal symbol. The first reason that I feel the letter Alef would correctly represent myself is based upon the characteristics the letter holds. The Alef is equivalent to the English letter A. Both the letter A and the Alef are the beginning of the alphabet they represent. In a very similar way I represent a beginning, as I am the first of five kids in my family. Much like the Alef is a starting point for the rest of the Hebrew alphabet, I as a first-born child set a path for my brothers and sisters. I must set a standard that they can follow. The concept of siblings can only be understood when more than one child is involved so it is with the letter Alef. It is one unit by it self yet this character is part of a larger unit. If you take the Alef away from the Hebrew alphabet you would no longer have an alphabet. This is similar to my role in my family. If I were to pass away the family unit that now exist would be ultimately different. When learning any alphabet you start from the beginning. This is true with the Hebrew alphabet. The first letter that you would learn is the letter alef. Bing a first-born child is similar to the alef in this ways as my parents had to learn how to be This fact reminds me of the reality my parents must have faced when I was growing up. Before my existence they did not have experience raising a child. They had to start from the beginning with me. From this experience they gradually increased in knowledge, which allowed them to govern a whole family