Symbols in Language

1. What is(are) the cultural origin(s) of the symbol? 
2. Describe the knowledge portrayed by the symbol.
3. Is the symbol emotive, ambiguous or vague? 
4. What are the problems of knowledge you identify for the symbol?

1) This symbol originates from ancient Egypt, is a symbol that represented the goddess of life and death who was known as Hathor. It was said she used it to create life. Is sometimes known as the key to the Nile. 

2)  The symbol represents a goddess  of life but later on in Egypt it became associated with the Pharaoh's physician Imkotep who died and was made a god of medicine, so it is also associated with medicine in Egypt. It means healing or life. Today is is associated with pharmaceutics companies.

3)The symbol is ambiguous because it once represented both life an death, but it is also emotive since it can be taken in a very positive, or a very negative way.   

4)Problems of knowledge could be not knowing what the symbol meant. Or it could be assuming that since the symbol is also called the "Key of the Nile" that it represents the river instead of medicine or the goddess Hathor.