Definition
The dictionary is the first place we think of going for the definition of a word. Dictionary definitions are usually relatively short. Without looking in a dictionary, how would you define a watch?
What if I asked you to define "ketchup"? You might limit yourself to defining it as "a sauce for food made from tomatoes and spices," or you might give a personal, subjective definition: "an overly-sweet sauce with a powerful flavor that overwhelms the taste, good or bad, of whatever it is put on."
What about words like "freedom," "loyalty," "love," "success," "courage," selfishness," "independence," or "cruelty"? All of those are words for important abstract concepts.These words mean different things to different people. You might say that how you define those words defines you.
What if I asked you to define Marilyn Monroe? Or Superman? Or a surfboard? A surfboard means something very different to a surfer from Hawaii than it does to a citydweller who never learned to swim.
www.24hourmuseum.org.uk/ exh/ART13953.html
Things or people that have rich meaning for those from a culture are Icons. An icon represents more than it is in itself. Ask any U.S. person who Elvis, Michael, or Marilyn are and they will probably know who you are talking about, even though you didn’t give the last names. Ask a young U.S. woman what "Barbie" represents.
www.fiftiesweb.com/elvis/elvis-portrait.htm
Assignment: What is a cowboy? What does a cowboy represent? What do people from other countries mean when they call someone from the U.S., George Bush, for example, a cowboy?
www.monh.org/exhibits/cowboy/content.htm
Assignment: Choose an icon and write what it represents to you, to the average person in your country, or ,to the average person in the U.S.. The icon that you choose could be a famous person, a famous product or food, a famous symbol or logo.