Cell Analogy ExerciseMary Eddy

Example - The nucleus is analogous to our schools office, because it controls or coordinates the rest of the schools function.

My cell analogy is based on a “Criminal Rehabilitation Center” –aka a Prison/Detention Center.

  • Nucleus –The nucleus is like the prison guardroom, it has all of the filing cabinets (chromatin) with the prisoner’s papers (DNA-their crime and how they should be rehabilitated).
  • Nucleolus – The nucleolus is like the central desk in the guardroom, has the security camera screens and sign in sheets for the guards.
  • Chromatin – The chromatin is like the filing cabinets with the prisoners rehabilitation papers.
  • Nuclear membrane – The nuclear membrane is like the sound and riot proof walls of the main guardroom, it doesn’t let anyone or anything in unless they have “clearance”
  • Nuclear pore – The nuclear pore is like the retinal scan at the door of the guardroom, only those with clearance can get into the room.
  • Cytoplasm – The cytoplasm is like the prison floor-all of the prisoners (amino acids) floating around waiting to be made into outstanding citizens (proteins).
  • Central vacuole/Vacuole – The central vacuole is the main storage room, full of provisions for the cafeteria and the furnace room (mito.).
  • Ribosomes – The ribosomes are like the guards, using the rehabilitation papers (DNA/RNA) to turn the prisoners (amino acids) to turn them into outstanding citizens (proteins).
  • Proteins – The proteins are like the reformed prisoners (amino acids turned into proteins), shaped by the guards into what they need to be (proteins) to be of use to society (the organism).
  • Endoplasmic reticulum – The endoplasmic reticulum is like the shrink’s office with the therapist who takes the ‘outstanding citizens’ and helps them get over their childhood traumas so that they are fit to enter the real world and not be of danger to anyone.

Golgi apparatus – The golgi apparatus is like the station at the prison where those about to be released get their hair cut, a shave, a shower, and a suit. They can’t go out and become members of society looking like prisoners.

  • Vessel – The vessels are like the guard’s assistants, moving the prisoners/outstanding citizens though the program before their release.
  • Lysosomes – The lysosomes are like the janitorial staff that cleans up after the guards ‘waste’—those prisoners who were not able to become outstanding citizens.
  • Mitochondria – The mitochondria is like is an island by itself-the furnace room in the prison, no one gets in other than the fuel, both in the form of coal (sugars) and electricity (solar power) and nothing comes out other than the energy needed to run the prison (ATP).
  • Chloroplast – The chloroplasts are like the solar cells on the roof of the prison, creates another energy source.
  • Plasma membrane – The security system along the rim of the facility, has checkpoint gates for those coming in and going out of the prison. Only lets those with clearance in or out. (there are no escaped prisoners in this analogy).
  • Cell wall – The cell wall is the rigid, concrete wall the surrounds the entire prison, including the yards. It is created to keep not-yet-reformed prisoners from escaping and to keep their crazy relatives from getting in to save them.