Analogy/Metaphor Blog

INSTRUCTIONS: Your homework for Friday is to post a blog (by midnight on Friday) that describes your life, or some portion of it, using an analogy or a metaphor.  Shoot for a meaty paragraph; if it goes longer than that, huzzah.  It may be easier to start telling a story, and then incorporate the analogy or metaphor.  These are loose parameters on purpose: exercise your creativity and voice. 

Then, over the weekend: please comment on two other classmates' blogs (at least), and give them some feedback.  I'll ask you on Monday to let me know whose blogs you commented on.

WHY?:  I'm asking you to do this, first, to help you internalize this literary device so that you'll be that much more equipped to recognize it and discuss it in a text.  Secondly, I'm asking you to do this because it will end up being a great brainstorming activity for your college admissions essays.  Using an analogy or metaphor in a personal statement can be a really effective writing device; it's artful, memorable, sophisticated, shows depth, and can work as an especially effective conclusion to knock their socks off at the end.

EXAMPLE: If you need an example, here's an analogous reflection I wrote in my journal back in 2010 that essentially fits the bill.  It's a little cliche, but I thought it might be something my future-minded seniors would relate to.

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A God picture during prayer:

I pictured myself laying out maps on the ground.  There was a "Trip to South Africa" map, and a "How to be a Teacher" map, and a "Deal with your Family" map, and a "Future Husband" map, and I was spreading them out on the ground in a deferential way.  It was very much a "laying down"-- I was laying down these potential routes before God, in a seeming act of asking for guidance.  Still, sitting on the floor in the midst of all those possibilities began to feel overwhelming.  Where on earth would I begin?  How could I possibly get to every different place on every different map?

Then God made a great big gust of wind come and blow them all away.  I stood up, walked forward, and was on my God-beach.  There was a boat pulled up on the sand, ready to embark, and Jesus grinned and gestured me on board.  I climbed in the boat, and we took off.

And I knew then that we were going somewhere that I had just seen on one of the maps, but I didn't need to know which one or where-- the important thing was that Jesus knew where we were going, that I could trust His captaining, that we were TRAVELING rather than just speculating, and that I had gotten on to the boat.  I had elected to climb in, and let the adventure begin.

It was a cool picture.

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Make sense?  Hope so.  Excited to see what you all come up with!