Estimados Estudiantes,

Today, I ask you to raise your writing level through the use of ANALOGY.

This idea just popped into my head when I considered my RUNNING SHOES to be my own PERSONAL THERAPY.

The other day I introduced "Leather" Girls as a group in a classification essay – Of course, if I were a student in this class, I would be expected to explain and develop the metaphor.

• An analogy is a literary device that explains  a connection between two unlike things. A writer will illustrate this connection by comparing something to another thing that is familiar to the reader in order to make the new concept easier to grasp.
• You may first START with Metaphors and Similes to draw your readers into the discussion, but your Analogy will EXPLAIN the connection. 

From the novel Indian Horse:  "Hockey is like the universe, Saul," he said one day. "When you stand in the dark and look up at it, you see the placid fire of stars. But if we were right in the heart of it, we'd see chaos. Comets churning by. Meteorites. Star explosions. Things being born, things dying. Chaos, Saul. But that chaos is organized. It's harnessed. It's controlled.”

* By the time you read this, you should be familiar with the basic structure of an analogy – I suggest you begin your paragraph with a metaphor or simile. Select  aspects of life you would like to explain and then something you could compare it to.  Like these:

“Humans aren’t meant to be indefinitely bent into pretzels. We bend until we snap, and then we put ourselves back together and hold steady until someone or something bends us again. Every part of that process requires strength, and hope, I think.  Even the breaking. Even if you need help putting yourself back together.”

The analogy suggests that humans are pliable, but at some point they will break. But if they are strong they can put themselves together again.

The writing prompts and samples below  may help you get started on your own analogy:

1.  “It’s like I’m trying to ______. but I’ve got ______. and ______(insert your explanation of how it is similar)

* It’s like I’m trying to climb a mountain, but I’ve got one fool trying to shove me down so I won’t be on his level, and another fool tugging at my leg, trying to pull me to the ground he refuses to leave.

2.  “Our lives aren't so different from a ______, sure. But the thing about life is we don't get to ______. 

* Our lives aren't so different from a crossword puzzle, sure. But the thing about life is we don't get to draw the grid; we take the rows and columns we're given.

You might start something like this:

Ambition is a slow working poison. It starts with just a sip, a taste that does no harm. But then it warms your blood and fills your soul, making you hunger for more. That first sip is never enough, and you gulp until you’re infected with evil.

You might want to organize your thoughts in a table.  Like this:

AMBITION	POISON

Of course, we've learned that an effective analogy EXPLAINS the connections.

• Once you have established your POETRY, you extend your ANALYSIS.

How about this one:  A CONCERT is like an ORGANISM:

“That’s one of my favorite parts about concerts, you know?” She turns to lay on her side and props her head up on one arm. “It’s like being part of some, I don’t know, organism? A living thing. All of us part of a body that needs full participation from each cell to function. You know what I mean?” I was only adequate at science in school, but I understand what she’s saying. “Yeah, exactly. The bands are the lungs, but we’re the breath.”

― Leah Johnson, Rise to the Sun

• When I say analysis – I think you should add CONCRETE details that illustrate your personal experience
• In this case, can you explain the close proximity of bodies in the crowd from all sides pushing in.
• Do you feel a sense of ELECTRICITY in the air?  Like the excitement is contagious.
• Are you part of something larger than yourself?
• You need to extend your analogy to 300 words!

Below:  Jay's Sample Analogy – Running is My Therapy 

My running shoes are protection for my feet and salvation for my soul.  Most people may identify running shoes as an article of clothing, but they are more than that to me.  When I run out the door, I run away from my problems.  At any given time, I have 10-12 pairs neatly arranged on shelves in my closet.  There may be a few different brands, but I go with Nike Free Runs.  I feel comfortable and confident with the build of the shoe because it always seems to match up with the shape of my foot. That's most important when I begin approaching 75 to 85 miles per week in my training.  I don't want to think about my feet when I run.  With the right pair, I work my way towards a Runner's High. The wrong pair can turn my workout into a Walk of Shame. I haven't studied the technical aspects of running shoes, so I stay with what works.  I buy my shoes at the Nike Factory Store in Calexico.  The sales people will talk about Motion, Stability and Arch Support, but I  know what I'm looking for – I'm looking to get my confidence back.  As a teacher, I often wake up  with anxiety in the middle of the night. There's always something I did or didn't do that haunts me, and once  awake I can't get back to sleep.  I roll around in bed. I walk around the house.  I'm not going to tell you what I've tried to resolve this problem, but nothing has worked.  The less I sleep, the more anxious Ibecome.  The more anxious I become, the less I sleep the next day.  This pattern continued  until I began running in the middle of the night. That's when things changed for me. First a few blocks at a time.  Then a few miles.  Than a few hours.  My running shoes became my Personal Therapy. I don't tell the sales people this, but my running shoes  are the last thing I think about before I go to sleep.  They are the first things I think about when I awaken in the morning.  My running shoes set free.  I enjoy the day.  I look forward to tomorrow.

Jay's Final Note to My Students:

I hope you have as much FUN with this paragraph as I did.

This is going to be GREAT.  You will see.

Paz,

JL