Journey to Kilimanjaro

Student Handout

How Is a Mountain Like an Island?

Suppose you had to describe a mountain that rises out of a large and flat grassy area, but you couldn't use the words mountain, huge, flat, or grass. You might express the idea by making an analogy. An analogy is a comparison of the similarities of objects that are otherwise different. For example, the mountain might be like an island in the ocean because both of them are tall points in the middle of a large flat environment.

Analogies can also help you explain things dramatically. For instance, being awakened by an alarm clock is like jumping into a New England pond in December. Why? Because both experiences are shocking and neither one makes you feel too good. Here are some other analogies for you to try.

	Eating anchovy pizza is like Why?			A volcano is like Why?
	A lizard is like Why?			A shopping mall is like Why?
	The winter is like Why?			My favorite pair of shoes is like Why?