Cell analogy

Name:
Instructor:
Course:
Date:
Cell Analogy
My first visit to the Beta Shopping Mall was very eventful, and I could remember how interesting things were. We visited the mall with my friends and from the entrance I was amazed at how many such things could all be assembled at a single place. At this point, I understood that a shopping mall is a collection of different small unit shops all under one roof and coordinated from a central point. From the walls to the door and inside everything seemed very stupefying as I could also see many people with each minding their businesses. We went through a huge door that was made of glass. At the door, I remember seeing security guards performing a security check on people who were entering into the mall. I remember one of my friends asking the necessity of the process and was told that it is necessary for the purposes of safety. I realized that a shopping mall has several points of operations such as supermarkets, eateries, spas which all combine to create the mall. The same way a shopping mall contains several shops within itself, a cell contains organelles and inclusions with each having a specific function within itself.
Inside the mall, we realized that everything was being coordinated by the manager who seemed like the central point of the mall. The manager that we saw coordinated the activities by issuing orders to all the minor shops in the mall. We saw his office which was located far away from the business activities in the mall and allowed the manager some privacy.

I learnt that the manager also assigns the shops to the various business that are located in the mall. On getting hungry, we ate food at one of the eateries in the mall which was a restaurant serving a variety of foods in their menu. One of my friends decided to have a drink at some of the vending machines with his remaining coins. There were also customers being packed food items in plastic branded bags. Food items were being prepared and offered to the customers while cooked and not raw. For example, if a customer wants to eat chips they will not be given potatoes but cooked chips. I also realized that customers were moving out of the mall with items that they had bought and to me, this is ‘emptying’ the mall. There were also cleaners who made sure that all points of the mall are clean as well as maintenance workers who fixed the lights and all the problematic electronics.
The functions of the mall were being dictated by the customers. Imagining if customers were not visiting the mall, it would lose its purpose. With the mall being very large, there were machines which assisted in maneuvering inside the mall as they interconnected each of the areas in the mall. Escalators and elevators were present to allow people move through the areas with ease. There were water dispensers in the mall where people could drink to avoid dehydration.
I have realized that a shopping mall can also be compared to a cell in the way that everything is located inside a particular unit and coordinated from within. The mall analogy would give us a very fine understanding of a cell. The same way a shopping mall contains several shops within itself, a cell contains organelles and inclusions with each having a specific function within itself.
Interesting Fact! The cells are said to replicate within themselves as a way of increasing their number in the organism.

Figure SEQ Figure * ARABIC 1: Organelles of the animal cell
The central system of the mall controls all the activities being performed in the cell and ensures that every point performs its role of serving the customers.

Figure SEQ Figure * ARABIC 2: Shopping mall compares to the cell
A plant cell has a cell wall which is basically a semi-permeable cell membrane for an animal cell similar to the shopping mall doors. This cell membrane has three layers in its complex structure. The wall limits what goes into the cell and goes out just as a mall’s wall keeps away thieves and burglars. It works like a door not allowing huge items inside. For example, one cannot enter into the mall while driving their car or a tractor. The cell wall in the plant cell is hard enough to protect the cell membrane and other organelles. It is a protective cover of the cell that ensures that the integrity of the cell membrane is maintained at all times. Without the cell wall in plant cells, it would be destroyed by any objects and interferences in the environment.

Figure SEQ Figure * ARABIC 3: The cell wall is like a fence around the other organelles in plant cells
This is similar to cell membrane which has spaces for certain particles to go in. Imagining a tractor going through the entrance door to a shopping mall, we see that it is impossible. The semi-permeability aspect of the animal cell membrane is the key part of filtration and decision on the objects allowed and those that are not allowed. The animal cell membrane is able to control the particles that enter through to the cell. This is an aspect of selectivity through the sizes.

Figure SEQ Figure * ARABIC 4: Cell membrane compares to the door of the mall
The cell has a cytoplasm which performs a role akin to the one being performed by the security guards. The cytoplasm is a fluid like a matrix that does the role of ensuring that everything is in place. The cytoplasm holds the contents of the cell in their respective locations which are desired for the cell.

Figure SEQ Figure * ARABIC 5: Cytoplasm compares to the floor with security guards
The nucleus ensures that only the permitted functions are carried out by the respective organelles. The way that a cell works requires coordination in order for life to go on. There are a lot of things in a cell just like a shopping mall. Fundamentally, a cell is the basic unit of life and controls everything that happens in a living organism.

Figure SEQ Figure * ARABIC 6: The nucleus controls cell functions like a mall manager
The cell feeds from the energy generated by the mitochondria, and we can compare this to the eateries that are available in a shopping mall. All the functions and processes of a cell are done in the presence of energy which comes in a form known as adenosine triphosphate. The servings in a mall are comparable to the ATP as one simply cannot be served raw food as it is cooked first.
Figure SEQ Figure * ARABIC 7: The mitochondrion provides energy just like a food court
Ribosomes in the mitochondria manufacture protein for the cell. The different parts of the ribosomes function like the eateries in allowing choices for the customers as its different parts dictates for the types of proteins being manufactured.

Figure SEQ Figure * ARABIC 8: Ribosomes provide proteins for the cells
It is the nucleus which controls the ribosomes’ activities by informing it on what to do all the time. The cell nucleus does the same in the cell by dictating the organelles’ processes. The ribosome organelles are controlled on what to have and in this way the whole cell is able to live and survive.
An animal cell contains an organelle known as the lysosome which acts as the customers in the mall. Just as a customer would go to a shelf in a mall and purchase an item, the lysosome digests away the unwanted materials from the cell which is a way of cleaning the cell. This organelle also removes any matter from the cell which includes worn-out cells, bacteria, and food particles. In doing so, it also performs the role of cleaners and operators in a mall. Therefore, harmful materials such as viruses are cleaned from the cell.

Figure SEQ Figure * ARABIC 9: Shoppers in a mall are like lysosomes that wipe out the cell
The packaging organelles in the cell are the endoplasmic reticulum. These are divided into rough and smooth ones with different functions in the cell. The rough endoplasmic reticulum is analogous to the small restaurants that have different foods. The smooth endoplasmic reticulum can be compared to the bags used to package the foods bought from the restaurants in an organized manner. Thus, this aspect of the endoplasmic reticula makes a lot of sense to the analogy.

Figure SEQ Figure * ARABIC 10: Endoplasmic reticulum
A cell contains a cytoskeleton that interconnects the cell. It allows the cell to be kept in shape as well as store its components. The cytoskeleton is also the basis for the movement of the cell just like the escalators and elevators assist in movement within a mall.

Figure SEQ Figure * ARABIC 11: The cytoskeleton acts as a network
The Golgi bodies in the cell are organelles that aid in the transportation of important materials throughout the cell. If a certain item is needed in the cell, it is the Golgi apparatus that transports messages and also other important messages.

Figure SEQ Figure * ARABIC 12: Golgi apparatus transports messages
In plant cells, the chloroplasts help in the conversion of sunlight to their food. This can be compared to the money put in the vending machine and converted to food. However, this scenario only happens to plant cells as animal cells do not have the chloroplasts and the chlorophyll substances. The conversion of the sunlight to food is very comparable to the ‘conversion’ of coins to snacks and drinks.

Figure SEQ Figure * ARABIC 13: Chloroplasts in plant cell analogous to vending machine
The cell vacuole offers the same function as a water fountain offers in a mall to the cell. The cell vacuole is a storage for the water to be used in hydrating the cell. This ability to store water can also be compared to a water bottle. Water is an essential part of the activities in a cell.

Figure SEQ Figure * ARABIC 14: The vacuoles provide water for the cell
In conclusion, the mall fits in just like a cell in various ways as described above. My adventure in malls has been essential in describing a cell and all its activities. Each of the activities in a mall can be steadily compared to those taking place in a cell. The cell contains organelles and inclusions which are akin to the shops contained in a shopping mall. The analogy of a shopping mall experience indicates the different parts of the cell of a living organism. As one shops wholesomely in a mall, so does the cell perform all its activities to allow functioning of a living organism. For example, the cell vacuole in the cell stores the water required for the hydration of the cell. This ability to store water can also be compared to a water bottle. Water is an essential part of the activities in a cell. There are also many other different activities occurring in a cell just like in a mall, and each of them is centrally coordinated just like in a mall.