Nucleus:

 A nucleus is like city hall. This is the control center of the entire cell. Similarly, Town hall monitors and controls the activities in a city.

  • Nuclear envelope:

    The nuclear envelope protects the outside of the outside of the nucleus, allowing certain things in and out. The fence around city hall is an accurate analogy because it not only protects the building, but allows certain people in and out.

  • Nucleolus:

    Located in the nucleus, this is where ribosomes are synthesized and given specific instructions on how to carry out their duties. This can be represented as a planning office where the members of town hall discuss and hire workers to carry out projects throughout town.

Endoplasmic Reticulum:

The ER’s job is to process and ship ribosomes. The smooth ER creates lipids, carbohydrates and proteins as well as detoxifies drugs and poison. This is like a processing plant, or a factory which does the same thing to make consumer goods. The rough ER is where the ribosomes carry substances to be held and be prepared for shipping. A shipping company does the same thing.

Golgi Apparatus:

The golgi uses transport vesicles to ship the products of the ER to other places in the cell where they are needed. A post office is similar in that matter because it delivers the mail and other packages all over the city.

  • Golgi Bodies:

    Golgi bodies are the transport vesicles that break off the cell and carries the substances about the cell. This is like a delivery van as it is the vehicle for the delivery of mail.

Central Vacuole:

In a plant cell, the central vacuole holds extra water, sap, poisons and pigments. A water tower (for obvious reasons) performs the same job, but it only holds water.

Peroxisomes:

They use oxygen to break down fatty acids as well as to detoxify harmful toxins. They can be like the street cleaners or recycling centers, as they clean up the city as well.

Mitochondria:

Mitochondria are the power houses of the cell. They participate in cell respiration, and generate ATP from the extracted energy of sugars and fats with the help of oxygen. A power plant operates in a similar matter because it takes fossil fuels (or split atoms) in order to produce electricity for the town.

Chloroplast:

Chloroplasts in a plant cell are the sites of photosynthesis, where solar energy is converted into chemical energy. Solar power plants convert the sun’s energy into electricity.

  • Thylakoids:

    Inside the chloroplasts are flattened sacs called thylakoids. This is where the actual photosynthesis occurs. A group of them is called a granum. In a sense, the solar panels at the plant can represent this, as they are the mechanisms that absorb the sun’s light.

Cytoskeleton:

The cytoskeleton is a dynamic structure that is contained within the cytoplasm that helps maintain its structure and aid in transportation. A road system also aids in the transportation of people and goods.

Plasmodesmata:

These are pores that are located on the cell wall and is selectively permeable to substances entering in and out of the cell. A gate to the city is also a selective entrance to the structure.

Cell Wall:

The cell wall in a plant is made of the carbohydrate, cellulose. It is there for structural support and protection and prevents the overexpansion of water. It is much thicker than the cell membrane. A city wall also contains its citizens and act as a barrier for outside forces.

Cell Membrane:

The cell membrane separates the interior of the cell from the exterior, primarily they are made from proteins and lipids. In a city, this is like the city limits, or its borders, because it cannot expand beyond that.

Cytoplasm:

The cytoplasm contains all the organelles within the cell. The grass and “free area” in a town fills up the space between the buildings as well as contain them.