Year 11 Advanced English have started the HSC course on a roll with their study of the Common Module: Texts and Human Experiences.

Students were asked to compose a metaphor, analogy or simile comparing human experiences to another element of life.

Below are some samples of the students using imagery to convey their own experiences.

Experiences are like the days of the year. With each new day comes unexpected events and new paths. The weather mirroring the evolution of individuals. Each day unique to another much like experiences.

Experiences are like pizzas. They all have the same basic foundation that may differ in size or ingredients. However the toppings preferred by specific people may be hated by others, and sometimes you are given a pizza you don't like, but can't return.

Experiences are like flowers. All flowers look different, smell different and have different purposes yet they are all considered beautiful. Experiences come in all shape and sizes and like flowers are all beautiful and positive in their own way. Also like flowers when they die another flower grows in its place, experiences can end but will be replaced, sometimes by bigger and better ones.

Life is like a car. A car is built with one main purpose which is to drive but it cannot drive without all of its parts. likewise, everyone has a purpose in life and they cannot fulfil their purpose without experiences as the experience show them their purpose. Some experiences may be bad and some may be bad but their is always a positive lesson learnt that allows for the main purpose of life to be achieved.

Experiences are like a tree. At birth, each human grows through a similar basis to existence - the stump. It is of the age of reason that an individual and their experiences become more defined, 'branching' out to become unique amongst humanity. This notion is further supported by the distinctive elements of each tree, despite a common species, delineating the independence of each human on their own pathway of experiences, of which are reflected upon, as determined by individual human 'nature.'

Experiences are like a roller coaster. You don't fully experience the high points of your journey without the contrast of the lows.

An experience is like an artwork. You begin with a blank canvas, and each experience in life adds a brush stroke to the artwork, each colour representing the emotion and feeling created in the experience. As you continue to look back on the artwork, you see the progress of the painting, much like reflecting on your progress as a person in life, and at the end, you are able to look back at the masterpiece you have created and achieved in your life.

Experiences are like a recipe. When you divide the ingredients and leave them on their own, you can categorise them: good, bad, sweet, salty. However, the end result allows the contrasting elements to combine into something that has much more value, representing how the trials and successes of people all contribute to the final result.

Experiences are like the images in a kaleidoscope. Within the kaleidoscope, there is a composition of various coloured pieces. These pieces represent the objective events that make up an experience, and are known to have occurred. However in the kaleidoscope, by shifting the handle, different amounts of light is allowed in, creating unique and beautiful patterns. This relates each individual's unique context and the different ways in which they observe an event. As a consequence of these differences, like the images produced in the kaleidoscope, each individual will have a unique and beautiful experience from the original set of events.

An experience is a seed within a garden. One has an experience, and the seed is planted. If one looks back at the experience, nurtures it, appreciates it, the seed grows into a plant. If one ignores the experience, it shrivels, dies, and creates a burden upon the garden- because it becomes a waste of an opportunity. However, if one keeps coming back to an experience, keeps learning, keeps growing as it grows, the plant thrives, and creates a better atmosphere overall, allowing for the other plants, the other experiences, to thrive in turn.

A human experience is of comparison to a fleeting dove, which can be grasped at our will, but never be seen, or fully understood for it's existence. Fleeting for its temporary and impermanent nature, escaping is but available for us to capture at our own initiative. Symbolically a dove for its purity, enrichment in it's completion, and ourselves being flown above by our lasting perceptions from the experience. Never seen for it is undefined, nor understood for its existence, we gaze upon it, take hold of it, but never understand, why.

Imagine a bookshelf. Each shelf contains many books, all to which have a different and unique story staining them. They are categorized into different genres, determining if they are tragic, comedic, traumatic or memorable. These books are like our human experiences; made up of different, life staining stories ultimately illustrating and molding us into the people we are today.

Experiences are like constructing a building. Every unique experience is another piece of the building, slowly make it larger and stronger. Eventually the building has enough experience and is complete. But every single experience, small or large, is vital in the completion and strength of the whole building. Much akin to every experience building a person, and building their resilience with every new one until they are complete and die.

An experience is like a Tree. A Tree, like our experiences, grow overtime and produce new branches and leaves as it develops. The branches are the pathways of each experience we go through and the new leaves are the outcome of the overall experience. As we journey through life, new leaves and branches grow whilst some die. But the experiences are what keep the tree together.

Experiences are like the stepping stones along a garden path. Human experiences within life can be compared to the image of a garden, as a result of their expeditionary nature. Experiences carry us through life, each bringing us closer to whatever it is we seen as the end of our journey. Experiences carry us forward, yet remain behind us, as memories and lessons learned.

Experiences are like a Rubik's cube. Small observations are each tile on the cube is a memory which is arranged together to form a complete understanding. The Rubik's cube can have various configurations which symbolise how experiences differ between individuals as they perform different actions to shape a complete memory

If you have never tasted a bad apple, you cannot appreciate a good one. You have to have good and bad experiences to appreciate ad understand life

An experience is like a fingerprint, everyone has one but no two are identical and will not repeat again.

Life experiences are like a big pot of soup. They can vary in sizes of 'significance'; for example, little experiences as learning to tie your shoes can be represented as a mushroom whilst getting married can be perceived as a piece of meat such as a chicken. Additionally, experiences can either be bitter or hearty. In life; we all experience both positive and negative events which can determine the 'taste' of the experience as a whole. Lastly, life as experience can either be beneficial or discouraging for a person; such as how soup can either bring a vigorous influence or a hazardous one.

An arrow gets pulled down to the point of snapping, only to then launch itself into the great unknown. Similar to this, life can weigh you down with negative experiences, but just remember, the further you get pushed down, the more positive experiences you will subsequently face and the higher you will fly.

Mr Herb

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