C h a p t e r 5
Analogy
A
n analogy explains an idea by making a comparison. The analogy may explain
how something works, how something looks, what something means. Usually,
an analogy compares something hard to understand with something easy to under-
stand. It makes the complex simple. As a result, analogy is a popular means of devel-
oping all or parts of many kinds of written products.
How does an analogy differ from a simple comparison? While the analogy explains
the likenesses between two things, usually these two things do not belong to the
same group. For instance, an analogy would not compare two kinds of apples. That
is merely a comparison. [See Chapter 8, Comparison and Contrast.] Instead, an anal-
ogy would compare making long-term investments in the stock market with planting
an apple orchard, showing how long each takes to develop into a profitable venture
and how many dangers lurk along the way. Such an analogy compares something
abstract or complicated (making long-term investments in the stock market) with
something concrete or easy to understand (planting an apple orchard).
CHARACTERISTICS
An analogy includes characteristics that set it apart from a simple comparison. A good
analogy
-^ presents an extended comparison of two things in different classes,
-^ differs from a simple comparison, which serves only to clarify relationships
between or among items in the same class,
-^ compares the complicated with the simple, the unfamiliar with the familiar,
-^ functions to explain or clarify a complicated or unfamiliar item or idea,
-^ resembles a metaphor but is extended and serves to explain or to clarify,
-^ can add drama, humor, and/or interest to an explanation,
-^ shows imagination on the part of the writer,
-^ stimulates the readers’ imagination and interest.