An analogy is a similarity or resemblance between two things, people, or situations. It is the use of something familiar to help people understand something new or unfamiliar. An analogy is a very useful tool in writing. A synonym for analogy is equivalence.
When you point out the features of someone or something and compare them with another thing that looks or behaves in a similar way, that is an analogy. Even though equivalence is based on comparison, there is usually a reason for the comparison.
You could be showing a degree of difficulty or a similar feature that two things or people share. The main purpose of using an analogy is to describe something that everyone knows and can easily visualize, then use the understood concept to explain something that your audience did not know, prior to the explanation.
Having stimulated the audience’s mind with the familiar concept, it is easier to imprint your new information on their minds.
An analogy is very useful in expository writing, which involves introducing and explaining theories and concepts that may be strange. Expository writing explains and sheds light on different topics. So, in order to successfully do this, your article must start from the known before it progresses to the unknown.
Examples of Analogy
An analogy is so powerful that it can use a denotative meaning to show similarity, while ultimately pointing to a connotative meaning. Here are some examples:
Imagine having a discussion with your friend, and she says, “Do you know the way our school drum sounds? That is how the balloon sounded when it exploded.” You obviously know what your school drum sounds like, so it is easy for you to imagine the balloon exploding with that same sound, even though you did not witness the event.
When you are telling the story to another friend, you are likely to say that the sound of the balloon exploding was similar to that of your school drum. That is because it is easy to implant ideas and create mental images through analogy.
Here is a popular analogy:
‘This world is but a canvas to our imaginations’ – Henry David Thoreau
This sentence means that we can be as creative as we want, as the world is our canvas. It means that there are no limitations to our creativity, and we can bring our ideas to life in our physical world, not just our minds’ world.
When you read this sentence by Henry David Thoreau, you immediately imagine a painter’s canvas. A canvas is usually plain until the artist creates a work of art on it. When you relate that information to this famous sentence, you realize that just as the canvas awaits the artistic expertise of the artist, to shine forth in beauty and become no longer plain but extraordinary, so the world awaits our creativity and ingenuity.
Furthermore, the sentence points to the fact that creativity starts in the mind. You first create in your mind, before you create outwardly for the world to see. The mind is full of ideas and the world is ready to receive those ideas, especially as they make the world a better, more beautiful place.
With just one sentence, like Thoreau’s, we have gone beyond the surface meaning to the in-depth or connotative meaning. Using our knowledge of the keywords in that statement, which are “world”, “canvas”’ and “imaginations”, we have also understood what would have ordinarily been a complex idea. That is what an analogy does.
It is important to point out that although similes and metaphors also compare two things or people, they are not explanatory like analogies. A simile uses “as” and “like.” A metaphor directly calls one thing the name of another to show a similarity.
An analogy, on the other hand, compares two people or things, in order to point out a deeper meaning or help the reader understand a more complex idea.
Who Can Use an Analogy?
An analogy can be used by everyone. You can use equivalence in speaking. Writers of various genres can also use an analogy to explain and simplify ideas.
When using an analogy, it is important to explain the relationship between the familiar idea or situation and the new or strange situation. The amazing thing about equivalence is that it transcends just formal settings, as it can be used in informal settings, both in writing and speaking.
The world of analogy awaits you. Tap into your familiar experiences to explain new ideas. It is much easier for your audience to connect the two.
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