ShmoopTube

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Analogies, a la Shmoop.

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It would be pretty boring if all we ever did in our writing was...tell it like it is. [Man and woman sitting on couch]

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The girl was angry.

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The man loved his wife.

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My stomach is full.

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Anyone still awake out there? Thank goodness for analogies.

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Analogies are tools we use help a reader envision or understand what we’re talking about… [Definition of analogy appears]

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…by comparing something to…something else, and making it relatable.

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The girl was as angry as a penned-up animal that hadn’t eaten for days. [Girl angry outside a gate]

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The man’s love for his wife was as boundless as the vast expanse of space.

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My stomach is as full as a helium balloon just before it pops.

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A little more interesting, right?

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But hold up… aren’t these just examples of metaphors?

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Hey, good catch. Metaphors…

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…are really just simple figures of speech…while analogies are more in-depth comparisons that

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indicate more of a direct relationship between two things.

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Which can come in handy if, for example, you need help getting your point across when making [Essay on sheet of paper appears]

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an argument in an essay.

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Your reader may not really get how quickly the polar icecaps are melting… [Polar bear in it's cave]

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…but if you make an analogy comparing it to how quickly they melted at the end of the

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last glacial period…

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…you may get your reader to sit up, pay attention…and maybe stop spraying their [Man throws aerosol bottles in the park]

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aerosol can into the air.

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Maybe you’re making the claim that Franklin Piece was one of the greatest U.S. Presidents…

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…well, you can really drive the point home by making an analogy between Pierce’s accomplishments

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and Lincoln’s. Although…you may have to get a little creative there. [Lincoln and Pierce paintings on a wall]

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Or you could be trying to convince your reader that soccer is about to experience an increase

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in popularity in the U.S.

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What better way than to draw an analogy, perhaps by drawing a connection to baseball’s surge

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in the late 19th century?

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There are also extended analogies, which are like regular analogies, only…extended. [Hand stretching analogies]

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They might go on for lines, or even paragraphs…

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…comparing fear to a cockroach…

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…or faith to an elephant…

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…or…well, really any two things you can draw some type of elaborate parallel between.

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Analogies aren’t ever necessary…but they do add life to your writing, and can often

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bring some much needed clarity to an argumentative effort. [Skyline appears]

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If you’re like us, and would do anything to win someone over to your way of thinking…

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…analogies could be just what the doctor ordered. [Woman taking a pill]

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