A is for ANALOGY

Hi everybody and welcome to day one of the A to Z blogging challenge!

            As promised I will be keeping the entries writing related, and today we start with A is for ANALOGY.

            My critique partner Sarah and I were playing an online word game the other week and this got me thinking about the nature of writing.  While games challenge a person’s skill at taking loose letters and forming patterns of words, a writer takes loose words and forms patterns of sentences and symbolism. 

                 

Of course I racked my brain for a good examples for this entry, but analogies are special because they are a step up from both similes and metaphors.  

              Metaphor: a comparison between the two unlike things that share something in common. (The [first thing] is a [second thing].)

               Exp:

                 “All the world is a stage.”  - Shakespeare

              Simile: compares two different things using "like" or "as.”  Also referred to as “open comparison.”

               Exp:            

                 “She took to the work like a duck to water."

              Analogy: A comparison between two things, typically on the basis of their structure and for the purpose of explanation or clarification.
               Exp:
                “He felt like a fish out of water." 

           

A few famous examples include:

            “... worrying is as effective as trying to solve an algebra equation by chewing bubble gum." - Baz Luhrmann, Everybody’s Free (to Wear Sunscreen)

            "Like is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you’re going to get." – Forrest Gump

                                    

          The comparisons also help flesh out subtext and meaning.  And despite their complexity, there’s no need to be intimidated by how to craft a good analogy.  The key when writing is to concentrate on the relative comparison of what you're trying to convey. 

And so wraps up day one. 

                

  Please reply and let me know what your favorite analogies are and come back tomorrow for day two of the A to Z Blogging Challenge!  B is for Backstory.

I look forward to seeing you!

- SNG