ANALOGY about ANALOGIES
· THOSE 3 LITTLE WORDS:
o “I love you”
o they get old mighty fast in a relationship
§ the more you say them, the less they mean
§ after awhile, they lose whatever charm they once had
o SO
o you need to find another way to communicate that same idea
§ to make the same “argument”
o so you look for creative & unique ways to “argue the same claim”
§ by buying flowers
§ going out to dinner
§ holding hands
§ putting the toilet seat down
§ picking up after yourself
§ trashing that old couch
§ burning that ratty tee shirt
§ stop doing that! ....
o all of which say “I love you”
o but not with the same ol’ words
· THAT'S
o what an analogy does
o it argues the same point you could make “straightforward”
§ as you did in the IOE paper
o BUT
o comes at it from a different, unique perhaps more intriguing angle
Here are a few analogy ideas that may spark something for you:
· analogy about analogies:
o you could tell your significant other, “I love you” but that gets old after awhile
o & s/he will need you to make the same argument but in a unique/creative way,
§ so you say the same thing by buying flowers, going out to dinner, holding hands, putting the toilet seat down,....
o all of which say “I love you” but not w/the same ol’ words
o THAT'S what an analogy does
· your major/career or your hobby = your X:
o many nursing students like the “nurses are like” (mothers, or the less gender-specific, parents)
§ this X could be qualified to match your argument: good nurses, bad nurses
o so what's your major OR what's your hobby & how can you explain it in a unique way
§ teachers, plumbers, accountants, nuclear engineers
§ bowling, basketball, volleyball, reading, crocheting
· an issue = your X:
o domestic abuse/abusive relationships
o I just had a student in my “real world” class mention in her introduction about her friend who is in an abusive relationship
o the student didn't pursue this, but I thought it might make for an interesting analogy -
§ imagine your friend is in such a relationship -- how do you feel?
§ helpless, powerless, you just try to be there for her, you want to do something but ...
o to me, this sounds a lot like CANCER
§ since victims of this abuse = typically women à then why not specifically breast cancer
o so my Subject X could be abusive relationships or abusers or knowing a friend in an abusive relationship
o & my Subject Y could be cancer or breast cancer or having a friend suffering from breast cancer
· a complicated system = your X:
o you're trying to explain how some complicated system works
§ don't you love it when your teacher does that in class, to clarify or explain something new & confusing!
o probably something from your major or major hobby
o a CPU in a computer is like a human brain (or vice versa)
o a car is like a human body
o the human digestive tract OR the human cardiovascular network OR ... is like (?)
o the electoral college OR the voting process is like (?)