Problem Solving & Comprehension, 7th Edition

6. Analogies

Section 1 Introduction

We often explain and emphasize our ideas by using analogies. For example, when we say “John is a chip off the old block,” we bring home forcefully the similarity between John and his father. In effect we are saying John is so similar to his father, it’s as if John were cut from the same material. Similarly, we read in the Bible “The Lord is my shepherd”—and from just these five words we get a clearer feeling for the protection and comfort felt by the Psalmist than we might from a lengthy, literal essay. Biologists tell us “the heart is like a mechanical pump,” and we immediately understand the heart’s role in ...