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ENC 1101, Freshman
Composition I
Instructions for the Analogy Essay
In many ways, a
basketball
player…
They are both
athletic,
… is just, like
graceful
and a
dolphin.
crowd
pleasing.
Understand what this essay
requires you to do.
An analogy essay requires that you show the
similarities between two unlike things.
Easy options are the following:
Compare a person to an animal.
Explain how a person is like a force of nature.
Show how a piece of technology is like a living
thing.
Explain how a scientific event mimics an
everyday occurrence.
Your job is to enlighten, surprise, or
amuse your reader.
Think outside the box.
Yo, dude, get out of the box.
Thinking creatively is good
preparation for all the types of
writing you will do in future
classes!
I can’t think of
anything to
write for this
assignment!
A person is like an animal.
My lazy brother
Fred is just like Killer,
my dog …
… All they both do
is sleep,
scratch, and
eat.
A person is like a force of nature.
My father’s
anger is just
like a
hurricane …
… There are
warning signs,
high winds, and
lots of
destruction.
A piece of technology is like a living thing.
… He’s
unreliable
Isaac,
my current ,
boyfriend,
just like
requires is
high
a used car
… isn’t
maintenance
, and
much to look at.
Yeah, but I
do have a
fat
wallet.
A piece of technology is like a living thing.
My
girlfriend is
like a cell
phone …
… busy when I need
her, expensive if I
spend too much time with
her, and always
“going off” when I
want some quiet.
A scientific event is like an everyday
occurrence.
In a number of ways,
a traffic jam is
like a heart
attack …
Roads are like
arteries, cars are
like blood cells,
and an accident is like
a blockage.
Papers will be
rewarded for
originality and
thoughtfulness and
penalized for
banality and
boringness.
Some analogies are worth
a million dollars!
John Searle, a
modern philosopher,
was asked, “Will a
computer ever think
like a human being?”
His answer, the
Chinese Room
Analogy, is worth
over a $1,000,000!
The Chinese Room Analogy
Computer
hardware = An
English
speaking person
in an isolated room
Computer software
= book with
instructions in
English
Computer user =
Chinese speaker
putting cards with
Chinese writing
into the room.
Isolated
Room
In Chinese, this
means “Hello,
how are you?”
Slot in
wall
你好，
你好
吗?
Chinese
speaker
我是
優良，
謝謝。
BOOK
Instructions
in English
After
checking
the book,
the
English
speaker
returns a
card that
means, “I
am fine,
thanks.”
English
speaker
Questions: Will the Chinese speaker believe that
the man in the room knows Chinese? But will the
English speaker in the room ever learn to
understand Chinese?
Not all analogies are so
complicated. What
follows is the type of
analogy anyone can
create.
A classroom is like the solar system.
The sun = the
professor
The causes
of the
French
Revolution
are many and
complicated.
Got a pen?
Good. First,
…
Center of the solar
system = center of
the classroom
Light and heat =
information and
knowledge
Radiating light and
heat = instruction
Mercury = the
suck up
Close to the sun =
close to the professor
[front row, first to
approach after class,
etc.]
Temperatures on
surface = attitudes
toward course material
What a great lecture
today, Professor! Here,
I have a little
something for you!
in the professor’s
presence
Density of planet =
resistance to real
learning
Venus = the
snob
Cloud cover =
student’s
mysteriousness
Reflective
brightness =
student’s
demonstration of
intelligence
Greenhouse effect
on planet surface =
unwillingness to
communicate
Yes, darling, I
do know
more than
you! But I
have no plans
to share! Get
your own As.
Earth = the good
student
Planet’s
atmosphere =
willingness to
absorb new
knowledge
Protective ozone
layer = critical
thinking
Presence of life =
working
creatively with
the course material
More
essays?
More
grammar? I
say bring it on,
Professor!
Mars = the
slacker
Lack of life on
What, I’m
supposed
to be in
class
now?
planet’s surface = lack
of interest in
classroom activities
Dust storms on
planet’s surface =
ineffective
application of course
material
Similarity to Earth
[atmosphere,
temperature, gravity] =
ability, just not
classroom ability.
Jupiter = the
returning
student
Energy and light of
planet = real-world
experiences of the
student
Output from planet
= complementary
information to the
professor's
instruction
That might
be what the
textbook
says, but it’s
not how we
do it at the
job site.
Saturn = the
smartass
Rings attract
attention = wise
cracks attract
attention
Rings deflect
interest in planet
= wise cracks
deflect
appreciation of
student’s intellect
… and then
the
chicken
says, “I’ll have
a
chocolate
milkshake,”
and …
Uranus,
Neptune, and
Pluto = the
back row gang
Distance from Earth
= physical and
emotional distance
in classroom
Few known facts
about them =
professor's
uncertainty about
the learning of these
students
What is this
guy doing?
You know the routine.
Do the outline for your essay. Be sure to
include a thesis statement.
A sample outline exists at the course web
site.
Note the due date for the outline.
Write the rough draft for the essay.
A sample essay also exists at the course
web site.
Note the due date for the rough draft.
Finally, note the due date for the final draft
of the paper.
The End
is like a …