Analogies
Learning Objectives
In this lesson, you will focus on the following objective:
Vocabulary:
When John Donne compared the bond between human beings to the relationship between an island and the mainland, he created one of the most famous analogies in all of literature.
Vocabulary:
- Understanding analogies.
Analogies
Literature Connection
When John Donne compared the bond between human beings to the relationship between an island and the mainland, he created one of the most famous analogies in all of literature.
“No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main.”
—John Donne, from “Meditation 17”
An analogy is a comparison based on a similarity between things
that are otherwise dissimilar. To complete an analogy on a test,
you must select from a list the pair of words that represents the same
relationship as is in the first pair.
Strategy
A good strategy for completing analogies is to make up a
sentence in which a clear relationship exists between the ideas
represented in the first pair of words:
stanza : poem ::
a. flag
: anthem c.
mural : painting
b. room
: building d.
program : recital
To determine the relationship represented by the first pair of words,
you might use them in a sentence like this one: “A stanza is a division
of a poem.” Only pair b could also work in the sentence you
created: “A room is a division of a building.”
Analogies can be based on a variety of relationships.
| Relationship | Example |
|---|---|
| Association or usage | A farmer is associated with or uses a plow. |
| Part/whole | A needle is a part of a compass. |
| Example/class | Asia is a continent. |
| Synonym or antonym | Affliction is a synonym for suffering. |