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| Click above to shop and compare ... literally |
"COMPARE AND CONTRAST ..."
I've been comparing and contrasting — mostly
comparing — for about as long as I can remember.
Analogies (along with their lesser-seen cousins the Similes and their
more sophisticated kin the Metaphors) are more than a delightful
form of word play (and they are that). They are like bridges between
concepts, helping you move from a place you're familiar with to one
that's new to you.
I remember with excitement a "cluster" Humanities course in college
that connected the dots between philosophy and music and art and
literature. That's when I fell in love with the notion of a liberal arts
education. It sparked a veritable fireworks display of associations in
my mind. Suddenly the language of painting was the same as the
language of music. I held a mirror to architecture and found writing
reflected. On and on it went. And I "got it." Seeking similarities was a
way to kick-start understanding.
Since then I've borrowed from music to make points in my writing
sessions. I've borrowed from rodeos to talk about the way a drug
works (more about that later). In fact, the beauty of thinking "inside
the box" is that you learn to borrow from just about everything to the
benefit of everything else.
Once, while leading a professional development session on writing I
spontaneously suggested to people that when looking for a way to
make a concept come alive they "visit the Analogy Store." The
perfect slogan for my fictitious word merchant jumped to mind:
"There's nothing like it!" In addition to getting a delayed laugh (it
sometimes takes people a minute to get the joke, but I've been told
that's the price of "intellectual" humor) it gave me an idea of
someday collecting interesting examples of analogies.
So welcome to my attempt to make the Analogy Store a little more
like a real place. Come look around. I hope you find something
that's just like what you're looking for ...
I've been comparing and contrasting — mostly
comparing — for about as long as I can remember.
Analogies (along with their lesser-seen cousins the Similes and their
more sophisticated kin the Metaphors) are more than a delightful
form of word play (and they are that). They are like bridges between
concepts, helping you move from a place you're familiar with to one
that's new to you.
I remember with excitement a "cluster" Humanities course in college
that connected the dots between philosophy and music and art and
literature. That's when I fell in love with the notion of a liberal arts
education. It sparked a veritable fireworks display of associations in
my mind. Suddenly the language of painting was the same as the
language of music. I held a mirror to architecture and found writing
reflected. On and on it went. And I "got it." Seeking similarities was a
way to kick-start understanding.
Since then I've borrowed from music to make points in my writing
sessions. I've borrowed from rodeos to talk about the way a drug
works (more about that later). In fact, the beauty of thinking "inside
the box" is that you learn to borrow from just about everything to the
benefit of everything else.
Once, while leading a professional development session on writing I
spontaneously suggested to people that when looking for a way to
make a concept come alive they "visit the Analogy Store." The
perfect slogan for my fictitious word merchant jumped to mind:
"There's nothing like it!" In addition to getting a delayed laugh (it
sometimes takes people a minute to get the joke, but I've been told
that's the price of "intellectual" humor) it gave me an idea of
someday collecting interesting examples of analogies.
So welcome to my attempt to make the Analogy Store a little more
like a real place. Come look around. I hope you find something
that's just like what you're looking for ...
| All content © Copyright 2006, 2007 by John Armato unless otherwise indicated. Content may be freely excerpted with attribution for nonprofit use. All other uses by permission only. Just ask me. I'll probably say yes. |
