Analogy - AP® English Definition

Analogy is a comparison between two different things to show how they are similar in some way. In AP English, students learn that an analogy helps to explain or clarify a complex idea by comparing it to something more familiar or simple.

Writers use analogies to make their arguments clearer and more persuasive. By showing how one thing is like another, they help the reader understand their message more easily. Analogies are especially common in essays, speeches, and persuasive writing.

Example of analogy in an AP English text

In 'Letter from Birmingham Jail' by Martin Luther King Jr., he writes:

“Just as Socrates felt that it was necessary to create a tension in the mind so that individuals could rise from the bondage of myths… we must see the need for nonviolent gadflies...”

Here, King compares his actions to those of Socrates, using an analogy to explain the purpose of civil disobedience — showing it as a way to encourage deeper thinking and social change.