525

READING WORKSHOP

What Is Argument by Analogy?

When Forrest Gump, the main character in the movie of the same title, quotes his mother’s advice that has guided him through life’s challenges, he is using an analogy—a comparison between two ideas, concepts, or situations on the basis of shared qualities. It’s a gently funny line, likely to bring a smile by the way it compares something trivial and familiar (a box of chocolates) with something mysterious and profound (life). It’s intended to be charming, but it is also a very simple argument, claiming that life is unpredictable, while also implying that life is sweet, even if it’s not always what you hoped it would be.

“Life is like a box of chocolates: you never know what you’re gonna get.”
— Forrest Gump

When used as part of an argument, analogies can be very powerful tools, drawing on familiar ideas and experiences to tap into an audience’s beliefs and emotions. But they can also be risky rhetorical moves, drawing connections that might be tenuous or, in some cases, even offensive.