These cartoons use metaphor to compare the U. S. economy to different types of things —in one case a vehicle, in the other a house. Vehicles and houses have different qualities, and we relate to them in different ways. How might those metaphors influence people’s beliefs about how the economy works and the attitudes they form toward politicians and policies?

[Left: David Horsey/Tribune Media Services; right: By permission of Mike Luckovitch and Creators Syndicate Inc.]