ANALOGY ESSAY SAMPLES

• While not perfect, these samples from students past should give you an idea on how to organize and approach this essay. • If you have any questions, please ask.

Should We Pay?

Many issues have been plaguing the sports world recently, especially the question of paying college athletes. Are athletics so important that colleges need to put out millions of dollars per year just to pay for students to play for them? Paying college athletes is like throwing a lit match into a haystack: once the fire is started, it just keeps burning, making a bad situation worse.

There are several differences between the haystack and paying athletes. To start, throwing a needle in a haystack is a totally negative concept; everything will burn. However, with paying college athletes, some people can find reasons why this could be a positive thing. For instance, some believe paying athletes will bring more competition to the table and make some colleges much more prestigious than others. Others say this will bring in more money and more revenue. A second difference is the end of the situation. At the end of the fire, there is smoke and it will eventually put itself out. However, this is an issue that cannot extinguish itself. No matter what the verdict, someone is going to be unhappy and the "fire" will keep burning.

[pic]Despite these differences there are many similarities between the two. One similarity is the haystack going up in flames and the whole educational system going up. If we pay our college athletes the focus will be more on the money than on learning.

College is supposed to prepare a student for life's work through learning, not be life's work. College sports will also become more like professional sports- all about the money and less about the love of the sport. Related to this is the issue of scholarships. Are scholarships not enough pay for the student? And who decides how much money each player receives? Will it depend on how good the player is, what sport they play, what position they are?

Another similarity has to deal with going up in flames. By throwing one little lit match into that haystack, the whole thing goes up. Just by paying college athletes many other issues arise. Yes, paying athletes may bring in more revenue, but how much of that will actually go back to the college or institution? Another issue that comes up is the fairness to other students. Young athletes already receive many things that non- athletes do not. Not only do they have the opportunity to travel and stay overnight in the best hotels, they also get special treatments away from the sport. Some athletes may receive special attention from certain professors or even people throughout the town in which the college is located.

A third similarity between the burning haystack and paying athletes is the rate at which things will "burn". The haystack will burn fast, leaving nothing behind, and getting bigger and bigger as it goes. The same goes for this issue. Everyone wants to voice their own opinion about it, snowballing into a bigger and bigger issue. People will quickly become angry and quick to defend their side.

Paying college athletes is like throwing a lit match into a haystack: the educational system and other issues go up in flames and they will occur very quickly. I believe there are more problems with this idea than there are good things about it. I find nothing about it to be worth spending millions of dollars to pay students to play a game. They need to be worrying more about their studies. This issue will be burning for a long time.
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The Similarities Between God and Air

As a religious woman, I believe God is an essential part of living. However, society seems to be breaking more and more of Gods laws. This is a form of religious pollution which is why I believe the recent problems with air and God is similar.

However, there are some obvious differences between God and air. Speaking in a physical sense we are all capable of living without God but not without air. In a world without air civilization as we know it couldn't exist due to the lack of breathable oxygen, the same cannot be said for a world without God. Also, air in the Christian religion isn't a religious figure but during the times of the Greek and other ancient religions there was a god of air whom they worshiped. Finally, in death air is no longer needed and God becomes the entire reason for your further spiritual existence.

Nevertheless, God and air are still remarkable similar. Just like air, God is not seen. However, they can both be sensed through touch. God touches people's hearts and gives them a sense of calmness and serenity and air's refreshing breeze can be felt as it cools our skin. Air's effect can be seen as it blows through the leaves on the trees or when it manifests as a tornado or hurricane and destroys cities and towns. This was evident through the recent events of hurricane Katrina which ripped through Louisiana in late 2005. Just as moving air can be destructive so can God. In the bible God destroyed the world with a massive flood as well as plaguing Egypt with locusts, frogs, darkness, storms, flies and gnats.

God and air have healing or healthy forces as well as the destructive ones previously mentioned. God has healed people suffering from leprosy, blindness, and even death in a few cases. Wind, moving air, has the ability to carry rain over places suffering from drought, or even cool sweaty skin which maintains a stable core body temperature. These forces have saved many lives over the centuries and will continue to do so for many more to come.

Pollution is also something that God and air share. This pollution is affecting the essentials to a healthy life. Everyone is aware, due to the efforts of Al Gore and others like him, of the massive amounts of carbon monoxide being released into the air and the massive lose of trees because of lumberjacking. Global warming or greenhouse effect is a direct result of these two factors. The carbon monoxide is tearing a hole in the ozone layer which causes more harmful rays to reach the Earth and push the temperatures up. Also helping trap these rays is the increase in carbon dioxide, which is a direct result of the large lose of trees and their ability to take carbon dioxide and turn it into oxygen. Together these two factors have scientists looking for a solution to possibly save humanity. God also suffers from pollution caused by humans. Rising crime, murder, and adultery rates over recent years coupled with breaking the other commandments has polluted the laws of God which can have dire consequences. By society heading in its current direction it could lead to the plagues that Egyptians suffered through not so long ago. Ultimately, it is the human race that will suffer for the pollution they are causing. Whether it is the lack of a livable environment because of the greenhouse effect or God deciding that enough is enough in this corrupt, polluted world and starting over with a clean slate, we are the ones that will suffer the consequences of our pollution not the air and most certainly not God.

God and air share many important similarities. They both cannot be seen yet are still sensed and known to exist. They both possess destructive and healing potential and we are suffering from a great amount of pollution inflicted towards God and air, over the years mainly caused by ourselves. Over the years both were taken for granted and now I feel that if we take a stand against air pollution and the religious pollution that affects God, we can truly change this world for the better.
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Our Veterans Are Old News

Anyone who has been to a VA hospital and has seen the plaque with the quote by Abraham Lincoln which says in part "...to care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow and orphans..." should be able to sympathize with the plight of our war veterans. Today's veterans are in the news more now than at any time since the Vietnam war. History shows us that the passing fascination we have with our "heroes" will quickly fade. Recently I met Derrick Sharpe, a Marine whose body was ravaged by an I.E.D. (Improvised Explosive Device) and multiple gunshot wounds during combat in Iraq. Right now Derrick is getting a lot of media attention (CNN, NBC, ABC, CBS, local and national newspapers). He also receives aid and concern from churches, civic organizations, and veterans groups. Derrick is a hero, who gave up any chance at a normal future, in the service of his country. He deserves all the attention he is getting, as he suffers through literally hundreds of surgeries (129 so far) to repair his broken body. One only has to go to a VA hospital, and witness our veterans from previous conflicts languishing there with mental and physical disabilities, to see that Derrick's fellow countrymen have a poor track record for remembering the plight of our wounded veterans. There are veterans from Vietnam and other eras who have substantial physical and mental damage, who are all but forgotten by the country they gave up their futures for. Veterans are like the newspapers their faces so briefly appear in; worthy of our attention today, cast aside and forgotten tomorrow. I hope this is not the case for Derrick, and I wish it were not the case for any of our veterans.

While there are a number of differences between injured war veterans and discarded newspapers, the most important one, in my opinion, is that it is no great tragedy to pitch a day old newspaper in the garbage, it is a huge travesty to simply discard those whose lives are forever altered for the worse because of the service to our country. Newspapers were made to be discarded after a brief use, but our fellow countrymen, who served in harm's way, although often discarded, were by no means created to be casually tossed away.

Another dissimilarity between newspapers and veterans is that after being gotten rid of, newspapers are often recycled into new paper stock. Human beings cannot be recycled. Our injured veterans have only one life to live. If we, as a country, turn our backs on them, that is to say get rid of them, there is no turning them into new "human stock".

A third difference between newspapers and our veterans is that a newspaper can be thrown away without any guilt, because they were printed to be disposable. Our injured veterans are often discarded because of guilt. Many of the people and organizations can only bear to look upon the damage done to these lives for so long, then their guilt at what these heroes have lost on their behalf, causes them to turn their backs on war veterans.

While there are numerous similarities between injured veterans and day old newspapers, I'll only mention a few here. Newspapers are a commodity to be manipulated to bring in the advertisement dollars. Shock and awe in the newspaper means more people will notice it, buy it, and read it, thereby pumping up revenue. Our injured veterans are often seen as a commodity by

special interest groups and politicians to further their goals and manipulate the populace. Even though it is sad to say, many veterans groups use and abuse veterans as they go through their "poster hero" of the month, in order to promote membership and donations to their cause.

A second similarity between our veterans and newspapers is that most people read the newspaper and forget most of what they have read, before they finish breakfast. The paper is good entertainment for a time, but then it becomes too much extra "mind baggage", so it gets dumped from our memories. Our injured veterans are much the same kind of curiosity as the headlines in the daily newspaper, we are fascinated for a little while, but then we forget about them, and move on to other things.

A third similarity between our veterans and newspapers is that when we look back at old newspapers, opinions can be formed as to the state of affairs at the time the papers were printed. Much like looking at old newspapers, talking to veterans of past conflicts can color the opinion of those who are of age to serve their country at present. If our veterans are neglected and forgotten, we may find we no longer have young men and women willing to serve their country.

One final similarity that I would like to point out, that exists between our veterans and newspapers, is that there are many sections in a newspaper (front page, sports, editorials, classifieds, and so on and so forth, dependant on the day of the week). Much like the sections of a newspaper, there are many facets to our injured veteran's lives. Our veterans have body, mind, and soul to be concerned with, as well as families, friends, interests and ambitions. A tragic injury to our veterans can shatter the many parts of their lives, and leave them empty and alone.

When we, as a country let this happen to those who went in harm's way to protect our freedoms, we have failed miserably.

In conclusion, I would like to say that our veterans are a precious resource, to be cherished, not discarded because they have served their purpose. Our wounded veterans are especially dear, because they have given up their hopes and aspirations to make our world a better place to live. We cannot forget our war wounded, and battle scarred men and women who have given the best of themselves so that we might live free in this wonderful country. When we discard a veteran in need, any veteran, as if he were yesterday's newspaper, we send a poignant message to all those who have served. That message is: "Your sacrifice is for naught, and we don't care."

Finally, I wanted to share that creating this analogy, and the requisite paragraphs to reinforce it, gave me an opportunity to reflect on the plight of our veterans. I believe we are failing, as a society, to properly care for the men and women whose duty, daily secures our freedom. I hope to never forget those who have paid a heavy price on my behalf.

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Similarities Between Blaming Video Games for Violence and Drug Addictions on Others

I've been into video games since I was a child. I've seen all different types, from cutesy cartoon puzzle games to hack and slash blood fest action games. For me, the latter was usually the favorite. With playing these particular kinds of games, I always heard the warnings of what they will do to me. More and more, video games are receiving the blame for violent behavior.
But making these claims, shifting the blame onto a video game, is like a drug addict blaming their addiction on someone else.

While the two are very similar, they have their differences. First off, there are some occasions in which a drug addiction is not the fault of the addict. This happens when a child is born to an addicted mother. This child does not have a choice to what happens to them. It is a sad situation that happens more often than it should.

Secondly, drug addictions get blamed on actual people. Many try to blame their friends for getting them into drugs, saying that they were pressured, often forced to do it. When violence is blamed on video games, the blame is on an inanimate object. They are not a living, breathing, thinking creature but a digital creation.

Third, drug addictions involve the use of illegal substances. Video games however, are not illegal, but highly marketed products available to people of all ages in numerous places around the world.

Despite these minor differences, the two are very similar. In both instances, the blame for one person's actions is being shifted to a scapegoat of sorts. We all have control of our own actions. When we do something wrong, there is no one to blame but ourselves. Pushing this blame on someone or something else shows a lack of responsibility. No one twisted your arm to become an addict. The video game didn't threaten your life if you didn't go out and create some horrible act of violence. Avoiding personal blame for one's actions is taking the easy way out.
Both violent behavior and drug addictions have some sort of psychological cause. Many drug addicts suffer from problems of depression, feeling that they need drugs to make them happy and whole. People who are violent often suffer similar depression. This depression can come from being teased or tormented for being different. We can see this in many of the school shootings. In the Columbine killings, the two boys who went on a shooting spree were considered social outcasts. Because they played violent video games, the blame for their violent behavior was partially blamed on those games. But if you look at it, both boys were most likely deeply troubled already because of how they were treated by their peers. Just because someone plays violent video games doesn't mean they will go out and shoot people randomly. Thousands of people play these kinds of games. There has to be something wrong psychologically with a person to spur violent behavior.

Also, both issues have physical repercussions. As a drug addict, the body begins to die from the various poisons put into its system. There can also be other physical damage done to others while the addict is high, or during drug deals gone bad. Violent behavior is almost always physical. Not only do other people get hurt, but very often the person behaving that way also gets hurt or killed.

Finally, both drug addictions and violent behavior are avoidable and treatable. By providing drug awareness programs, people are able to become more aware of what drugs can do to them. Also, police enforcement helps keep drug use down as best they can. For those who are already addicts, or on their way to being ones, there are numerous counseling programs available that will help them get clean and begin their lives anew. Violent behavior can be avoided by looking for early warning signs. It is not always going to be the quiet ones, or the people all dressed in black. Granted it's not always easy to catch, but it can be done. If we want to blame such behavior on video games, then we can avoid any connection between the two by better teaching children the differences between the fiction of video games and the reality of this world.
People who have committed violent acts can seek therapy to aid them in finding a way to avoid such things in the future.

I find it rather silly to blame others for our own actions. We choose to take drugs. We choose to behave in a violent manner. While there are other underlying causes to violence, I do not see how video games can be to blame. I personally play such games, and am hardly a violent person. By using this analogy, hopefully people can look closer at the issue and see the true reasons for such behavior and stop unnecessarily blaming video games.

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Using Steroids Is like Cheating on a Test

As an avid sports fan and a regular when it comes to working out, I have witnessed to many times in my life where steroids have been able to ruin some ones career, reputation, and/or life. I have witnessed some of my favorite athletes and even some of my friends fall victim to steroid abuse. It is disheartening to turn on a sporting news channel and see the harm that these athletes are doing to their bodies. The health risks of steroid use are staggering. Although, the health risks of steroid use are enough to make any one hate an athlete, I do not believe that it is the true crime when it comes to steroid use. I believe in the integrity of competition. I believe in some one playing sports by the rules. That is why I believe that using steroids is like cheating on a test. I think that athletes who take steroids are not only cheating themselves, but they are also cheating the game which they are playing, which is similar to cheating on a test.

While the events of using steroids and cheating on a test are largely similar, they are inherently different. Both, cheating on a test and using steroids have some minor differences. First of all, they are two completely different tasks. Obviously, the act of cheating on a test is a completely different activity than using steroids. Cheating on tests include some one engaging in one or more of the following acts; looking at a fellow students test or quiz, devising a cheat sheet, gaining the answers prior to the test, using a cell phone to obtain the answers to a test or quiz, or having a fellow classmate tell or signal you the answers to a test or quiz. Using steroids involve some one ingesting or injecting the drug into their system. So, as you can see, the two events involve doing different things in order to cheat.

Another difference between steroid use and cheating on a test is the perception of the two events. While, cheating on test is blatantly cheating on test, steroid use may not be viewed as cheating. Cheating on a test can not be viewed as anything else. For example, if a teacher says prior to the exam that if she sees any one looking in their desk then it is cheating. So, if Johnny is caught looking in his desk during an exam, he is cheating. There is no other way the situation can be looked at, except as some one cheating. Steroid use however, may hold many different views depending on the person. One may argue that steroid use is not cheating at all. Some people out there do not find anything wrong with using steroids for athletic competition, and don"t think they are cheating. Some people who use steroids may not even be taking them for a competitive advantage. Some people who use steroids may be taking them for the sole purpose of gaining muscle in order to "look good". So, unlike the clear situation of some one cheating on a test, steroid use can be viewed at differently. Also, steroid can be used for things other than cheating.
Despite, the differences the two situations have many similarities. Using steroids is largely similar to cheating on a test. The two hold various similarities. Although, cheating on test and using steroids involve different activities they are both forms of cheating. If an athlete is using steroids for competition, he or she is using them to gain a competitive advantage. Whether or not the athlete thinks they are cheating the game, they are. When an athlete uses steroids he or she is gaining muscle and strength. The athlete is going to gain an unfair advantage by being stronger than his or her competitor. Most if not all sports ban steroid use. So, if an athlete is abiding by the rules and working out and training fairly, and another the other athlete is using steroids; it creates an unfair playing field and cheats the sport. This is very similar to some one who studies very hard for an exam and his or her classmate cheats, gets a better grade, and cheats the class. It is unfair.

Just like cheating on a test, steroid use hurts you in the end. Steroid use does ruin the integrity of competition, but it ultimately hurts you the end. Steroid use has been proven to cause physical and mental harm. Steroid use breaks down tendons and muscles. More injuries can result from steroid use than a user may know. Also, steroid use can cause fatalities by causing health problems, such as heart problems. Steroids not only harm you physically, but mentally as well. Mentally, steroids cause roid rage and depression, and may lead to suicide. Roid rage may also cause rifts in relationships with family members and friends. Cheating on a test has no redeeming qualities much like steroids. You ultimately get a good grade, but no knowledge is gained. Steroid use gives you a ripped body and a competitive edge, but it ultimately destroys your relationships, your body, your mind, and may cause death.

Also, steroid use and cheating on a test are both looked at to be dishonorable activities. They are both looked at in a negative light. There is no honor in cheating on a test. You are not gaining anything and your peers and professors will look at you in a negative light. You ultimately lose the respect of others by cheating on a test. It is the same deal with steroid use. Everyone will respect you for hard work and effort in the gym. Whether your hard work produces a great looking body or increased performance in sport people will always give you praise if it is done the right way. However, if it found out that you took steroids then you all your hard work is questioned. For example, everyone respected Barry Bond"s and Roger Clemen"s achievements, but now that they are alleged steroid users they are looked at negatively. Other then cheating the game and destroying your body mind with steroid use, you also lose credibility and respect.

Using steroids is like cheating on a test. Both are negative activities. Steroid use causes physical and mental harm. Steroid use may also cause death. Also, steroid users lose credibility and respect. You ultimately cheat the sport in which you are playing and yourself. Hopefully, athletes in the future will learn to work for everything they get and not ruin the integrity of the sports we love to watch.

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