An analogy explains an idea by making a comparison. The analogy may explain how something works, how something looks, what something means. Usually, an analogy compares something hard to understand with something easy to understand. It makes the complex simple.

How does an analogy differ from a simple comparison? While the analogy explains the likenesses between two things, usually these two things do not belong to the same group. For instance, an analogy would not compare two kinds of apples. That is merely a comparison. Instead, an analogy would compare making long-term investments in the stock market with planting an apple orchard, showing how long each takes to develop into a profitable venture and how many dangers lurk along the way.