Though by definition no analogy is perfect, a good one can create a flash of insight or provoke thought. A strong analogy can clarify a point or an argument. It can bring dry facts to life, attaching them to images and emotions and showing us why they matter. And it can help us work through something complex and difficult.

Given a wicked problem like climate change, those who want to write, speak, or think clearly are well advised to keep an eye out for strong analogies used well.

By using a relatively obvious analogy as an expandable thinking tool, each of these three inviting essays works its way to some unexpected and useful insights.

• Bill Moyers, The Guardian, “What if We Covered the Climate Crisis like We Did the Start of the Second World War?“
• John Schwartz, New York Times, “We Went to the Moon. Why Can’t We Solve Climate Change?“
• Dawn Stover, Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, “What We Can Learn about Climate Change from the Titanic“

(And for a different way of using this analogy – as a quick source of dark humor – see Peter Gleick’s “Climate Change and the Titanic” in the same journal.)

This series is curated and written by retired Colorado State University English professor and close climate change watcher SueEllen Campbell of Colorado. To flag works you think warrant attention, send an e-mail to her any time. Let us hear from you.