Final answer:
An embargo is compared to a padlock on trade, while a ban is likened to a wall preventing exchange. Both are measures to exert economic pressure, with embargoes focusing on international trade, such as the Embargo Act of 1807, and bans being a more general prohibition.
Step-by-step explanation:
A simile comparing an embargo and a ban might look like this: "An embargo is like a padlock on the doors of trade, whereas a ban acts as an unyielding wall blocking any exchange." An embargo typically implies a government-imposed restriction on trade with specific countries, often for political reasons. For example, the Embargo Act of 1807, which was an attempt by President Thomas Jefferson to exert economic pressure on Britain and France, halted American ships from leaving ports to prevent them from being seized at sea.
While a ban is a broader term which can refer to any official prohibition. For example, sanctions may include a ban on trade which aims to politically and economically isolate a nation, such as the embargo on Cuba after the nationalization of American-owned oil refineries without compensation. Both measures are designed to exert economic pressure, but an embargo usually specifically targets international trade.