Not necessarily.
They’re a basic data structure used everywhere, most notably with command arguments ( $@
) and can make shell scripts a viable option for many simple tasks if their syntax makes sense and you don’t have to wonder how their expansion works every time you see one being used.
Following the analogy, what if the screwdriver part was bent by 30° and you had to awkwardly turn the tool while keeping it tilted - but there’s also a spring mechanism that attempts to retract the screwdriver you push too hard against the screw?
(all of that for historical reasons, of course)
((or even to discourage you from using the tool?))