400- 500 words
Like comparison and contrast, division and classification are two parts of the same process. Division is sorting—dividing something into its basic parts, such as a house into rooms. It moves from a single, large category (house) to many smaller subcategories (kitchen, bath, living room, dining room). Classification is categorizing—placing items together into a larger group, such as pieces from each room in the house into furniture. It moves from many subgroups (dining table, chairs, couch, end tables) to a single, large category (furniture). Thus, division and classification move in the opposite direction of the other: Division separates items and classification brings items together. In short, the process of dividing and categorizing ensures that we have a certain amount of order in our lives.
Writers will employ division and classification in an essay to help them organize complex information so that it becomes more understandable or useful.
To effectively divide and classify in an essay, keep in mind the following key elements:
As with every essay you write, the first thing you want to do is to consider your main point, or your specific reason for using division and classification as a rhetorical strategy. The actual process of dividing and classifying is not particularly interesting, and can feel like a somewhat tedious task. However, there is no denying their usefulness as techniques for making a specific point about your topic and main idea.
Your point should be clearly stated in your thesis statement. Your purpose—that is, what you’re trying to do with the main point, for example, to inform, to argue, to entertain, to tell a story—should also be clearly conveyed, though not necessarily explicitly stated. You should also reveal the basis of your division, classification, or both. Following is an example of an effective thesis statement used in division-classification writing:
Thesis Statement: Being aware of three types of dangerous drivers on the road today could save your life.
From this thesis statement, the reader can see where the essay is going. The essay topic is dangerous drivers; the main point is about staying aware of dangerous drivers; the purpose is to provide readers with potentially life-saving information about three specific types of dangerous drivers.
Most topics can be classified in different ways, so your next task is to decide whether you want to divide, classify, or do both. Avoid overlapping your categories; in other words, your categories should be distinct so that your topics fall into one category only.
For example, for the Dangerous Driver essay, establishing categories such as distracted drivers, inattentive drivers, speeding drivers, and drunk drivers will have the topic drivers who text falling into two categories—distractive drivers and inattentive drivers. In this case, to avoid the overlap, you can eliminate the inattentive drivers category, since inattentiveness is assumed to be the result of distraction.
With division, you are trying to show the differences that break the items into separate groups or types. With classification, you let the similarities in the items help you set up categories that make sense. In both cases, you need to provide a basis for your categorization—explain why you’ve divided or classified the topics in the manner that you have, and provide enough details to help your readers feel the impact of your main point.
Consider this introductory paragraph for the Dangerous Drivers essay:
Every day, around the world, people move from place to place by driving. The actual act of driving is not hard, but it can be challenging, especially when you consider the multitude of obstacles that can interfere with your ability to do so—and to do so safely. One obstacle to safe driving is the dangerous driver: the individual who just needs to get where he needs to go in a hurry; the one who doesn’t pay attention because she is distracted; the one who has had one too many drinks and decides to drive anyway. Some people do not necessarily see driving 20 miles above the speed limit, driving while texting, or even driving after just one or two glasses of wine as grave dangers. Why? Because these are things that “every driver does.” However, just because these actions have become forces of habit among drivers, does not make these actions safe. While speeding drivers, distracted drivers, and drunk drivers are not the only dangerous drivers on the road, they are by far the most common.
Note how the writer clearly identifies the essay’s topic (the dangerous driver), the main idea (the dangerous driver is an obstacle to safe driving), and the categories of discussion (speeding drivers, distracted drivers, and drunk drivers). The purpose of the essay is to inform readers about the three common types of dangerous drivers; the basis of these categories is the habitual actions that cause the danger.
As the writer further develops her essay, she will include relevant examples and describe them with vivid details. She may also use the additional rhetorical strategies to further her point, for example, comparison and contrast, description, and so forth.
As with all essays, one that uses division and classification as a rhetorical strategy should begin with an introduction that includes the thesis statement. Each body paragraph should focus on one category in the overall group (classification) or on one separate part that has been broken out (division). Vividly described, relevant examples are necessary as support for each category, and should be included in each body paragraph. Your conclusion should reinforce the thesis statement and end with spirited remarks for the reader.
Note that writers will not use a specific organizing pattern to arrange their supporting details because none specific to this strategy exists. The organization depends on the purpose of the essay.
In the Dangerous Drivers essay, the writer chooses to organize by importance. You’ll notice that she starts out with speeding, a seemingly minor danger, moves on to distracted driving, a more serious danger, and finishes with drunk driving, the gravest danger. Any arrangement is possible: obvious to least obvious, largest to smallest, least to most important. Just remember that whatever arrangement you settle on should always make sense to your readers and be easy for them to follow.
To help your readers follow your thinking, use transitions to move them along from one category to another. Transitions serve as bridges between sentences and paragraphs and will keep your essay from sounding choppy or boring. In an essay that primarily divides and classifies, it is best to present transitions in the beginning of each body paragraph. Common transitions used in division-classification writing include:
| additionally | for example |
| another | for instance |
| even more | in contrast |
| final | last |
| first, second, third | specifically |
When analyzing division and classification in an essay, ask yourself and answer the following questions:
When using division and classification in your essay, refer to the following checklist:
