Division and ClassificationVisual:

Cloud ChartEssays:

The Extendable Fork by Calvin TrillinThe Plot Against People by Russell Baker

M/C:Meghan Daum: “Music Is My Bag: Confessions of a Lapsed Oboist”

p. 45

Division and Classification

• Division: separating something into sections– Somewhere University: College of Liberal Arts; College of

Engineering; College of Education; etc.

• Classification: placing examples of something into categories or classes– Restaurants:

• Very expensive: Taste of Texas, Babin’s• Moderately expensive: Cheesecake Factory, P.F. Chang’s• Inexpensive: Cheddar’s, Chili’s, Rudy’s• Cheap: McDonald’s, Subway

Division:Moves downward from a

concept to its subunits

Classification:Moves Upward from its

examples to classes or categories

Another way of looking at it

College SportsCollege Sports

Football

Basketball

Tennis

BaseballSports BudgetSports Budget

>$500,000 per season:

<$500,000 per season: Football

BasketballTennisBaseball

Purpose

Division and Classification can be used: • To Explain• To Entertain• To Persuade

Purpose

• To Explain: Division and Classification essays are typically attempting to explain something. In this context, division and classification works on two levels: – First: you are showing how something works. (Ex:

the Library of Congress’s method of organizing information) [dividing up tasks into steps]

– Second: you are defining, analyzing, and justifying the principle that underlies the system [classifying purposes and results into each of the divisions]

Purpose

• To Entertain: opportunity to be witty and clever – example: you might concoct an elaborate scheme

for classifying fools, determining distinguishing factors for each class, and providing striking examples

Purpose

• To Persuade: classification and division adds structure and weight to a persuasive essay; – example: comparing several types of health care

plans, you point out the decision-governing principles each employs, the overall cost to the individual, the quality or quantity of providers under each plan

Audience

• What do your readers already know?– How deep must you go with your explanation?– If they already understand the classification system (ex:

movie ratings), just provide a brief sketch, and move on.• How might they use this information?– If they will not be using your explanation, but might

discuss it later, an informal division or your subject with vivid examples would be appropriate.

– If they may need or want to use your system, give careful and strict guidelines, being sure to divide your topic into all its possible classes, illustrating each with concrete examples.

Strategies

1. Divide your subject into major categories that exhibit a common trait

a) Create any necessary subdivisions2. Arrange your categories into a sequence

that shows a logical progression.3. Define each of your categories by showing

how it differs from the other categories and by providing vivid examples.

Points to Remember

1. Determine whether you want to:a) Explain an existing system of classificationb) Create your own system

2. Divide your subject into smaller categories by applying the same principle of selection to each category.

3. Make sure that your division is complete by establishing separate and consistent category types.

4. Arrange your categories in a logical and emphatic sequence.

5. Demonstrate the significance of your system by calling your reader’s attention to its significance.

a) Can be done by demonstrating its use to your reader.

Roz Chast

• In this quirky cartoon Roz Chast classifies the different kinds of clouds one can see in the sky. Examine the various categories in the “Cloud Chart.”

• What categories have been omitted or mislabeled? Why?