Other considerations

Note: This discussion addresses the idea of classifying and dividing, but for a classification/division essay, there must be at least three (not just two).

People can be divided into……

lower, middle, or upper economic class…

happy or unhappy…

married, single, divorced, or widowed…

gay or straight…

religious or non-religious…

Asian, Western, African, Arab, or Indian…

urban, suburban, or rural…

successful or unsuccessful…

young, middle-aged, or elderly…

smokers or non-smokers…

speakers of English or non-speakers of English…

good or evil…

greedy or generous…

modern or old-fashioned…

atheistic, agnostic, or theistic…

healthy or unhealthy…

etc…etc…etc…

The list could go on and on.

In a personality psychology class, a student may be expected to divide people into groups that may be examined from the perspective of psychology. A student may be more likely to choose ‘lower, middle, or upper class,’ ‘happy or unhappy,’ or ‘urban, suburban, or rural,’ all of which lend themselves to analysis through psychology.

Notice that an essay dividing people into ‘happy and unhappy’ will require a bit more definition. ‘Happiness’ is an abstract idea and cannot be divided quite as easily and clearly as ‘economic class.’

More effective essays give examples or use narratives that are accessible to the audience. The most frequent problem young writers have when putting together an essay of this type is losing track of the main point.

Sometimes a less experienced writer will try to pull the whole essay together in the conclusion. This is not effective and rarely fools a good writing teacher. The thesis, though possibly stated or unstated (implied), must stay at the core of the entire essay. Remember that an essay is made strong through its coherence to a main point, the thesis.

[Emphasis added.]

Savoie, Sean. “Reflexive English Language Training.” Relt, Inc. 2002. Web. 20 Feb. 2011.

http://www.relts.com/articles/classification_and_division.htm