Chapter 9 Analysis by Division: Examining the Parts

Chapter 9 Analysis by Division:
Examining the Parts

Writing Analysis by Division

Procedure

If you need to explain how something works or exists as a unit, you will write an analysis by division. you will break down a unit (your subject) into its parts and explain how each part functions in relation to the operation or existence of the whole. the most important word here is unit. you begin with something that can stand alone or can be regarded separately. the following procedure will guide you in writing an analysis by division: Move from subject to principle, to division, to relationship.

• Step 1. Begin with something that is a unit (subject).
• Step 2. State one principle by which the unit can function.
• Step 3. Divide the unit into parts according to that principle.
• Step 4. Discuss each of the parts in relation to the unit.

Organization

In an essay of analysis by division, the main parts are likely to be the main points of your outline or main extensions of your cluster. If they are anything else, reconsider your organization..

Sequence of Parts

The order in which you discuss the parts will vary according to the nature of the unit and the way in which you view it.

• Time: the sequence of the parts in your paragraph or essay can be mainly chronological, or time-based (if you are dealing with something that functions on its own, such as a heart, with the parts presented in relation to stages of the function.)
• Speace: If your unit is a visual object, especially if, like a pencil, it does nothing by itself, you may discuss the parts in the relation to speace.
• Emphasis: Because the most emphatic location of any piece of writing is the end( the second most emphatic point is the beginning), consider placing the most signigicant part of the unit at the end.

Two Uses of Analysis by Division

From the wide range of uses of analysis by division mentioned in the introduction, two are featured in the chapter: the restaurant review and the short story review.

Restaurant Review.

Definition

The restaurant review is an article of one or more paragraphs that describes three elements: ambiance, service and food.

• Ambiance is the atmosphere, mood, or feeling of a place. For restaurant, it may begin with landscaping and architecture. Ambiance is certainly produced by what is inside, such as the furnishing, seating, style, upkeep, sounds, sights, smells, behavior of other customers, and management style--whatever produces that mood or the feeling, even if it is franchise plastic and elevator music.
• Service is mainly concerned with food delivery and those who do it: their attitude, manners, helpfulness, promptness, accuracy, and availability. Self-service or pickup establishments would be judged by similar standards.
• Food is the emphasis--its variety, quality, price, and presentation.

Writing the Review

• Use first person (I) as you relate your experience in a particular restaurant chain.
• If possible, base your evaluation on more than one item.
• While you are dining, use a simple outline or listing to make sure you have information on ambiance, service, food.
• You need not separeate comments on ambiance, service, and food or present them in a particualr order, but be specific in your details and examples.

Shot Story Review

A short story is a brief, imaginative narrative, with numerous functional elements (all of which can be analyzed): setting, conflict, character, plot, theme, and point of view.

The overarching element of the short story is usually the plot. In the simplest terms, the plot begins when a character in a setting experiences (with or without being aware) a conflict. The plot develops as the character deals with the conflict in a single scene or sequence of scenes. All of the narrative is related from a first person (I) or a third person (he, she, they) point of view. The entire presentation has a theme, the underlying generalization or fictional point.

Short stories are fiction, meaning they are a report of what has actually happened, though they may be based squarely on an author's experience.

Writing the Short Story Review

Develop your ideas by referring directly to the story; by explaining; and by using summaries, paraphrases, and quotations. Avoid the temptation to oversummarize.

Use the present tense in relating events in the story. For example, "Jude is trying to survive," not "Jude was trying to survive." Use quotation marks around the words you borrow and provide documentation if firected to do so by your instructor.

A short story review is mainly analytical, it may include your speculation and call forth references to your personal expericence.

Notes:

The restaurant review will almost vertainly use the analysis-by-division pattern.

• The main parts of a typical review are ambiance, service and food.
• The review should contain specific descriptive details, examples, and information form the menu.

The short story review is likely to include analysis by division.

• In a short paper, you would usually use one or more of the short story's elements: setting, conflict, characters, plot, point of view, and theme.
• Develop your ideas by referring directly to the story; by explaining; and by using summaries, paraphrases, and quotations.
• Use the present tense in relating events in the story.

Source:Brandon, Lee. Brandon, Kelly. Paragraphs and Essays with Integrated Readings, Tenth Edition. Boston, NY: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2008