Winik’s “What Are Friends For?” is a good example of a classification essay because it sorts the categories in which friends can be classified. The introduction clearly hints that the theme of the essay is friendships and even gives a brief description of how Winik organizes the categories. The author develops each category with specific details that provide a clear picture of each one. “Friendship has been given a special status in our society. It is contrasted with all those relationships over which we have so little control; the families we can't change, the neighbors who irritate us, the colleagues we have to put up with” (Russel 1). The conclusion compliments the essay by summarizing the main idea. Winik’s effective organization and structure make “What Are Friends For?” a good classification essay. The arrangement of material within the categories is follows a consistant pattern based on the importance of the friendship. Winik begins by describing the buddy as the friend she has the most interaction with. The buddy is the mutually beneficial friend that she shares intimate information, advice, and experiences with. “Buddies, for example are the workhorses of the friendship world, the people out there on the front lines, defending you from loneliness and boredom. They call you up, listen to your complaints, they celebrate your successes and curse your misfortune, and you do the same for them in return” (Winik 509).Winik concludes the body by describing the new found friend as someone she just met but seems to have a lot in common with. “Say you meet her at a party. In your bowling league. At a Japanese conversation class, perhaps. Wherever, whenever, there’s that spark of recognition. The first time you talk, you can’t believe how much you have in common” (Winik 511).
“What Are Friends For?” is typically structured with an introduction, body, and conclusion. As part of the introduction Winik states “I was thinking about how everybody can’t be everything to each other, but some people can be something to each other. Thank God, from the shoulder you cry on to the ones whose half-slips you borrow to the nameless ones you chat with in the grocery line” (Winik289). The introduction announces the essay’s topic of the different kinds of friendships. The body of the essay classified the different types of friendships into eight categories such as: Buddies, Relative Friends, Work Friends, Faraway Friends, Former Friends, Friends You Love to Hate, Hero Friends, and New Friends. Winik even subcategorized by mentioning two categories of friends in the same light. “Like School Friends, Work Friends share certain memories which acquire a nostalgic glow after about a decade” (Winik 510). The conclusion supports the essay’s main idea by using a memorable observation that blends with the rest of the essay.
Winik implements an effective order of climax and successfully structured the essay with an introduction, body, and a conclusion. Winik described the different categories of friends in order of importance. She begins with a buddy and ends with a new found friend. Winik used her introduction to briefly explain what the essay was about. The body paragraph successfully classified the different types of friendships into eight different categories and even a subcategory. The conclusion went on to summarize the main idea of the essay. “What Are Friends For?” is an excellent example of a classification essay.
