Classification
People who love to observe birds in their natural habitat–birdwatchers–can put the birds that they see into categories. There are different kinds of doves, different kinds of hawks, different kinds of parrots. We put birds, or flowers, or people into categories because they share certain characteristics. We often put people into categories–by profession, by race, by religion, and on and on. But sometimes a broad category of people will actually include people who differ greatly from each other.
What categories do you fall into? Do you consider yourself a typical member of the group?
Assignment: What kinds of people end up homeless, living in shelters, on the street, or in their cars? Look at the photograph below. What circumstances might have led to the family’s becoming homeless? What difficulties do homeless children face when they go to school?
www.smog.net/photographers/mark/mem04.php?aID=22
Assignment: Choose one of the categories below or another category that we put people into. Write about the variety of people that could be included in the group. They might be quite different from each other in some ways--background, income level, education level, philosophy--and yet all be considered, by others and/or themselves, part of the group. Optional: Do a Google Image search and see if you can find a variety of people in the category.
Some categories that we in the U.S. put people into:
Generation Xers
Baby Boomers
Democrats
Republicans
Greens
WASPs
Union Members
Street Kids
Addicts
Farmers
Poor people
Rich
people