Poetry and Prose

Poetry and Prose

Prose              Prose refers to writing loosely structured, usually grammatical sentences, and used for ordinary,

                     direct communication for a particular purpose. Sentences are usually arranged in paragraphs and follow each other in logical sequence.

Poetry              Poetry refers to writing structured specifically for effect, with rhyme, rhythm, imagery and form.

An example

Here is a prose description of an eagle: Eagles wait and watch, high up on mountain cliffs, and then they dive down at great speed to catch their prey. Here is an extract from a poem that describes an eagle:

“The Eagle” by Lord Alfred Tennyson (1890 –1892)

He clasps the crag with crooked hands;

Close to the sun in lonely lands,

Ringed with the azure world, he stands.

The wrinkled sea beneath him crawls;

He watches from his mountain walls,

And like a thunderbolt, he falls.

Prose is used in many ways: to tell a story, to communicate news, to write a letter, or to give instructions. In this case, the prose is written to inform.

The words give facts in a straightforward way. In the poem, Tennyson uses a range of poetic techniques to create the idea that the eagle is a magnificse ent creature.

An unusual, concentrated description

The poet describes the sea as “wrinkled” and the eagle as “ringed” by the world. This gives

us an idea of how high up the eagle is – he has a different perspective from the one we ordinary humans have.

Personification

It is usual in English to refer to animals – or birds, in this case - as “it”. Here, the eagle is referred to as “he”, and the eagle has “hands”  The eagle is made human. In this way the reader can identify more closely with the animal and it emphasises the majestic feeling Tennyson is trying to create.

Alliteration

In the first line the “c” sound is repeated in “clasps”, “crag”, and “crooked”. Vivid, carefully chosen words  ‘Azure’ is a very unusual word to use for “blue”. It adds a sensual quality to the vivid description. “Ringed” describes the eagle’s comfortable position in the world – how he belongs to nature and is surrounded by it.

Comparison

Notice the comparisons the poet makes in the following sentences: “The wrinkled sea beneath him crawls” and “Like a thunderbolt”.

The ocean lies below the eagle, accentuating his power, and then he is compared to lightning, quick and powerful, while in comparison the ocean is weak (it “crawls”)!

Poetic structure

There are two stanzas of equal length. Their rhyme scheme is repeated which helps create rhythm. The eagle’s main actions are at the  end of each stanza, and are contrasted.

Both these devices are used to create suspense: …”he stands” …”he falls”

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Task

·         Examine a poem closely.

·         Identify all the rhyming words in the poem and  the rhyme scheme of the poem.

·         Comment on how rhythm is created in the poem.