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.

Introduction to Poetry Analysis

Poetic Devices 

In English there are a few devices that you can recognise to help you understand the text better. http://esl.about.com/cs/reading/a/blpoetry.htm

Metaphors

Metaphors make a comparison between two objects with the intent of giving clearer meaning to one of them. Often forms of the "to be" verb are used, such as "is" or "was", to make the comparison.

Similes

Similes make a comparison between two objects using a specific word or comparison such as "like", "as", or "than".

Of course, there are many other poetic devices. You will find a list of the most important poetic devices arranged by their purpose on the following pages.

Another useful tool to use when reading poetry is a thesaurus. A thesaurus is a book containing systematized lists of synonyms and related words. You can find an excellent online thesaurus at http://esl.about.com/cs/reading/a/blpoetry.htm

Metaphor - A comparison between two objects giving meaning to one of them. Often forms of the "to be" verb are used, such as "is" or "was", to make the comparison.

Example:

The boy was a helpless bird waiting for its mother.

Simile - A comparison between two objects using a specific word or comparison such as 'like', 'as', or 'than'.

Example:

We watched the ghostly dancers spin
To sound of horn and violin,
Like black leaves wheeling in the wind.

Like wire-pulled automatons,
Slim silhouetted skeletons
Went sidling through the slow quadrille.

(by: Oscar Wilde)

Alliteration -   The repetition of beginning consonant sounds.

Example:

Silently seeking the silky sounds.

Assonance -    The repetition of vowel sounds.

Example:

Elaine waited in plain train.

Rhyme -          The similarity of ending sounds existing between two words.

Example:

Inside, above the din and fray,
We heard the loud musicians play

Meter -            The recurrence of a pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables.

Example:

We caught the tread of dancing feet,
We loitered down the moonlit street,
And stopped beneath the harlot's house.

(by: Oscar Wilde)

Onomatopoeia - The use of words which imitate sound.

Example:

He crashed into the car as he heard the screech of the wheels. 

Repetition -    the repeating of words, phrases, lines, or stanzas.

Example:

Hear the sledges with the bells --
Silver bells!
What a world of merriment their melody foretells!
How they tinkle, tinkle, tinkle,
In the icy air of night!

(by: Edgar Alan Poe)

Imagery -        Words or phrases that use the senses or a combination of senses.

Example:

His could almost taste his fear as he smelt the fright of the bolting horse.

Personification –

A figure of speech which endows animals, ideas, or inanimate objects with human traits or abilities.

Example:

The window winked at me.

Poetic Devices - Point of View

Point-of-view - The author's point-of-view concentrates on the speaker, or "teller", of the

story or poem.

Example:

Walking through the streets at night,
Looking at stars that shine so bright,
It hurts to consider things not to be.

Things not to had by me.

1st person:      the speaker is a character in the story or poem and tells it from his/her

perspective (uses "I")

Example:

Then, turning to my love, I said,
The dead are dancing with the dead,
The dust is whirling with the dust.'

(by: Oscar Wilde)

3rd person: the speaker is not part of the story, but tells about the other characters.

Example:

His story is old,
His heart is young,
He the strong, noble one.

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