Understanding Prose and Poetry

Prose

• Prose is any natural spoken or written language, unlike poetry's metrical structure.
• It's easily understood by readers, unlike poetry, which often has set rhythmic structures.
• Prose is typically written in paragraphs, not verse.
• Common prose forms are informative and entertaining.

Poetry

• Poetry is the oldest form of literature, expressed in stanzas and verse.
• It uses rhythm, sound patterns, and meter.
• Words are used creatively with rhythm and style.
• Poetry evokes emotion, imagination, and understanding of human life via images.

Elements of Poetry

• Imagery: Poetry uses vivid descriptions appealing to the senses to create a complete image for the reader.
• Rhythm: The pattern of sounds in a poem, including rhyme and repetition.
• Sound: How a poem sounds when read aloud.
• Density: Poetry often conveys deep meaning in compact form, using figures of speech and compressed language.
• Line: A line in poetry acts like a sentence in prose, yet doesn't have to end with a period.

Types of Poetry

• Lyric Poetry: Poems that express powerful emotions, often in a musical or song-like style. This type uses rhyme, meter, or poetic devices.
• Narrative Poetry: Poems that tell stories, are often long, detailed and based on real or imagined events. Often use meter.
• Dramatic Poetry: A form of poetry written in blank verse, designed to tell a story using emotional situations. This form can have dialogue.

21st Century Literary Genres

• Hyperpoetry: Digital poetry that relies on hypertext(links) to connect different parts of text. This form doesn't work without a computer.
• Textula: Poetry written as short text messages (one or two stanzas), blending English and Filipino words.