I believe that anyone who knows wouldn't ask and the rest wouldn't know
to ask. And yet, answering the question carries with it a sort of
immensity that is at once enticing and annoying.
Let's begin by setting aside certain features of language. Ordinary
talk between ordinary people uses ordinary language. Verbs do what
verbs do; nouns do what nouns do. This is what we learned in grade
school. So, we set aside certain features of language. Rhyme, for
example, is a quintessentially poetic feature of language and rarely do
we use in ordinary language; when we do, we laugh because it sounds so
unnatural. And, yet, when used purposefully, when called to the
foreground of an incident of language, rhyme takes on the dimensions of
beauty. We have, of course, stepped from mere language into realm of
literature.
Poetry and prose overlap considerably. There are, in fact,
great traditions of poetic prose and prose poetry, so, on some level,
it's foolish to imagine that there's a clear cut difference and never
the twain shall meet. A scale must be properly drawn between them on
which tendency associate towards one of the other. Organization of
language (such as into stanzas) tends to associate with poetry, but
there are, of course, exceptions. Lines, too, tend towards poetry;
sentences toward prose. Meter tends toward poetry, but not extremely
so. Metaphor, for example, is not commented on by the scale; it is
accessible to both. And so on.
Poetry refers to poems, with or without rhyme schemes. Prose is
writing a story,either fiction or nonfiction. Poetry and prose are both
forms of expression in writing. Prose usually has fewer structural
guidelines, and in some ways, that makes poetry more of an art form.
Being able to express the same thought and image in fewer words,
choosing more carefully, etc., makes poetry more difficult to master
than prose.
Poetry has rhythm, like a song. Poetry has cadence, like a
drum. Poetry may rhyme but, I'm not wrong, When I say it can be ho hum.
Poetry usually follows a set pattern, rhyme scheme and meter.
It is an art form in which human language is used for its aesthetic
qualities. Prose is simply regular writing, like in a story, a letter,
or regular speech. There are usually no patterns, just sentences and
paragraphs.
Prose writing most often follows standard rules in grammar,
punctuation, capitalization, and sentence structure. Poetry often
doesn't, for expressive reasons, and every word, period, etc. Is
carefully chosen to say the most using the least words.
Prose is the language of everyday speech, or the writing medium
that mimics it. Poetry is a more refined or structured or rhythmic form
of prose.
Poetry has a shrinking readership. This is mainly because of
competition from other media, but partly because poetry written in the
last 50 years is perceived to have not been up to past standards.
On the other hand, there is a lot of modern poetry that is
quality. Whether or not the readership is going down in some circles,
there are remarkable poets who have been active during the last 50
years, and hopefully will continue to be.
---
Many definitions exist for poetry and for prose, and the
characteristics are very blended and the border between them made very
grey - the above answers are all correct, in a way.
I, however, think that the difference between poetry and prose
is that poetry ought to be written linearly whereas prose is that which
is to be structured into paragraphs. Coleridge defined poetry as "the
right words in the right order" and my father always said "maximal
meaning in minimal wording", but I would reckon that this
line/paragraph differentiation is the best way to separate.
to ask. And yet, answering the question carries with it a sort of
immensity that is at once enticing and annoying.
Let's begin by setting aside certain features of language. Ordinary
talk between ordinary people uses ordinary language. Verbs do what
verbs do; nouns do what nouns do. This is what we learned in grade
school. So, we set aside certain features of language. Rhyme, for
example, is a quintessentially poetic feature of language and rarely do
we use in ordinary language; when we do, we laugh because it sounds so
unnatural. And, yet, when used purposefully, when called to the
foreground of an incident of language, rhyme takes on the dimensions of
beauty. We have, of course, stepped from mere language into realm of
literature.
Poetry and prose overlap considerably. There are, in fact,
great traditions of poetic prose and prose poetry, so, on some level,
it's foolish to imagine that there's a clear cut difference and never
the twain shall meet. A scale must be properly drawn between them on
which tendency associate towards one of the other. Organization of
language (such as into stanzas) tends to associate with poetry, but
there are, of course, exceptions. Lines, too, tend towards poetry;
sentences toward prose. Meter tends toward poetry, but not extremely
so. Metaphor, for example, is not commented on by the scale; it is
accessible to both. And so on.
Poetry versus Prose
Poetry refers to poems, with or without rhyme schemes. Prose is
writing a story,either fiction or nonfiction. Poetry and prose are both
forms of expression in writing. Prose usually has fewer structural
guidelines, and in some ways, that makes poetry more of an art form.
Being able to express the same thought and image in fewer words,
choosing more carefully, etc., makes poetry more difficult to master
than prose.
Poetry has rhythm, like a song. Poetry has cadence, like a
drum. Poetry may rhyme but, I'm not wrong, When I say it can be ho hum.
Poetry usually follows a set pattern, rhyme scheme and meter.
It is an art form in which human language is used for its aesthetic
qualities. Prose is simply regular writing, like in a story, a letter,
or regular speech. There are usually no patterns, just sentences and
paragraphs.
Prose writing most often follows standard rules in grammar,
punctuation, capitalization, and sentence structure. Poetry often
doesn't, for expressive reasons, and every word, period, etc. Is
carefully chosen to say the most using the least words.
Prose is the language of everyday speech, or the writing medium
that mimics it. Poetry is a more refined or structured or rhythmic form
of prose.
Poetry has a shrinking readership. This is mainly because of
competition from other media, but partly because poetry written in the
last 50 years is perceived to have not been up to past standards.
On the other hand, there is a lot of modern poetry that is
quality. Whether or not the readership is going down in some circles,
there are remarkable poets who have been active during the last 50
years, and hopefully will continue to be.
---
Many definitions exist for poetry and for prose, and the
characteristics are very blended and the border between them made very
grey - the above answers are all correct, in a way.
I, however, think that the difference between poetry and prose
is that poetry ought to be written linearly whereas prose is that which
is to be structured into paragraphs. Coleridge defined poetry as "the
right words in the right order" and my father always said "maximal
meaning in minimal wording", but I would reckon that this
line/paragraph differentiation is the best way to separate.
