Prose Definition

Prose is a form of language that has no formal metrical structure. It applies a natural flow of
speech, and ordinary grammatical structure rather than rhythmic structure, such as in the case of
traditional poetry. Normal every day speech is spoken in prose and most people think and write
in prose form. Prose comprises of full grammatical sentences which consist of paragraphs and
forgoes aesthetic appeal in favor of clear, straightforward language. It can be said to be the most
reflective of conversational speech. Some works of prose do have versification and a blend of the
two formats that is called prose poetry.

Example of a Poetry Verse

Read this from Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening written by Robert Frost.

The woods are lovely, dark and deep.

But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.

Prose Form

The woods look lovely against the setting darkness and as I gaze into the mysterious depths of
the forest, I feel like lingering here longer. However, I have pending appointments to keep and
much distance to cover before I settle in for the night or else I will be late for all of them.

The above paragraph is conveying a similar message but it is conveyed in ordinary language,
without a formal metrical structure to bind it.

Some Common Types of Prose

1. Nonfictional Prose: A literary work that is mainly based on fact although it may contain
fictional elements in certain cases. Examples are biographies and essays.

2. Fictional Prose: A literary work that is wholly or partly imagined or theoretical. Examples are
novels.

3. Heroic Prose: A literary work that may be written down or recited and employs many of the
formulaic expressions found in oral tradition. Examples are legends and tales.

4. Prose Poetry: A literary work which exhibits poetic quality using emotional effects and
heightened imagery but are written in prose instead of verse.
Prose Examples in Popular Literature
Prose in Novels

This is usually written in the form of a narrative and may be entirely a figment of the authors
imagination.

Example #1

It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen. 1984 - George Orwell

Example #2

Whether I shall turn out to be the hero of my own life, or whether that station will be held by
anybody else, these pages must show. David Copperfield Charles Dickens

Example #3

Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way. Anna
Karenina Leo Tolstoy

These examples of prose have been taken from novels where writers have employed their
imaginations. They are examples of fictional prose.

Prose in Speeches

Prose used in speeches often expresses thoughts and ideas of the speaker.

Example #1

You can see that there is no easy walk to freedom anywhere, and many of us will have to pass
through the valley of the shadow (of death) again and again before we reach the mountain tops of
our desires. Nelson Mandela

Example #2

The poor are very great people. They can teach us so many beautiful things. Mother Teresa

Example #3

As for the marriage laws, they are due for a sweeping reform, and an excellent beginning would
be to wipe the existing ones off the books. Shirley Chisholm

These prose examples have been taken from speeches where prose is often crispy and persuasive
and suits the occasion to convey a specific message.
Prose in Plays

Prose written in plays aims to be dramatic and eventful.

Example #1

You can be young without money, but you cant be old without it. Cat on a Hot Tin Roof
Tennessee Williams

Example #2

All the worlds a stage, And all the men and women merely players. As You Like It
Shakespeare

It is often in conversational mode and is delivered by a character. However, its style stays the
same throughout the play according to the personality of the character.

Functions of Prose

While there have been many critical debates over the correct and valid construction of prose, the
reason for its adoption can be attributed to its loosely defined structure which most writers feel
comfortable using when expressing, or conveying their ideas and thoughts. It is the standard style
of writing used for most spoken dialogues, fictional as well as topical and factual writing and
discoursed. It is also the common language used in newspapers, magazines, literature,
encyclopedias, broadcasting, philosophy, law, history, the sciences and many other forms of
communication.

Examples of Poems

Poems can be found in these three main genres of poetry: lyric, narrative, and dramatic.

There are so many different kinds of poems that it is very difficult to define the word. A poem is
a composition which uses words that either sound a certain way or infer certain emotions, so that
the meaning of the poem is portrayed in an imaginative and emotional way.
 Understanding the Types of Poems
Lyric Poetry

Lyric poetry is especially song-like and emotional.

Sonnets and odes are examples of poems that are
lyrical in nature. Lyric poems do not tell a story, but
focus on more personal emotions, attitudes, and the
authors state of mind.

Authors of note in this category would include:

Shakespeare

Christine de Pizan

Teresa of vila

Antonio Machado

T. S. Eliot

John Keats

Elizabeth Barrertt Browning

Following is one of the most famous sonnets of all time from William Shakespeare,

Sonnet Number 18:

Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?

Thou art more lovely and more temperate:

Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,

And summer's lease hath all too short a date:

Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,

And often is his gold complexion dimmed,

And every fair from fair sometime declines,

By chance, or nature's changing course untrimmed:

But thy eternal summer shall not fade,

Nor lose possession of that fair thou ow'st,

Nor shall death brag thou wander'st in his shade,

When in eternal lines to time thou grow'st,

So long as men can breathe, or eyes can see,

So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.

John Keats also wrote lyric poetry. Following is an example from his lyric poem Ode on a
Grecian Urn:

What men or gods are these? What maidens loth?

What mad pursuit? What struggle to escape?

What pipes and timbrels? What wild ecstasy?

Elizabeth Barrett Browning's famous How Do I Love Thee is yet another famous example of a
lyric poem:

How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.

I love thee to the depth and breadth and height

My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight

For the ends of Being and ideal Grace

I love thee to the level of everyday's

Most quiet need, by sun and candle-light.

I love thee freely, as men strive for Right;

I love thee purely, as they turn from Praise.

I love thee with the passion put to use

In my old griefs, and with my childhood's faith

I love thee with a love I seem to love

With my lost saints, - I love thee with the breath,

Smiles, tears, of all my life! - and, if God choose,

I shall but love thee better after death.

Narrative Poetry

A narrative poem tells a story, usually of human interest, and includes the epic, which is a long
story, and the ballad, which was originally meant to be sung while dancing.

Well-known examples of poems that are ballads include:

The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer

The Raven by Edgar Allan Poe

Hiawatha by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Following is an excerpt from The Canterbury Tales by Chaucer:

Experience, though noon auctoritee

Were in this world, were right ynogh to me

To speke of wo that is in mariage;

For, lordynges, sith I twelf yeer was of age,

Thonked be God, that is eterne on lyve,

Housbondes at chirche dore I have had fyve -

For I so ofte have ywedded bee -

And alle were worthy men in hir degree.

Following is the last stanza of Edgar Allan Poes poem, The Raven.

And the raven, never flitting, still is sitting, still is sitting

On the pallid bust of Pallas just above my chamber door;

And his eyes have all the seeming of a demon's that is dreaming,

And the lamp-light o'er him streaming throws his shadow on the floor;

And my soul from out that shadow that lies floating on the floor

Shall be lifted - nevermore.

Dramatic Poetry

Dramatic poetry is any drama that is written in verse that is meant to be recited. It usually tells a
story or refers to a situation. This would include closet drama, dramatic monologues, and rhyme
verse.

Examples of dramatic poetry would come from:

Shakespeare

Christopher Marlowe

Ben Jonson

Aeschylus

Here is an excerpt from the opening of Christopher Marlowes Tamburlaine the Great:

From jigging veins of riming mother wits

And such conceits as clownage keeps in pay

We'll lead you to the stately tent of war,

Where you shall hear the Scythian Tamburlaine

Threatening the world with high astounding terms

And scourging kingdoms with his conquering sword.

Following is an excerpt from a dramatic poem called Song of the Furies by Aeschylus:

P and lead the dance of Fate!

Lift the song that mortals hate!

Tell what rights are ours on earth,

Over all of human birth.

Swift of foot to avenge are we!

He whose hands are clean and pure,

Naught our wrath to dread hath he;

Calm his cloudless days endure.

But the man that seeks to hide

Like him [1], his gore-bedewd hands,

Witnesses to them that died,

The blood avengers at his side,

The Furies' troop forever stands.

Haiku Poetry

A haiku is a Japanese form of poetry with three lines of 5, 7, and 5 moras. A mora is a sound unit,
like a syllable, but is not identical to it. Most people just say it is a syllable because it doesnt
translate well to English.

Here is an example of a haiku:

Falling to the ground,

I watch a leaf settle down

In a bed of brown.

The best known Japanese Haiku is a poem by Basho called old pond which translates to:

old pond . . .

a frog leaps in

waters sound

Limerick Poetry

A limerick is a five-line poem with the rhyme scheme a-a-b-b-a, and is intended to be funny.

Following is an example of a limerick by Edward Lear:

There was an Old Man with a beard,

Who said, 'It is just as I feared!

Two Owls and a Hen,

Four Larks and a Wren,

Have all built their nests in my beard!'

Many limericks feature Nantucket, including this one by an anonymous author:

There was an Old Man of Nantucket

Who kept all his cash in a bucket.

His daughter, called Nan,

Ran away with a man,

And as for the bucket, Nantucket.

Find your favorite type of poetry by enjoying examples of all types. Regardless of your selection,
you can be sure that you will always find a unique experience.