Enjoy and appreciate prose and poetry
Prose and poetry are the two common forms of literary discourse. Although we are not aware of it, we can react to speeches in at least two ways. Specifically, we can enjoy or appreciate them. The key to true appreciation is enjoyment and this largely depends on your attitude towards literature in general.
Enjoyment should not be confused with appreciation. For example, we often enjoy a poem without fully understanding its meaning. The reason has to do with the nature of genres. Poetry draws attention primarily for the “music” of the words, while prose for their meaning. Prose is the type of writing that does not conform to a recognized poetic form, that is, it has no metrical structure. In prose, a writer can express himself more directly. We could derive pleasure from a poem without knowing how to explain why it is so.
Actually, when one reads prose, one must pay attention to what the author really has to say. In other words, the meaning always comes first. On the contrary, when one reads a poem it is possible to pay more attention to the way in which a poet says something. The poetic language conforms to a rigid pattern. The poetry shows some kind of definite regularity in prosodic form, that is, some pattern of lines, tones, or accents.
Appreciation is related to reasoning. Before you can discuss the meaning of the text, you need to know what type of text you are reading. This will help to easily discern the intentions of the writer. Poetry, like prose, is an art of sounds. In order to appreciate a poem, we must keep in mind that there are four main types of poems, namely: descriptive, reflective, narrative and lyrical. Poetry uses sensory devices. For example, simile, metaphor, and personification.
To appreciate a passage in prose, one must remember that not all prose is created equal. The types of prose are: narrative, descriptive and argumentative. The narrative tells a story; focuses on actions. Descriptive describes scenes, objects, people, or even people’s feelings. Argumentative deals with ideas and facts. Keep in mind that argumentative is the most difficult type of prose, because each sentence logically adds something to the main argument. Sometimes it is not easy to follow an argumentative text. Often the plot is nuanced: there are subtle shades of meaning or expression. So, reading must be very attentive. To fully appreciate a text, it is important to notice how writers compose and develop their thoughts, ideas, and emotions.
