Texts can be composed either in prose or in verse. Prose and verse are two literary forms.
Prose is a form of language based on grammatical structure and the natural flow of speech. In prose, the meaning of the text is important, but the sound of the text is not very important. Prose is usually written in sentences and paragraphs.
Verse, also called poetry, is a form of language based both on grammatical structure and on the sound of speech. In verse, the meaning of the text is important, and the sound of the text is also very important. The sounds of verse are typically organized into regular patterns. The patterned nature of verse allows a text to be set to music and sung or chanted. The language used in songs is usually composed in verse. Verse is usually written in lines and stanzas.
Here are two texts with similar topics. One is prose and one is verse.
Nighttime frustrates me because I read by the light of an unreliable and coverless kerosene lantern. Paraffin means money and there are days when the lamp has no oil. Most times I rely on the firelight of an unreliable duration. Daylight is always welcome. It allows the book of magic to tell me stories without interruptions except when I have to do this or that chore. –Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o, Dreams in a Time of War page 671
The left was fighting the right
And the right was fighting the light
And the light was blind in the night
And the night woke up in tears
When my fingers went to wipe them
They became a poem but to write them
They would have to speak tears in another language;
That would take years
– K’Naan, “With God on Our Side”2
Discuss the similarities and differences between these texts with someone else. Here are some questions to help you: