by Stephen Hammel

Created on: June 27, 2009

Debating the difficulty level of writing prose versus poetry is an academic measure to say the least. Any writing done well is difficult. However, the primary difference is in the intended impact of the writing on the audience. Where diversity in poetry interpretation is encouraged, the reading and interpretation of prose is guided to an intended end. You could say that we write prose to educate, and poetry to enlighten. For this reason, prose is more difficult to write.

Some would argue that prose is more practical, while poetry is more artistic. However, the best writers of prose are able to integrate figurative language, repetition, and an amount of meter to their writing. This brings artistry to function, leaving the reader engaged and informed. Where word choice for poetry is important for the poet's purpose, it is critical for the prose writer. The subtleties of connotation that drive understanding must be specifically targeted in prose, lest the reader veer off course. Differences between words like "should" and "will" become the critical components of a piece of prose. Lives are changed by the policies written by companies, the laws written by states, and the charters that are the cornerstones of the nation.

We know the names of great poets. Their work is studied, analyzed, copied, and dissected in classrooms around the world. But really, how many careers have balanced on the interpretation of a poem? How many people have stood before the Supreme Court and argued about the phrasing of a stanza, or whether the poem met the meter as defined in the canon. The prose of our world matters to each person living in it. With that much riding on what is written, writing it carries a weight not present in poetry.

Even in today's common novels, designed for entertainment, it is the author's ability to incorporate literary devices, social sciences, and specific knowledge into a coherent story that follows the rules of believability that readers demand. The organization goes beyond lines and stanzas, and moves into chapters and parts. Beauty is not captured in a single phrase, but conveyed through the entire characterization throughout the story.

Poets deserve their due. They slave over the form and function just as all writers must, but with a very different muse pushing their cursors along. Without poets refining their craft and teaching the rest of us the beauty of words well-placed, our prose would fall flat and lay deflated on the floor. But in the interest of difficulty, prose soars above poetry.

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