Activity No. 1
21st Century Literature
Prose vs Poetry: Comparing Genres
Direction: For this activity, you will analyze and compare examples of 21st century prose and poetry.
1. Read the following short story excerpt (prose):
"The old man was alone in the small skiff, trolling for tuna. The sea was flat and calm, with only a gentle swell from the east. The sky was clear, with a few high clouds moving slowly from the northwest. The old man looked up at the clouds and then looked at the line going straight down into the water off the bow of the skiff." - from The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway
2. Read the following poem (poetry):
"The apparition of these faces in the crowd;
Petals on a wet, black bough." - from In a Station of the Metro by Ezra Pound
In 2-3 paragraphs, compare and contrast the prose and poetry examples:
Questions:
1. How do they differ in structure, language, and purpose?
2. What are the key characteristics of each genre?
3. Which do you prefer and why?
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