1st blog assignment: prose vs. form

Sonnet 73 couplet in prose:
Since you now know that death comes for everyone you have to love life. So live up every moment before you die.

The reason form is more powerful than prose is because it can be left up to interpretation for a deeper meaning. You can get more depth and meaning out of only a few lines or words whereas in prose it is given so plain that there is no sense of other meanings. Changing this couplet to prose for me took away the depth of the idea being shown through the sonnet. The form of ABAB CDCD EFEF helped build up to the couplet GG and helps you to see that the couple shows the lesson learned in the sonnet because it is different and separate. Even though each quatrain is talking about different things they still related. Each quatrain goes from season, to day, to fire all relating to the meaning of death and the significance of life.

If you change this form to prose it takes away the significance of the buildup ultimately also taking away the meaning and beauty of the poem. Prose sometimes takes away how a poem can be like art because it is like being hand fed the significance instead of looking at it and trying to find the purpose of the piece for yourself. Form shows patterns and rhythms that tell as much about the poem as the words can.

Ultimately form provides better understanding of the author’s purpose because it can be interpreted and looked at through so many angles that you are given a full understanding of the writing. Whereas prose just gives you a straight forward answer that you almost no longer need to search for other meanings.