Philosophy

Prose and poetry are always heard and used in literature. A writer knows their difference and a layman would read both just as the same. There are differences between the two, and these differences escalate to their usage. A prose is what seems to be more independent than a poetry that is too dependent to lines and patterns. A prose, I would characterize flexible than a poetry. Prose is described or characterized by its not so-organized verses it seems to go on and on without limiting its words on phrases or lines but on sentences. One may recognize a prose in plays, articles, short stories and even in fictions. On one hand, a prose is just like this article. On the other hand, is poetry that is much complicated than prose and that is believed to touch the emotions of the readers or the listeners.

Poetry varies from form and style to prose. Merriam (1992) would even differentiate this as a feeling that was put into words, the emotions that would struck anyone who hears and reads it. It can easily be recognized because of the rhymes and some patterns of repetitions. When one hears or reads it one will find him or herself singing or following a rhythm. This is a literary form that has meter- has limits, unlike the everyday words or forms and use of prose. Merriam (1992) would also describe poetry as a crystal that has many sides and is dynamic in structure, just like poetry that was formed like the quatrain, limerick, sonnet, with figures of speech of metaphor and simile that also used alliteration, assonance, and onomatopoeia (n.p.). Due to that one may find poetry tangling than a prose and captivating as feelings. The differences that prose and poetry has make them both unique from capturing their audiences. Unlike prose, poetry would capture the feelings of its audience over and over again as it unravels the emotions in every line that it delivers, also unlike prose, poetry has many forms just like a crystal, and it has many sides to express its seethe of emotions.

Two literary writers, Theodore Dreiser and William Shakespeare wrote Sister Carrie and The Tempest, respectively. When these two writers were switched as authors of the two literary creations the novel or the drama would unfold and would conclude differently, as well as its story, principal characters and ending. Supposed that Theodore Dreiser wrote The Tempest of William Shakespeare his approach, would greatly differ from the approach of Shakespeare, since she was known to be a naturalist, needless to say a none-drama man who would go for the real character than imagination. Included in modern literature, Theodore Dreisers The Tempest would have a principal character Prospero that would not harnessed magic but, after being betrayed by his brother Antonio, he would revenge and claim again his title as the Duke of Milan. In the story, though there was the essence of drama, Dreiser would not focus on this, maybe he would also incorporate the truth behind society (Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia). The Tempest would end in favor of Prospero, there would be twist regarding him and with his daughter. Antonio, on the other hand would receive the consequence that he deserved, since for Dreiser this is how life should be.  Conversely supposed that Shakespeare wrote Sister Carrie, Shakespeare might create her a lady who would love a man that she was not supposed to, just like Romeo and Juliet. Sister Carrie would still be the bright, timid and a young 18 years old lady who hopes and dreams but she would not be a mistress, if that would be her, the story would still end with the man that she was supposed to be with. The story would have a dreamy and a classic ending, which leaves their readers lessons. The fictional switches would recognize the style and the approach of writers to their literary art works.

Another writer, Fyodor Dostoevsky, the author of The Idiot tells the story of a young prince, named Myshkin who is being treated because of a sickness similar to epilepsy. He was called as an idiot, even by Dr. Schneider because he is known to be a prince that is not so bright, struggles even with his opinion, a prince who did not have much education, and nave but honest. The idea behind the story surfaced the importance of character more than anything. After Prince Myshkin has been blackmailed and experienced unfortunate events of his life, nonetheless, he still loves the girl Aglaia, who used him and his naivety, and still befriends the perpetrators.

The novel is entitled as The Idiot, it showed literally but the underlying meaning or the course of the fiction would actually bring the readers to the true essence of the title. Sarah Young in Tabachnikovas article (2008) sited how she studied the ethical foundations of The Idiot focused on the literatures approach to the character. Young in Tabachnikovas article (2008) said that concentrating on the role of character in the text, examining the protagonists actions, words, attitudes to the other and, in particular, their dialogic interactivity, as the locus of both the events and ideas of which the text is built, and its meaning allows the author to define how they influence the shape and movement of the novel as a whole (Tabachnikova, 2008, p.1).

Prince Myshkin who is characterized as good as anyone is only called an idiot because of her explicit character otherwise his name opposes his name because of valuing the importance of kindness, simplicity, honesty, as well as love. Likewise, Prince Myshkin, his character and his title does not determine the whole course of his character but the course and the movement of the novel. A name or a title only suggests the being-ness of something or someone, but a name just like any other name does not compromise identity.