The Genres of Literature (Prose, Drama, and Poetry) – JSS1 Islamic Studies Lesson Note (First Term)

Literature is grouped into genres, which are types or categories based on how a work is written and presented. The three main genres are prose, drama and poetry. Prose is written in ordinary sentences and paragraphs. Drama is written as dialogue to be acted on stage. Poetry is arranged in lines and stanzas to create rhythm, sound and meaning.

Subject: Literature in English
Class: JSS 1
Duration: 40 minutes
Topic: The Genres of Literature (Prose, Drama and Poetry)

Behavioural objectives

By the end of the lesson, students should be able to:

1. Define the term “genre” as it relates to literature.
2. Identify and explain the three main genres of literature.
3. State the distinguishing features of each genre.
4. Give examples of works in each genre.

Previous knowledge

Students have learned about types of oral and written literature. They know that literature exists in different forms and serves various purposes.

Teaching aids

• Sample books showing prose, drama and poetry
• Chart displaying the three genres with examples
• Excerpts from different literary works
• Pictures of authors and their works

Introduction (5 minutes)

The teacher brings three different books to class: a novel, a poetry collection and a play. The teacher asks:

• Do these books look the same inside?
• How can you tell them apart just by looking at the pages?
• Why do you think writers arrange their words differently?

The teacher explains that today’s lesson will help students understand these different ways of writing literature.

What is a genre of literature? (3 minutes)

A genre is simply a type or category of literature. Just as we group fruits into oranges, bananas and mangoes, we also group literature into different types based on how the work is written and presented.

The three main genres of literature are:

1. Prose
2. Drama
3. Poetry

Each genre has its own special way of telling stories and presenting ideas.

What is prose? (12 minutes)

Prose is the most common form of writing. It is written in ordinary language using sentences and paragraphs, just like the way we speak and write every day. When you write a letter or a composition, or tell a story using regular sentences, you are writing prose.

Prose looks like the pages of a storybook. It flows naturally from one sentence to another, forming paragraphs that continue down the page.

Main features of prose

1. Written in sentences and paragraphs: The writing continues from left to right across the page, just like normal writing. There are no unusual spaces or arrangements.
2. Follows natural speech patterns: Prose sounds like someone talking naturally. It does not have to rhyme or follow a special rhythm.
3. Can be long or short: Some prose works are very long (like novels with hundreds of pages), while others are short (like brief stories).
4. Tells stories or presents information: Prose is used for storytelling, explanations, arguments and descriptions.
5. Has characters, setting and plot: In fictional prose, we meet characters, learn where the story happens, and follow events from beginning to end.

Types of prose

Fiction (made-up stories)

• Novels: These are long stories that may have 200, 300 or even 500 pages. Novels take several days or weeks to read completely. They have complex plots with many characters and events happening in different places and times.
  
  Examples:
  • “Things Fall Apart” by Chinua Achebe (tells about Okonkwo and his village)
  • “Efuru” by Flora Nwapa (the first novel published by a Nigerian woman)
  • “The Concubine” by Elechi Amadi
• Short stories: These are brief narratives you can finish reading in fifteen minutes to one hour. They focus on one main event or problem and have few characters.
  
  Examples:
  • “Dead Men’s Path” by Chinua Achebe
  • “The Rain Came” by Grace Ogot
  • Stories in school anthologies and magazines
• Novellas: These fall between short stories and novels in length. They are longer than short stories but shorter than full novels.

Non-fiction (true stories and facts)

• Essays: Short pieces of writing that explain ideas, argue points or describe experiences.
• Biographies: True stories about real people’s lives written by other people.
• Autobiographies: True stories people write about their own lives. Example: “The Man Died” by Wole Soyinka.
• Letters and articles: Personal or formal writings that inform, request or share information.

How to identify prose

When you open a book and see continuous writing in paragraphs filling the whole page from top to bottom, with sentences flowing naturally one after another, you are looking at prose. It looks like the pages in a storybook.

Class activity: prose

The teacher reads a short paragraph from a novel and asks students to identify the characters, setting and main event.

What is drama? (10 minutes)

Drama is literature written to be acted on stage in front of an audience. In drama, the writer tells the story through conversation between characters and their actions. The story unfolds as characters talk to each other, argue, fight, love or interact in various ways.

When you watch a play at school assembly or in a theatre, you are experiencing drama. However, drama can also be read as a book.

Main features of drama

1. Written in dialogue (conversation): Almost everything in drama is what characters say to each other. You see their names followed by their words.
   

   AKPAN: Good morning, sir. I came to return your book.
   MR. JOHNSON: Thank you, Akpan. Did you enjoy reading it?
   AKPAN: Yes, sir. It was very interesting.

2. Includes stage directions: These are instructions (usually in brackets or italics) that tell actors how to move, what to do or how to say their lines.
   

   AMINA: (walking slowly towards the door) I don’t think I can forgive you.

3. Divided into acts and scenes: Acts are like chapters in novels. Each act may have several scenes. A scene is a section of the play happening in one place at one time.
4. Meant for performance: Although we can read drama as books, it is really meant to be watched. Actors bring the characters to life through their voices, movements and expressions.
5. No narrator: Unlike prose, there is no storyteller describing events. The audience learns everything from what characters say and do.
6. Has stage elements: Drama includes costumes, props (objects used on stage), lighting and sound effects that help tell the story.

Types of drama

• Tragedy: Serious plays with sad endings. The main character often dies or suffers greatly because of a flaw in their character or fate. Example: “Oedipus the King” by Sophocles.
• Comedy: Funny plays that make the audience laugh and usually have happy endings. Example: “The Lion and the Jewel” by Wole Soyinka (though it has both funny and serious parts).
• Tragicomedy: Plays that mix both sad and funny elements. They show that life has both joy and sorrow.

Famous Nigerian dramatists

• Wole Soyinka (first African to win the Nobel Prize for Literature)
• Ola Rotimi
• Zulu Sofola (first published Nigerian female playwright)
• J.P. Clark
• Femi Osofisan

How to identify drama

Open the book and look for characters’ names in capital letters or bold print, followed by what they say. Look for words in brackets telling actors what to do. If you see these, you are reading drama.

Class activity: drama

Three students act out a brief scene where one student asks to borrow a pen from another, and the third student intervenes. The teacher points out the dialogue and actions.

What is poetry? (10 minutes)

Poetry is a special kind of writing where the author arranges words in lines and stanzas (groups of lines) to create rhythm, sound and meaning. Poets choose their words very carefully because every word counts. Poetry often expresses deep feelings and paints pictures in our minds.

Unlike prose, which fills the page, poetry has short lines with empty spaces. It looks different on the page.

Main features of poetry

1. Written in lines and stanzas: Instead of paragraphs, poems have lines that may be short or long. Several lines together form a stanza (like a paragraph in prose).
   

   The sun sets behind the hills,
   Painting the sky orange and red,
   As the day slowly falls asleep,
   And night spreads its dark blanket overhead.

2. Uses rhythm and sometimes rhyme: Many poems have a musical quality. Some poems rhyme (words at the end of lines sound alike), while others do not.
3. Uses figurative language: Poets use special techniques to make their writing beautiful and meaningful:
   • Simile: Comparing things using “like” or “as” (Her smile is like sunshine)
   • Metaphor: Saying something is something else (Life is a road)
   • Personification: Giving human qualities to non-human things (The wind whispered secrets)
4. Creates images and feelings: Good poetry makes you see pictures in your mind and feel emotions strongly.
5. Compact and concentrated: Poets say a lot using few words. Every word is carefully chosen for its sound and meaning.
6. May have special arrangements: Some poems form shapes on the page. Others follow strict patterns, while some are free and flowing.

Types of poetry

• Lyric poetry: Short poems expressing personal feelings and emotions. Examples include love poems, nature poems and songs.
• Narrative poetry: Poems that tell complete stories with characters and events, like a short story in verse form.
• Epic poetry: Very long poems about heroes and great adventures. Example: “The Odyssey” by Homer.
• Free verse: Modern poetry that does not follow strict rhyme or rhythm patterns. The poet has freedom to arrange lines as desired.

Famous Nigerian poets

• Christopher Okigbo
• J.P. Clark
• Gabriel Okara
• Niyi Osundare
• Tanure Ojaide

How to identify poetry

When you open a book and see short lines arranged in groups with lots of white space on the page, and the lines do not stretch all the way across, you are looking at poetry. The arrangement looks very different from prose or drama.

Class activity: poetry

The teacher reads a simple four-line poem aloud and asks students to identify rhyming words and describe the images the poem creates in their minds.

Evaluation (3 minutes)

1. What are the three main genres of literature?
2. How is prose different from poetry in appearance?
3. What is the main feature that makes drama different from other genres?
4. Give one example each of prose, drama and poetry.
5. Which genre is written in lines and stanzas?
6. In which genre would you find stage directions?

Assignment

1. Go to your library or bookshelf at home. Find one example each of prose, drama and poetry. Write down the title and author of each book.
2. Write a very short story (5 to 7 sentences) in prose form about something that happened at school.
3. Write a simple four-line poem about nature (rain, sun, trees or flowers). Try to make at least two lines rhyme.
4. Create a short dialogue between two friends discussing their favourite subject. Write it in drama format with the characters’ names and what they say.