TPCASTT Template



TPCASTT Template

Name: EXAMPLE Period: n/a Title of Poem/Sonnet: Shakespeare Sonnet 29

|TPCASTT: Poem Analysis Method: title, paraphrase, connotation, diction, attitude, tone, shift(s), title revisited and theme |

|Title Before you even think about reading the poetry or trying to |N/A |

|analyze it, speculate on what you think the poem might be about | |

|based upon the title. Often time authors conceal meaning in the | |

|title and give clues in the title. Jot down what you think this | |

|poem will be about… | |

| | |

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|Paraphrase Before you begin thinking about meaning or tying to |When I’m in a state of disapproval with everyone and my luck has |

|analyze the poem, don't overlook the literal meaning of the poem. |left me, I sit alone and cry about the fact that I’m |

|One of the biggest problems that students often make |an outcast, and bother God with useless cries which fall |

|in poetry analysis is jumping to conclusions before understanding |on deaf ears, and I look at myself and curse my fate |

|what is taking place in the poem. When you paraphrase a poem, |Wishing that I had more to hope for, wishing I had someone else’s |

|write in your own words exactly what happens in the poem. Look at |good looks, friends, skills, and opportunities, and I am totally dissatisfied |

|the number of sentences in the poem—your paraphrase should have |with the things I usually enjoy most. Yet as I am thinking |

|exactly the same number. This technique is especially helpful for |these thoughts and almost hating myself, I happen to |

|poems written in the 17th and 19th centuries. Sometimes your |think about you and then my condition improves—like a |

|teacher may allow you to summarize what happens in the poem. Make |bird at sunrise rising up and leaving the earth |

|sure that you understand the difference between a paraphrase and a|far behind to sing hymns to God. |

|summary. |For when I remember your sweet love, |

| |I feel so wealthy that I’d refuse to change |

| |places even with kings. |

|Connotation Although this term usually refers solely to the |Rhyme scheme: abab / cdcd / efef / gg (Shakesperean) |

|emotional overtones of word choice, for |Simile: “My state is like a lark at daybreak rising up and leaving earth” |

|this approach the term refers to any and all poetic devices, |Octave: first 8 lines “woe is me” / Sestet: last 6 lines “you make me smile” |

|focusing on how such devices contribute to the meaning, the |Imagery: lark (sound), hymns (sound), sun rising (sight) |

|effect, or both of a poem. You may consider imagery, figures of |Alliteration: think / thee |

|speech (simile, metaphor, personification, symbolism, etc), | |

|diction, point of view, and sound devices (alliteration, | |

|onomatopoeia, rhythm, and rhyme). It is not necessary that you | |

|identify all the poetic devices within the poem. The ones you do | |

|identify should be seen as a way of supporting the conclusions you| |

|are going to draw about the poem. | |

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|Attitude Having examined the poem's devices and clues closely, you|Octave-depressing, negative, self-pity |

|are now ready to explore the multiple attitudes that may be |Sestet-positive, happy, optimistic, content |

|present in the poem. Examination of diction, images, and details | |

|suggests the speaker's attitude and contributes to understanding. | |

|You may refer to the list of words on Tone that will help you. | |

|Remember that usually the tone or attitude cannot be named with a | |

|single word Think complexity. | |

| | |

|Shift Rarely does a poem begin and end the poetic experience in |Octave-first 8 lines “woe is me” blah blah blah |

|the same place. As is true |then “YET” –shift change… |

|of most us, the poet's understanding of an experience is a gradual|Sestet-last 6 lines “remembers his love and smiles” |

|realization, and the | |

|poem is a reflection of that understanding or insight. Watch for | |

|the following keys to | |

|shifts: | |

|• key words, (but, yet, however, although) | |

|• punctuation (dashes, periods, colons, ellipsis) | |

|• stanza divisions | |

|• changes in line or stanza length or both | |

|• irony | |

|• changes in sound that may indicate changes in meaning | |

|• changes in diction | |

|Title revisited Now look at the title again, but this time on an |N/A |

|interpretive level. What new insight does the title provide in | |

|understanding the poem? | |

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|Theme What is the poem saying about the human experience, |Even when you are depressed or feeling sorry for yourself, there is something to be hopeful about. Focus on that person/people/what makes you appreciate |

|motivation, or condition? What subject or subjects does the poem |what you have and be content. |

|address? What do you learn about those subjects? What idea does | |

|the poet want you take away with you concerning these subjects? | |

|Remember that the theme of any work of literature is stated in a | |

|complete sentence. | |

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