Download Poetry-Analysis---TPCASTT

English Department
Mr. P. Kay
Poetry Analysis
Poetry Analysis:
The TPCASTT method is a useful way to apply the formalist
approach. It helps the interpreter remain aware of the many elements that work together
to create meaning in a poem.
Title
Paraphrase
Connotation
Attitude
Shifts
Title
Theme
Note it; consider possible
meanings.
Break the poem into smaller
chunks using the units of syntax
like sentences or groups of
sentences, not line by line. Put
the literal meaning into your
own words.
Look for and annotate for
diction, figurative language
(like similes, metaphors,
personification),
allusions, symbols, sound
devices (rhyme, alliteration,
assonance, consonance,
onomatopoeia).
Identify the speaker (may be the
poet or may be a persona taken
by the poet). Determine the
attitude of speaker to self, to
other characters, to the subject
of the poem, to readers.
Do time / place / speaker /
attitude / rhythm / rhyming
patterns / levels of language
shift? (look for stanza
divisions, changes in stanza /
line length; punctuation like
dashes, ellipsis marks, colons,
key words like yet, but,
however, although, a sudden
move from formal to slang).
Re-examine the title for
additional meaning.
One sentence stating what the
poet is saying about the subject.
(Try to connect to key human
experience).
Reading Tips:
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The subject of the poem is different from the theme of the poem
Do not assume that the speaker is the poet. Sometimes this connection works; many
times the poet may assume a persona or there may be multiple voices.
To read effectively right from the start, note whether the lines are end-stopped lines or
whether enjambment is used; look for chunks of meaning.