TPCASTT

 

T-title:  The meaning of the title without reference to the poem.

 

P-paraphrase:  Put the poem, line by line, in your own words.  DO NOT READ INTO THE

POEM.  Only read on surface level.

 

C-connotation: looking for deeper meaning.

• Diction and symbolism
• Imagery
• Metaphors and similes
• Rhyme scheme
• End rhymes and internal rhymes
• End stop
• Enjambment
• Alliteration
• Assonance
• Consonance
• Mood
• Allusions
• Punctuation
• Personification
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A-attitude: Looking for the author’s tone.  How is the writer speaking?

 

S-shifts: Looking for shifts in tone, action, and rhythm.  Don’t just write the number.  Discuss

  how the shift(s) affects the poem.

 

T-title: reevaluate the title as it pertains to the poem

 

T-theme: What does the poem mean? What is it saying?  How does it relate to life?