Poetry Analysis

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Poetry Analysis
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Outcomes

• In this lesson you will learn
• How to read a poem
• Tips on how to effectively analyze a poem
• Poetic Techniques

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Poetry Yuck????

• Students are often apprehensive about the study
  of poetry.
• Poetry does not need to be a difficult task.
• Poetry can be your friend if you approach
  analysis in the right manner!

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• Example

• Lets look at the following poem entitled
  Dreams by Langston Hughes

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Using the TP-CASTT Method
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What is TP CASTT?

• An acronym of steps used to analyze poetry. The
  results of TPCASTT can be used to write an essay.
• The TPCASTT process is comprised of 7 steps which
  should be completed in the order given.

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How does TPCASTT work?

• The TPCASTT method is used to analyze poetry for
  some reason specified by the analyst.
• The analyst will
• Observe
• Interpret
• Infer
• Analyze
• Evaluate

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Step 1 TitleGoal- Attempt to predict what the
poem will be about

• Ponder the title before reading the poem.
• Questions to ask yourself
• What predictions can I make about the poem
• What feelings can I connect to the poems title?
• Write your response in a complete sentence

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Step 2 ParaphraseGoal- Translate the poem, line
by line, into your own words.

• Paraphrase the literary meaning/plot of the poem.
  A true understanding of the poem must evolve
  from comprehension or whats going on in the
  poem.

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Step 3 ConnotationGoal- Contemplate the poem
for meaning beyond the literal meaning.

• In poetry, connotation indicates that analyst
  should examine any and all poetic devices,
  focusing on how such devices contribute to the
  meaning, the effect, or both of a poem.
• Consider imagery, figurative language, symbolism,
  diction, point of view, and sound devices
• You will link these considerations to the overall
  meaning.

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Step 4 AttitudeGoal- Observe both the speakers
and the poets attitude

• Having examined the poems devices and clues
  closely, now explore the multiple attitudes that
  may be present in the poem.
• Here you will describe the tone of the author
  and/or speaker. Recall how this is done

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Step 5 ShiftsGoal-Note shifts in the speakers
attitudes or emotions.

• Rarely does a poet begin and end the poetic
  experience in the same place. Discovery of a
  poets understanding of an experience is critical
  to the understanding of the poem. Trace the
  feelings of the speaker from the beginning to the
  end, paying particular attention to the conclusion

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Look for the following to find shifts

• 1. Key words (but, yet, however, although)
• 2. Punctuation (dashes, periods, colons,
  ellipsis)
• 3. Stanza division
• 4. Changes in line or stanza length or both
• 5. Irony (sometimes irony hides shifts)
• 6. Effect of structure on meaning
• 7. Changes in sound (rhyme) may indicate changes
  in meaning
• 8. Changes in diction (slang to formal language)

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Step 6 TitleGoal-Examine the title again, this
time on an interpretive level

• Questions to ask yourself
• Why is the title _____?
• What does this mean?

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Step 7 ThemeGoal- Determine what the author is
saying and wants me to learn and feel after
reading the poem.

• Identify the theme by recognizing the human
  experience, motivation, or condition suggested by
  the poem
• This step, within itself, has a system
• Summarize the plot
• List the subject (s) of the poem (moving from
  literal subjects to abstract concepts such as
  war, death, discovery)
• Determine what the poet is saying about each
  subject. Write a complete sentence, making a
  statement and point about the subject (s).

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Example of theme explication using the poem
Janet Walking

• Plot In Janet Walking Janet awakens one
  morning and runs to greet her pet chicken only to
  discover that a bee had stung and killed the
  bird. The discovery desolates Janet to such a
  degree that her father cannot comfort her.
•   Subjects
• 1. A childs first experience of death
• 2. loss of a pet
• 3. innocence
•   Themes
• 1. Children become aware of the inevitability
  of death and are transformed by the knowledge.
  
• 2. The death of innocence is inevitable

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In Short

• First, you cant read a poem JUST once.
  (Oftentimes an initial reading will be
  intimidating and overwhelming for a student) .
• 2nd Reading of the poem -- take the poem line by
  line. This is the beginning of the analytical
  stage of the interpretation. Jot notes down in
  the margins to help you keep track of your own
  insights.
• Finally, answer the questions that have been
  assigned.

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Answering ELA Qs

• topic sentence
• points of justification (3)
• a clinching sentence.

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The Topic Sentence

• The topic sentence is like a thesis in the fact
  that it opens the response and provides a
  framework for the rest of the response.

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Points of Justification

• In dealing with the three points of justification
  it is important to note that simply providing
  examples is not sufficient. Include examples
  which are relevant and applicable to the question
  at hand. The relevance of each example needs to
  be explained fully by the student in order to
  verify their thesis.

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Clinching (Concluding) Sentence

• The clinching sentence is the equivalence to a
  conclusion and is the last opportunity for
  students to tie together their ideas and beliefs.

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Studentsby Tom Wayman

• p.24 (Echoes 12)
• answer questions 1, 3, 4 and 5 on p.30.
• These questions will require you to explore the
  following concepts
• Connotations
• Point of View
• Irony
• Diction

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Great Poetry Resources

• http//www.shmoop.com/poetry/