Post on 02-May-2018
TPCASTT Poetry
Analysis
Ms. Turner, English I
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1/09 Poetry Unit: TP-CASTT - Blume
TPCASTT is an ACRONYM for…
Title
Paraphrase
Connotation
Attitude
Shift
Title
Theme
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First, let’s review some
vocabulary:
Literal = means “exact” or “not exaggerated”. Literal language is language that means exactly what is said. Most of the time, we use literal language.
Figurative = the opposite of literal language. Figurative language is language that means more than what it says on the surface. Often used by poets and other writers.
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Vocabulary Review
Denotation = the dictionary definition of a word or phrase
Connotation = a meaning suggested by a word or phrase, in addition to its exact (denotative) meaning; can be the emotional feelings associated with the word
Think of the denotative and connotativemeanings of words such as home, mother, love, peace, friend, etc.
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Title: What predictions can you
make about the poem from the
title? What are your initial
(first) thoughts about the poem?
What might be the theme of the
poem?
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Title:What predictions can you
make from the title?
The poem might be simply about
the Pacific ocean. Is it about some memory the author has or
some special feelings he has
about going to the beach?
(now read the poem)
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“Once by the Pacific” by Robert Frost
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The shattered water made a misty din.
Great waves looked over others coming in,
And thought of doing something to the shore
That water never did to land before.
The clouds were low and hairy in the skies,
Like locks blown forward in the gleam of eyes.
You could not tell, and yet it looked as if
The shore was lucky in being backed by cliff,
The cliff in being backed by continent;
It looked as if a night of dark intent
Was coming, and not only a night, an age.
Someone had better be prepared for rage.
There would be more than ocean-water broken
Before God's last Put out the Light was spoken.
Paraphrase: Describe what
happens in the poem, in your
own words.
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Paraphrase: Describe what
happens in the poem, in your
own words.
Waves are crashing on the
shore. The force of the waves
tells us that a great storm is
coming and reminds the
speaker of the end of the
world.
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Connotation: What might the
poem mean beyond the literal
level? Find examples of
imagery, metaphors, similes,
personification, symbolism,
idioms, hyperbole, alliteration,
rhyme scheme, rhythm, etc. and
think about their possible
connotative meanings. Consider
the emotional feelings that the
words may give the reader.
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Connotation: What might the
poem mean beyond the literal
level? Find examples of
imagery, metaphors, similes,
personification, symbolism,
idioms, hyperbole, alliteration,
rhyme scheme, rhythm, etc. and
think about their possible
connotative meanings. Consider
the emotional feelings that the
words may give the reader.
The poem might mean that the
crashing waves and oncoming storm
remind the speaker of the end of the
world.
There is a simple rhythm in the
rhyming couplet structure and use of
iambic pentameter. They rhythm may
be connected to the rhythmic sound
of waves crashing on a shore.
Rich imagery is created by the use of
devices such as personification and
simile.
“Put out the Light” is a Biblical allusion
to the creation of the universe. The
quote reverses the original reference
(“Let there be Light!” to suggest and ending instead of a beginning.
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Attitude: Describe the tone of the
poem. What is the poet’s attitude
toward the subject of the poem?
The speaker’s attitude? Find and
list examples that illustrate the
tone and mood of the poem
(these show attitude).
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Attitude: Describe the tone of
the poem. What is the poet’s
attitude toward the subject of
the poem? The speaker’s
attitude? Find and list examples
that illustrate the tone and mood
of the poem (these show
attitude). The tone of the poem seems to be
somber, pessimistic, fearful,
apocalyptic.
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Shift: Is there a shift (a change)
in the tone or speaker of the
poem? Where does the shift
happen in the poem? What
does it shift from and to?
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Shift: Is there a shift (a change)
in the tone or speaker of the
poem? Where does the shift
happen in the poem? What
does it shift from and to?
The shift occurs in line 10.
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Title: Look at the title again.
Have your original ideas about
the poem changed? How? What
do you think the title means
now?
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Theme: What is the overall
theme of the poem?
What insight, understanding,
lesson, or truth are we supposed
to have after reading this poem?
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Theme: What is the overall
theme of the poem?
What insight, understanding,
lesson, or truth are we supposed
to have after reading this poem?
The poem teaches us that
we should respect the raw
power wielded by nature.
Nature is symbolic of an
even greater power that
can both create life yet also destroy it.
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