TP-CASTT Poetry Analysis
TP-CASTT Title Paraphrase Connotation Attitude/Tone Shifts Title Theme
TITLE: – Consider the title and make a prediction about what the poem is about. PARAPHRASE: – Translate the poem line by line into your own words on a literal level. Look for complete thoughts (sentences may be inverted) and look up unfamiliar words. CONNOTATION: – Examine the poem for meaning beyond the literal. Look for figurative language, imagery, and sound elements.
ATTITUDE/TONE: – Notice the speaker’s tone and attitude. Humor? Sarcasm? Awe? SHIFTS: – Note any shifts or changes in speaker or attitude. Look for key words, time change, punctuation. TITLE: – Examine the title again, this time on an interpretive level. THEME: – Briefly state in your own words what the poem is about (subject), then what the poet is saying about the subject (theme).
“To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time” by Robert Herrick Gather ye rose-buds while ye may, Old Time is still a-flying; And this same flower that smiles today Tomorrow will be dying. The glorious lamp of heaven, the sun, The higher he’s a-getting, The sooner will his race be run, And nearer he’s to setting. That age is best which is the first, When youth and blood are warmer; But being spent, the worse, and worst Times still succeed the former. Then be not coy, but use your time, And while ye may, go marry; For having lost but once your prime, You may forever tarry. Source: The Norton Anthology of Poetry Third Edition (1983) Gather Ye Rosebuds While Ye May, 1909 By John Williams Waterhouse
“Ode to Man” 1.Using the TPCASTT model with a partner, analyze Ode 1 from Antigone (also known as the “Ode to Man”) in your journals. 2.In a well-developed paragraph (5-6 sentences), compare/contrast Herrick’s poem to “Ode to Man.” Consider their themes, structure, the relationship between man and nature, and the different points of view.