1. TP araphrase CASTTan analysis for poetry TP araphrase CASTT an analysis for poetry A Psalm of Life By Henry Wadsworth Longfellow What the Heart of the Young Man Said to the Psalmist

2. TPCASTT: Title ◦ Before reading a poem, speculate on what you think the poem might be about based upon only the title. Oftentimes, authors conceal meaning, or give clues to the main idea, in the title.

3. TPCASTT: Paraphrase Before thinking about the meaning of a poem, identify the literal meaning of the poem. When you paraphrase a poem, write in your own words exactly what happens in the poem (the literal meaning of the poem). Look at the number of sentences in the poem—your paraphrase should have roughly the same number—essentially this is a word for word, line by line, translation. Note: paraphrase is NOT the same as summarize. Summarization is an abridged recap, and therefore would be MUCH shorter than the poem itself

4. TPCASTT: Connotation This term usually refers to the emotional overtones of word choice; in this case we will also let it stand for any and all poetic devices. Focus on how such devices contribute to the meaning, the effect, or both, of a poem. Consider the following elements when looking at connotation: ◦ imagery ◦ figures of speech (simile, metaphor, personification, symbolism, allusion, etc.) ◦ diction (intentional word choice) ◦ point of view (the speaker of the poem and his/her impact on the content) ◦ sound devices (alliteration, onomatopoeia, consonance, assonance, rhythm, rhyme, etc.) It is not necessary that you identify all the poetic devices within the poem, but it is key that you note the ones that most impact the meaning of the poem itself.

5. TPCASTT: Attitude (Tone) Keeping the connotation in mind, identify the poem’s tone. Ask yourself, “what is the speaker’s attitude about the main idea of the poem? How does said attitude impact the overall tone?” Note: the tone/attitude often cannot be captured with a single word. Often a phrase or a sentence is necessary. When one word will do, always insure that it is the best word: stay away from overly general descriptors such as “dark,” “nice,” “happy,” and/or “sad.”

6. TPCASTT: Shift Rarely does a poem begin and end in the same poetic place. Often, a speaker’s understanding of an experience is a gradual realization, and therefore the poem is a reflection of that growing understanding/insight. Watch for the following to note when a shift occurs: ◦ key words (but, yet, however, although) ◦ punctuation (dashes, periods, colons, ellipsis) ◦ stanza divisions / abrupt line breaks ◦ changes in line length, stanza length, or both ◦ a sudden ironic element ◦ changes in sound that may indicate changes in meaning ◦ changes in diction (specifically the diction’s tone)

7. TPCASTT: Title Revisited Revisit the title by looking at it again, but this time keeping in mind what you already know about the poem. Ask yourself, “knowing what I do now, does the title provide an insight/meaning to the poem that I previously did not note?” and, “how does the poem’s title contribute to the overall meaning of the poem?”

8. TPCASTT: Theme What does the poem say about the human experience, motivation, or condition? What idea does the poet want you take away with you concerning the human experience? ◦ The following are the six traits of a well written theme: ◦ It should be expressed in a statement with a subject and a predicate (a complete sentence) ◦ It should be stated as a generalization about the human experience: specific characters, locations, and dates are unnecessary ◦ Avoid making a generalizations larger than what is justified by the terms of the story ◦ A theme is the central and unifying concept of a piece, thereby it must account for all major details in the poem and cannot be contradicted by any details in the poem (nor can it rely upon supposed facts) ◦ There is no one way to state a theme: one theme may be phrased in a variety of ways ◦ Avoid reducing a theme to a familiar saying or cliché that has been heard by many, such as “Don’t judge a book by its cover,” or “You must walk in another man’s shoes in order to fully understand him” Theme statement: Cited details that support the theme:

9. A Psalm of Life – 1 st Stanza Don’t tell me in any sad way that life is a empty dream. Tell me not, in mournful numbers, "Life is but an empty dream!" If the soul sleeps it is dead; things are not the way they appear. For the soul is dead that slumbers, And things are not what they seem.

10. A Psalm of Life – 2 nd Stanza Life is real and not a joke; death is not the end. Life is real! Life is earnest! And the grave is not its goal; The soul is not dust or any other material thing. "Dust thou art, to dust returnest," Was not spoken of the soul.

11. A Psalm of Life – 3 rd Stanza Enjoyment and sorrow are not all there is to life. Not enjoyment, and not sorrow, Is our destined end or way; Our goal is to live in such a way to become better every day. But to act, that each to-morrow Finds us farther than to-day.

12. A Psalm of Life – 4 th Stanza Human effort is difficult, and time races by. Art is long, and Time is fleeting, Even though we may be strong and brave, we quietly live until we die. And our hearts, though stout and brave, Still, like muffled drums, are beating Funeral marches to the grave.

13. A Psalm of Life – 5 th Stanza In the struggles of life, don’t just follow the pack. In the world's broad field of battle, In the bivouac of Life, Be not like dumb, driven cattle! Be a hero – be brave – in difficult situations. Be a hero in the strife!

14. A Psalm of Life – 6 th Stanza Don’t get caught thinking about the future – no matter how good; and don’t worry about the past. Trust no Future, howe'er pleasant! Let the dead Past bury its dead! Live in the present, courageous and determined, knowing there is a God. Act,--act in the living Present! Heart within, and God o'erhead!

15. A Psalm of Life – 7 th Stanza The great men and women who have lived before us show us that we can live noble, impressive, inspiring, awesome lives. Lives of great men all remind us We can make our lives sublime, We can leave our mark on the world. And, departing, leave behind us Footprints on the sands of time;

16. A Psalm of Life – 8 th Stanza Our mark, the life we have lived, may inspire or encourage, someone who is struggling in life. Footprints, that perhaps another, Sailing o'er life's solemn main, A forlorn and shipwrecked brother, Seeing, shall take heart again.

17. A Psalm of Life – 9 th Stanza Let us act with courage and determination no matter what comes our way; Let us, then, be up and doing, With a heart for any fate; While we pursue and accomplish our goals, we must learn to persevere – the difficult and unexpected things in life. Still achieving, still pursuing Learn to labor and to wait.

18. Tips for Paraphrasing Break poem into segments based on thoughts or ideas – Where is the logical end of this thought Identify Subject/Verb Look up unfamiliar words, phrases, and references ◦ http://www.thefreedictionary.com/ http://www.thefreedictionary.com/