1. Poetry Analysis

2. Getting Started…
This is a process to help you organize your analysis of poetry.
We have already learned the vocabulary, now it’s time to put it into practice!
Together, we are going to analyze “American Hero” using T-PCASTT.
Now, please copy the next chart in your
notebook…

3. “American Hero” to this sheet!
Add your analysis of
“American Hero” to this sheet!

4. T is for TITLE Analyze the title first. (“American Hero”)
What do you predict this poem will be about?
Write down your predictions.
We will reflect on the title again after we have read the poem.
The next step is often omitted, but it is the most important!!!!

5. NOW
READ THE POEM

6. American Hero By Essex Hemphill
I have nothing to lose tonight. All my men surround me, panting, as I spin the ball above our heads on my middle finger. It’s a shimmering club light and I’m dancing, slick in my sweat. Squinting, I aim at the hole fifty feet away. I let the tension go. Shoot for the net. Choke it. I never hear the ball slap the backboard. I slam it through the net. The crowd goes wild for our win. I scored thirty-two points this game and they love me for it. Everyone hollering is a friend tonight. But there are towns, certain neighborhoods where I’d be hard pressed to hear them cheer if I move on the block.  

7. P is for PARAPHRASE
Paraphrasing is putting something in your own words.
After reading the poem, rewrite it in your own words.
This may be three sentences or a page, depending on the particular poem.

8. C is for CONNOTATION
apostrophe
ASSONANCE
Analyze the figures of speech and sound effects of the poem.
These are the poetry vocabulary we have already studied.
These elements add to the meaning.
alliteration
RHYME
personification
diction
onomatopoeia
meter
simile
ONOMATOPEIA
HYPERBOLE
metaphor
consonance

9. Onomatopoeia is a critical element in this poem.
What words are used to help the reader hear the sounds of
the basketball game?
Words like panting, hollering, slap, and slam help
the reader feel like he or she is at the big game.
Since this poem is free verse, meaning there is no rhyme
scheme, the alliteration adds to the rhythm.

10. A is for ATTITUDE
Tone is the attitude of the speaker toward the subject of the poem.

11. Don’t Confuse Tone & Mood!
* Tone and mood are two different aspects
of a poem!
* Tone is the author's or the poet's attitude
towards his or her subject.
* Therefore, the tone in this poem would be
how Hemphill feels about the game of
basketball and the fans.
* The tone seems to be bitter and resentful
since the fans are so shallow.

12. S is for SHIFT If there is a change in… Time Tone Mood Speaker
This should always be noted as this will also affect the meaning.

13. Shift in Mood
Mood is how the poem makes the reader or the listener feel.
For example, at the beginning of the poem, the mood is excited and elevated as the speaker plays ball and scores points.
But, the mood becomes more somber and serious towards the end of the poem as the reader discovers the superficiality of the fans’ cheering.

14. T is for TITLE (again)
At this time, you should reconsider the title.
Were you right in your predictions?
What other meanings might the title have in light of your analysis?
Next, the biggie….

15. T is for THEME
As you already know, theme is the general insight into life conveyed by the author through his/her work.
It does not make a judgment.
example: “Don’t do drugs” is not a theme.
It merely states something that is true to life and the human condition.

16. How do I find the THEME? Look at the other parts of TPCASTT.
What insight are all of these working together to convey?
What is the poet trying to say about life?

17. THEME of “American Hero”
Sometimes people are appreciated for their talents and not as a person.
The crowd likes the player while he is scoring points on the court, but they would not want to be his friend off the
court.
Some people can’t see past the color of someone’s skin.
Discrimination is a big part of the world we live in.