1. ENGLISH II MS. CLZIANOSKI
ANALYZING POETRY
ENGLISH II
MS. CLZIANOSKI

2. Lesson Objectives
Take notes to read and comprehend language of textbooks
Identify and analyze theme and sound devices
Understand and analyze form of poetry
Apply TP-CASTT model for analyzing poetry

3. The structure of poetry
FORM: In poetry, this refers to the distinctive ways that the words are arranged on the page.
GRAPHIC ELEMENTS: The poem’s length and placement of lines.
STANZAS: Similar to a paragraph, each stanza conveys a unified idea and contributes to a poem’s overall meaning.

4. Poetic elements
PROSODY/PROSE: The meter and rhythm of a poem, as well as other sound devices and imagery.
RHYTHM: The power of stressed and unstressed syllables in each line.
METER: The pattern of rhythm.
RHYME SCEME: A regular pattern of rhyme; rhyme scheme is charted by assigning a letter of the alphabet to matching end rhymes.

5. Other sound devices

6. Figurative language in poetry

7. Tp-castt for analyzing poetry
Title Paraphrase Connotation Attitude/tone Shifts Title Theme

8. Consider the title and make a prediction about what the poem is about.

9. 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.

10. connotation
Examine the poem for meaning beyond the literal. Look for figurative language, imagery, and sound elements.

11. Notice the speaker’s tone and attitude. Humor? Sarcasm? Awe?
Attitude/tone
Notice the speaker’s tone and attitude. Humor? Sarcasm? Awe?

12. shifts
Note any shifts or changes in speaker or attitude. Look for key words, time change, and punctuation.

13. title
Examine the title again, this time on an interpretative level. What does the title have to do with the content of the poem?

14. theme
Briefly state in your own words what the poem is about (subject), then what the poet is saying about the subject (theme).