1. TPCASTT Poetry Analysis Technique
“I Died for Beauty”
By Emily Dickinson

2. What SHOULD your poem look like after you have finished TPCASTTing it?
Title
Paraphrase
Connotation
What SHOULD your poem look like after you have finished TPCASTTing it?
TPCASTT
Attitude
Shifts
Title (again)
Theme of the poem

4. T -- Title Read the title of the poem
Predict what the poem will be about based on the title ONLY
Do not begin reading the poem yet
Write 3-4 sentences about your prediction

5. T -- Title I died because I was obsessed with beauty?
I looked at someone or something so beautiful it
caused my death?
Was a beauty queen murdered?

6. P – Paraphrase Translate the poem into your own words,
line by line if possible.
Be sure to paraphrase using complete
sentences.
On average, you should have approximately
one paragraph per stanza.
(Next slide)

7. P – Paraphrase Your Turn
Paraphrase this poem, line by line or
stanza by stanza. Keep in mind that it
must be a COMPLETE translation.
You must understand the poet’s literal
meaning of the words.

8. P – Paraphrase First Stanza
A first person speaker has recently died and
been laid to rest in a tomb. She obviously
comes from a well-to-do family because her
final resting spot is a tomb versus a grave. If
she died for beauty, what kind of stand was
she taking (inner beauty, art, history)? Shortly
after being laid to rest, another person, who
died for truth, was placed in a neighboring
room.

9. P – Paraphrase Second Stanza
Sensing her presence, the new soul gently asks
what led to her death. She responds, “Beauty,”
and he replies back that he died for truth. He
then states, “the two are one,” leading the
reader to believe that standing up for your values
and principles are sometimes more important
than life itself. He also says that they are alike
because they both were willing to sacrifice their
lives for their values.

10. P – Paraphrase Third Stanza
The two quickly realize they are like souls. They
continue to talk and form a friendship in the
afterlife until the weeds cover their lips and their
tomb. By that time, their families, friends, and
society have forgotten about them as individuals.
In addition, their purpose for failing, or dieing,
has also been forgotten. Meaning nothing has
changed and they died in vain.

11. C -- Connotation
Look for poetic devices that go beyond the literal interpretation
metaphor, simile, personification, alliteration, onomatopoeia, rhythm, rhyme scheme, symbolism, and diction
Circle these devices and make margin notes about their meanings
In this specific poem, you should be able to identify and explain at least three poetic devices

12. C -- Connotation Extended Metaphor – throughout the
entire poem Beauty and Truth are being
compared
Personification – Giving human characteristics
to inanimate objects
Her = Beauty / Him = Truth
ABCB near rhyme scheme

13. A -- Attitude Observe either the speaker’s or the poet’s attitude
Attitude and tone are synonyms
Attitude is an adjective
There can be more than one
Explain the attitude/tone of the poem

14. A -- Attitude SAD and SOMBER regarding death,
graveyard, and their failures
CONTENTMENT due to the fact that they
discover that they both died standing up
for what was important to them

15. S -- Shift
Identify any speaker shifts
Identify any shifts in attitude

16. S -- Shift There is one speaker shift in the third stanza.
There are two speakers who continue their dialogue back and forth in the first two stanzas and refer to themselves as “I.”
However, in the last stanza, they begin referring to themselves as “we” and “our.”

17. T – Title (again) Re-examine the title.
How does the title fit with the work as a whole?
This time, you are interpreting the title, not just predicting or looking at it literally.

18. T – Title (again) “I Died for Beauty”
We don’t know specifically what aspect
of beauty led to her death, but we know
it was a cause she was willing to die
for.
We don’t even know specifically how she
died.

19. T -- Theme Determine what the poet is saying
THIS IS NOT THE MORAL OF THE POEM
Identify the theme by recognizing the human experience, motivation, or condition of the poem.
One work may have several possible themes

20. Beauty and Truth are Parallels
T -- Theme
Beauty and Truth are Parallels
Each speaker died for ideals (Beauty/Truth)
Each speaker is buried is similar conditions and within the same tomb
Each speaker dies and decays at about the same time
Both names are covered with the same moss

21. T -- Theme
Friendship
The two speakers bond as friends because they have similar causes and values
Postmortem friendship makes a scary situation more bearable
However, their bond is broken with the passage of time (i.e. moss reaches their lips, and their names are covered)

22. Title Paraphrase TPCASTT Connotation Attitude Shifts Title (again)
What does YOUR poem look like now that you have finished TPCASTTing it?
TPCASTT
Attitude
Shifts
Title (again)
Theme of the poem