1. TPCASTT
TPCASTT
A type of poetry analysis that makes understanding poetry easy…okay, easier.

2. Using FIVE of the words you can see behind this text box, create an original poem of any type. You must have TWO stanzas.

3. Title TPCASTT Look at the title before you even read the poem
Often, cryptic in nature
Gives you a sense of what to expect (foreshadowing)
TPCASTT
What would these titles mean to you?
“O Captain! My Captain!”
“A Little Learning”
“The Tide Rises, the Tide Falls”

4. Paraphrase TPCASTT Literal meaning of the poem
Difficult to understand the figurative elements if you don’t know the literal meaning
TPCASTT
Remember that a paraphrase is close to the original length but in your own words.

5. PRACTICE PARAPHRASING
Paraphrase the stanza below
O Captain! my Captain! our fearful trip is done,
The ship has weather’d every rack, the prize we sought is won
The port is near, the bells I hear, the people all exulting,
While follow eyes the steady keel, the vessel grim and daring;
But O heart! heart! heart!
O the bleeding drops of red,
Where on the deck my Captain lies,
Fallen cold and dead.
A great battle was fought and the speaker’s side, victorious. However, in the excitement of battle and returning home, the speaker turns to see his mighty captain, whom he respects, has fallen.

6. The LONGEST and MOST DETAILED section of TPCASTT
Connotation
The implied meaning
How the poet conveys the meaning through…
Literary devices, poetic devices, sound devices are all analyzed here to determine meaning
Diction (word choice), sentence structure, imagery, & symbolism are also critiqued.
The LONGEST and MOST DETAILED section of TPCASTT
TPCASTT

7. PRACTICE CONNOTATION
Underline any figurative elements, words, or phrases that provoke an image.
O Captain! my Captain! our fearful trip is done,
The ship has weather’d every rack, the prize we sought is won
The port is near, the bells I hear, the people all exulting,
While follow eyes the steady keel, the vessel grim and daring;
But O heart! heart! heart!
O the bleeding drops of red,
Where on the deck my Captain lies,
Fallen cold and dead.

8. Consonance in the repetition of “r” in line 2
Consonance in the repetition of “r” in line 2. The rough sound of the “r” simulates the hardships the crew endured.
Repetition in the sounds of the men calling to captain, he is the most valuable member
Consonance in the repetition of the “d” in the last three lines. The “d” is a hard consonant with a final sound much like the captain’s death is final.

9. Attitude TPCASTT What is the TONE of the poem?
Start with…Is it POSITIVE  or NEGATIVE 
Then become more precise with your tone sheet
TPCASTT

10. PRACTICE ATTITUDE What tone(s) is in the stanza below?
O Captain! my Captain! our fearful trip is done,
The ship has weather’d every rack, the prize we sought is won
The port is near, the bells I hear, the people all exulting,
While follow eyes the steady keel, the vessel grim and daring;
But O heart! heart! heart!
O the bleeding drops of red,
Where on the deck my Captain lies,
Fallen cold and dead.

11. Shift TPCASTT There is a shift in almost every poem
Can be in…tone, subject matter, meaning, rhyme scheme—anything!
Find it and then ask WHY the shift is in that particular place.
TPCASTT

12. PRACTICE FINDING THE SHIFT
Draw a line between the lines where you think a shift occurs.
O Captain! my Captain! our fearful trip is done,
The ship has weather’d every rack, the prize we sought is won
The port is near, the bells I hear, the people all exulting,
While follow eyes the steady keel, the vessel grim and daring;
But O heart! heart! heart!
O the bleeding drops of red,
Where on the deck my Captain lies,
Fallen cold and dead.

13. Title (again) TPCASTT Take another look at the title
What does it mean after your analysis?
TPCASTT

14. PRACTICE TITLE ANALYSIS
How does the title mean now?
O Captain! my Captain! our fearful trip is done,
The ship has weather’d every rack, the prize we sought is won
The port is near, the bells I hear, the people all exulting,
While follow eyes the steady keel, the vessel grim and daring;
But O heart! heart! heart!
O the bleeding drops of red,
Where on the deck my Captain lies,
Fallen cold and dead.

15. Theme Statement TPCASTT Write a theme statement (sentence)
What statement about life is the poet making?
Do not confuse theme with the subject matter of the poem
TPCASTT

16. PRACTICE A THEME STATMENT
Create a theme statement for the stanza…what is being said about life?
O Captain! my Captain! our fearful trip is done,
The ship has weather’d every rack, the prize we sought is won
The port is near, the bells I hear, the people all exulting,
While follow eyes the steady keel, the vessel grim and daring;
But O heart! heart! heart!
O the bleeding drops of red,
Where on the deck my Captain lies,
Fallen cold and dead.