1. TP-CASTT, “Much Madness is Divinest Sense”

2. TP-CASTT
Title
What does the title make you think of?

3. TP-CASTT
Paraphrase
Line 1: A lot of “insanity” is the best kind of intelligence/perception
Lines 2-3 (One Sentence): To an understanding/careful observer, a lot of “intelligence” is the most obvious insanity.

4. TP-CASTT
Paraphrase
Lines 4-5 (One sentence): It is the majority of people (society) who win in this argument:

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Paraphrase
Lines 7-9: For, if you agree (with the majority), you are declared intelligent and rational. If you disagree with them, you are treated like a dangerous, mentally ill person right away and chained with a leash (the mentally ill were basically imprisoned in her time).

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Connotation
Extended metaphor (a metaphor that lasts the whole poem):
Insanity represents thinking differently in general, in new, original ways that are contrary to accepted views.
Synecdoche (where the part stands for the whole):
Eye: A person (Eyes are often said to be the “gateway to the soul.)
Symbol:
Chain: Society’s oppression of people who are different (unfair laws, outcasting/shunning, literal punishment)

7. TP-CASTT
Connotation
Paradox (Statements that seem contradictory at first, but have truth to them):
“Insanity” = sanity, “Sanity”= Insanity
(Sometimes the most seemingly insane person has the most insight and can see that things aren’t quite right, even though everyone else thinks things are fine.)

8. TP-CASTT
Tone/Attitude: Irreverent (rebellious, sassy, healthy disrespect for authority):
Signs of irreverence:
Diction: Strong word choice (“straightway,” “starkest”) means she’s confident in her viewpoint, not hesitating.
Imagery/figurative language: She uses a harsh symbol to represent authority (chains), painting them in a bad light.
Language/language conventions: Capitalization of common nouns, lack of punctuation, overuse of dash, and inconsistent use of contractions all set this poem apart. The author ignores basic rules.
She is also very direct, e.g. she states her main point right away (1st line), instead of being meek and humble for fear of upsetting authority.
Structure: She has a lack of structure, no discernible rhyme scheme (very unique for her time). No consistent patterns.

9. TP-CASTT Shifts Shift in focus: Lines 1-3: She presents her main idea
Lines 4-8: She presents society’s opinion on the same topic.
Look for shifts! They are hard to find sometimes, and they’re sometimes small like this, but you need to push yourself to find them.

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Themes
Abstract Nouns (What abstract nouns does this poem deal with?)

11. TP-CASTT Themes Abstract Nouns
Alienation, oppression, advocacy, identity, individuality, society, liberty, acceptance, judgment, superficiality, groupthink/mob mentality, conformity, rebellion, authority
Sentences:

12. TP-CASTT
Title
Freebie: Dickinson didn’t actually choose this name for her poem. She died before her poems were published, so publishers usually just use the first line of her poems as titles.
What do you think she would’ve chosen as her title?