1. TP-CASTT Method to Interpret Poetry
Poetry – English 9
TP-CASTT
Method to Interpret Poetry

2. TP-CASTT Does poetry puzzle you?
Do you ask yourself the following questions:
Why don’t poets say what they mean?
How do these lines fit together?
How can I figure out what this poem means?

3. TP-CASTT T – Title P – Paraphrase C – Connotation A – Attitude (Tone)
S – Shifts
T – Title (Again)
T - Theme

4. What does the title mean to
TP-CASTT
What does the title mean to
you?

5. TP-CASTT
Paraphrase
“Translate” or write the poem in your own words. Identify and define any unknown words.
Identify the literal meaning of the poem.
Do words in the poem have more than one meaning?
Write out the poem in your own words.
Do not skip the parts you do not understand.

6. Literary Elements to Consider
TP-CASTT
Connotation
Look at the poetic devices of the poem—how do they contribute to the meaning of the poem?
Do these devices contribute to the meaning of the poem or its effect?
Literary Elements to Consider
Figurative Language
Simile
Metaphor
Personification
Hyperbole
Assonance
Consonance
Others...

7. How does the writer feel about the subject
TP-CASTT
Afraid
ATTITUDE
(Tone)
How does the writer feel about the subject
of the poem?
Angry
JOYFUL
Silly
SWEET
BITTER
CONDESCENDING
DETACHED
SENTIMENTAL
NOSTALGIC
SYMPATHETIC

8. TP-CASTT SHIFTSSHIFTSSHIFTS Some things to look for:
Changes in line or stanza length
Punctuation (dashes, periods, colons, ellipsis)
Stanza division
Changes in sound or diction
Key words (but, yet, however, although)

9. TP-CASTT TITLE – (Again)
Re-examine the title. Now that you’ve read the poem, does the title hold a different meaning?

10. What is the universal message the writer is trying to get across?
TP-CASTT
THEME
What is the universal message the writer is trying to get across?
To find the theme:
Summarize the “plot” of the poem.
List the subject(s) of the poem (literal to abstract)
What is the poet saying about each subject? Write a complete sentence describing what the poet is saying.
Congratulations! You’ve identified the theme!

11. TP-CASTT
Title, Paraphrase, Connotation, Attitude (Tone), Shifts, Title (Again), Theme – TP-CASTT
Applying this method of evaluating poetry will help you understand how the poem “fits” together and enable you to understand what the poet is trying to convey. Good reading!