Poem: ____________Rain______________ Author: ________Naomi Shihab__________________

Your Name: ________Miranda Mishaan_________

TP-CASTT Poetry Analysis

TITLE: Consider the title and make a prediction about what the poem is about.
I think it has something to do with sadness or the sadness that correlates with rain.

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.
A teacher asked the student,
What he would learned,
From third grade,
After thinking about it for a while,
He wrote down a sentence,
With a lot of os and ds,
So he could color in the empty spaces,
That made him think of home.

CONNOTATION: Examine the poem for meaning beyond the literal. Look for figurative language,
imagery, and sound elements.
... and be safe while outside birds and building nests in drainpipes knew nothing of the coming
rain.
Everyone needs to feel safe and sheltered, and it makes the oncoming rain not as scary or
worrisome.

ATTITUDE/TONE: Notice the speakers tone and attitude. Humor? Sarcasm? Awe?
The tone feels almost rebellious, since the kid in the story Paul didnt care that the incorrect
sentence wasnt correct but it still made him happy to write it.

SHIFTS: Note any shifts or changes in speaker or attitude. Look for keywords, time change,
punctuation.
He wanted to go inside them and live
This instantly makes me feel like he cannot find a place he can call home.

TITLE: Examine the title again, this time on an interpretive level.

The rain represents any oncoming stress that will be shielded with the use of the home

THEME: Briefly state in your own words what the poem is about (subject), then what the poet is
saying about the subject (theme).
The poet is trying to display what its like to not have home, and watch everyone else have one
and be envious. Also, how having somewhere and people that make you feel safe and loved can
conquer anything life has to throw.