TPCASTT Template TPCASTT: Poem Analysis Method: tile, paraphrase, connotation, dietion, atitade, tone, Shifi(a) bile revisited and theme Title Before you even think about reading the postry oF tuying to analyze it, speculate on what you think the ‘poem might be about based upoa the title, Often time authors conceal meaning in the title and give elves in the tile. Jot down what you think this poem will be about “Nothing Gold Can Stay” by Robert Frost When I look a this title, [think ofa gold ring. When you first buy it it is beautiful and shiny. Over time, the shine begins to fade and the ring looks less beautiful then i did at the beginning. Paraphrase Before you begin thinking about meaning or tying to analyze the poem, don't overlook the literal meaning of the poem. One of the biggest problems that students often make in poetry analysis is jumping to conclusions before understanding what is taking place in the poem, When ‘you paraphrase a poem, write in your own words exactly what happens in the poem. Look at the number of sentences in the poem—your paraphrase should have exactly the same number. This technique is especially belpfl for poems written in the 17th and 19th centuries. Sometimes your teacher may allow you to summarize ‘what happens in the poem. Make sure that you understand the difference between a paraphrase and a ‘© Nature’s first ereen is gold - The 1* growth of spring is more gold in color than green. ‘© Her hardest hue to hold - This beautiful gold doesn’t last long. ‘¢ Her early leaf's a flower - The 1* “leaf” of spring is actually a blossom or flower. © Butonly so an hour - It remains only a short time. ‘© Then leaf subsides to leaf - The buds and blossoms turn to full, green leaves. ‘© So Eden sak to grief- In the same way the garden of Eden was taken away (the beauty and innocence gone ~ Eve eats the forbidden apple). '* So dawa goes down to day - The glow of the dawn turns to darkness. ‘¢ Nothing gold can stay ~ Nothing in nature, especially what is beautiful, lasts forever. ‘Connotation Although this term usally refers solely to the emotional overtones of word choice, for this approach the term refers to any and all poetic devices, focusing on how such devices contribute to the smeaning, the effect, o: both of a poem. You may consider imagery, figures of speech (simile, metaphor, personification, symbolism, ete), diction, point of view, and sound devices (alliteration, onomatopoeia, rhythm, and rhyme). It is not necessary that you identify all the poetic devices within the poem. The ones you do ‘deatify should be seen a3 a way of supporting the conelusions you are going to draw about the poem. ‘Nature's first green is gold = metaphor Her bardest ue to hold = Her refers to nature and “she" is being personified ‘So Eden sank to grief this is an allusion to the biblical seference “Garden of Eden’; not understanding this reference may make it difficult ro understand the poem End Rhyme AABBCCDD Image Repetition of thei andthe las ine of the poem ‘Attitude Having examined the poem's devices and clues closely, you are now ready to explore the amltiple attitudes thar may be preseat in the poem. Examination of diction, images, and details suggests the speaker's attiude and contributes to understanding. You may refer to the list of words on Tone that will help you. Remember that usually the tone or attitude cannot be named with a single word Think complexip: ‘This poem makes one visualize the stant of spring. When plaats first blooms, itis beautiful, but it only lasts for so Jong. Her is mother nature ~ che changes in nature can, lead to changes in one’s mood or how something. The tone that develops through the poem is that of melancholy, The speaker talks about the beauty and then how it goes away. The last line of the poem shows the disappointment of the speaker.‘Shift Rarely does a poem begin and ead the poetic experience in the same place, As is true of most us, the poe’s understanding of an experience is a gradual realization, and the poem is reflection of that ‘understanding or insight. Watch for the following keys to shifts: + key words, (but, yet, however, although) + punctuation (dashes, periods, colons, ellipsis) + stanza divisions + changes inline or stanza lenath or both + changes in sound that may indicate changes in + changes in diction ‘The words But and So (OX) indicate a shift in the tone of| the poem. It's like when someone gives you good news and then there's a “but”. The speaker is trying to express hhow beauty fades and is not eternal, Title revisited Now look atthe title again, but this time on aa interpretive level, What new insight does the ttle provide in understanding the poet. ‘Now that T've read the poem, the title refers to the colors of spring and how they do not ast, how everything changes in time. After reading The Outsiders by SE. Hinton, [have another perspective on the poem In the ‘novel “stay gold” refers to innocence. When you're young, you're gold, When you have interests that no one false seems to have, that's gold, ‘Theme What is the poem saying about the buman experience, motivation, or condition? What subject or subjects does the poem address? What do you lea about those subjects? What idea does the poet want you take away with you concerning these subjects? Remember that the theme of any work of literature is, stated in a complete sentence. The theme of the poem relates to the circle of Life. The poem relates it to nature: flower, leaf, bud, and fruit, into the full life that includes loss, grief, and change. Nature is like life. Beauty exists but declines in time.