Interrogating Poetry with TPCASTT
Fire and Ice by Robert Frost
Some say the world will end in fire,
Some say in ice.
From what I’ve tasted of desire
I side with those who favor fire.
But if I had to perish twice, 5
I think I know enough of hate
To say that for destruction ice
Is also great
And would suffice.
Review of TPCASTT Strategy:
T – Title
 P – Paraphrase
 C – Connotations (the images, figurative

language, word choices, allusions,
symbols)
A – Attitude
 S – Shift
 T – Title (again)
 T – TOPICTHEME

Initial Title Analysis and Predictions:
Fire and Ice
Opposites
 Why are these
words in a title
together?
 What might you
predict the
poem will be
about?




HINT:
Be sure to know all
meanings of words in
titles
Consider how the
words in a title relate
you each other, other
literary works, you,
and the world
Time to Paraphrase:
Some say the world will end in fire,
Some say in ice.
From what I’ve tasted of desire
I side with those who favor fire.
The speaker
introduces a
destructive
relationship between
fire and desire.
HINT:
Be sure to look up any
words you don’t know.
Put into your own words
lines or entire stanzas
from the poem.
Don’t be fooled by a short
poem. Sometimes those
short poems are full of
ideas.
Paraphrasing cont’d:
Paraphrase:
But if I had to perish
twice, 5
I think I know enough
of hate
To say that for
destruction ice
Is also great
And would suffice.
The author now relates
hate and ice through
their destructive
capabilities.
What might ice
symbolize?
Connotations:


Fire is a symbol for desire
Ice a symbol for hate
The author’s connections
imply that these emotions
can end the world.
These words are also
opposites yet they both
will end the world.
This is a paradox (a
contradictory yet true
statement), and the author
shows us that these
extremes can both have
the same result.
HINT:
Consider the emotional
meanings of words,
phrases, images,
allusions, figurative
language,
symbolism.
Make connections
among and between
words.
Connotations (cont’d):
 “suffice”
The last word of the
last line seems
understated
compared to the
topic of the world
ending. The
speaker sounds
“matter of fact”
about the causes
of the ending.
HINT:
Look for sarcasm,
understatement, and
hyperbole to
determine emotional
connections to
topics.
Attitude (also known as voice or tone):
The speaker’s attitude
seems to be
nonchalant and matterof-fact about this
conundrum.
 The attitude connotes
a sense of inevitability
about the end of the
world because desire
and hate are common
human emotions.

HINT:
Attitude is how
the speaker
feels about
the topic.
What exactly is
the topic?
Shift:

A shift occurs in this
poem when the
author moves from
the perspective of
“some” to “I”. The
shift implies a
personal connection
and knowledge of
how things will end.
HINT:
Look for changes
in meter, rhyme
scheme, topic,
point of view,
setting.
Title (again):
Fire and Ice
Construed as
destructive
Does the title really
imply the end of the
world?
Or the end of
something else—
maybe a
relationship?
HINT:
Think about how
the title now has
connections to
the connotations
and attitude in
the poem.
Topic  Theme
Many people struggle to understand theme. If you
are struggling start by asking yourself what the
topic of the poem is, then ask yourself what the
author is saying about that topic, keeping in mind
symbolism and connotation.
1. Topic: destruction
2. Topic phrase: the world (symbolizes a relationship) will
end from fire (desire) and ice (hate)
3. Theme: Relationships can end from unregulated desire
or hate.
Conclusion:
T- Title
P- Paraphrase
C- Connotations
A- Attitude
S- Shift
T- Title (again
T- Topic  Theme
Would you use all of this strategy, some of it, or
none of it to analyze poetry? What are some
other techniques you have used before?