TP-CASTT
Poetry Analysis
Understanding meaning and how
technique enhances meaning
Summary of TP-CASTT Analysis
Title
Ponder the title before reading the poem.
Paraphrase
Translate the poem into our own words.
Connotation
Contemplate the poem for meaning beyond the
literal.
Attitude
Observe both the speaker’s and the poet’s attitude
(tone).
Shifts
Note shifts in speaker and in attitudes
Title
Examine the title again, this time on an interpretive
level.
Theme
Determine what the poet is saying.
Title
• Ponder the title before reading the poem.
• Write your first impressions of the title.
• Predict such elements as mood, tone, and
theme, for example.
Paraphrase
• Translate the poem into your own words.
• This is more difficult with modern poems
that are more similar to your own diction
and syntax.
• For longer poems, work in stanzas, for
shorter poems, work line by line.
• Focus on the literal, denotative use of the
words, not the deeper meaning.
Connotation
• Contemplate the poem for meaning beyond
the literal.
• What is the speaker actually conveying
with their words?
• You should note holistic connotations
present in complete stanzas
• Include specific choices of diction, idioms,
punctuation, etc.
Attitude
• Observe both the speaker’s attitude (mood)
and the poet’s attitude (tone).
• Go beyond simply naming the tone and
mood– explain how these are created.
• Comment on specific words, phrases,
poetic devices, punctuation, etc. that the
poet employs to convey attitude.
Shifts
• Note shifts in speaker, point of view,
attitude, time, diction, syntax, punctuation,
etc.
• Go beyond identifying the shift and its
location in the poem: how is it created?
• Be specific.
Title
• Examine the title again, this time on an
interpretive level.
• What new insights do you have on the title
after reading the poem?
• Note such elements as sarcasm,
understatement, attitude, etc.
Theme
• Determine what the poet– not the speaker-is saying.
• What affect does the poet want the poem to
have on the reader?
• A single word may be a symbol or a motif,
but not a theme.
• Themes are complete sentences, in the
third person, stated as a universal truth.