TPCASTT Poetry Analysis Form
Poem Title: ___________________
Title: What predictions can you make from the
title? What are your initial thoughts about the
poem? What might be the theme of the poem?
Paraphrase: Before you begin thinking about
meaning or trying to analyze the poem, don’t
overlook the literal meaning of the poem.
Summarize the poem in your own words line by
line (long poems) or by stanzas (short poems).
Connotation: What is the connotative meaning
of the poem? Find examples of imagery,
metaphors, similes, idioms, symbolism, point of
view, sound devices etc. and elaborate on their
connotative meanings.
It is not necessary that you identify all the poetic
devices within the poem. The ones you do
identify should be seen as a way of supporting
the conclusions you are going to draw about the
poem.
Attitude: What attitude does the poet have
toward the subject of the poem? Find and list
examples that illustrate the tone and mood of the
poem.
Shift: Is there a shift in the tone/attitude of the
poem? Where is the shift? What does the tone
shift to? Watch for the following keys to shifts:
 Key words (but, yet, however, although)
 Punctuation (dashes, periods, colons)
 Stanza divisions
 Changes in line and/or stanza length
Title: Revisit the title and explain any new
insights it provides to the meaning of the poem
(interpretive level).
Theme: What is the overall theme of the poem?
What is the poem saying about the human
experience, motivation, or condition?
Author: ________
TPCASTT Poetry Analysis Form
Poem Title: ___________________
Title: What predictions can you make from the
title? What are your initial thoughts about the
poem? What might be the theme of the poem?
Paraphrase: Before you begin thinking about
meaning or trying to analyze the poem, don’t
overlook the literal meaning of the poem.
Summarize the poem in your own words line by
line (long poems) or by stanzas (short poems).
Connotation: What is the connotative meaning
of the poem? Find examples of imagery,
metaphors, similes, idioms, symbolism, point of
view, sound devices etc. and elaborate on their
connotative meanings.
It is not necessary that you identify all the poetic
devices within the poem. The ones you do
identify should be seen as a way of supporting
the conclusions you are going to draw about the
poem.
Attitude: What attitude does the poet have
toward the subject of the poem? Find and list
examples that illustrate the tone and mood of the
poem.
Shift: Is there a shift in the tone/attitude of the
poem? Where is the shift? What does the tone
shift to? Watch for the following keys to shifts:
 Key words (but, yet, however, although)
 Punctuation (dashes, periods, colons)
 Stanza divisions
 Changes in line and/or stanza length
Title: Revisit the title and explain any new
insights it provides to the meaning of the poem
(interpretive level).
Theme: What is the overall theme of the poem?
What is the poem saying about the human
experience, motivation, or condition?
Author: ________