AP Literature
T
POETRY ANALYSIS TOOLS: TPCASTT
Title
(before analyzing
the poem…
guesses, clues,
ideas about
theme, etc.)
P
Paraphrase
(re-write the
poem in your
own words and
look for
important
aspects)
C
Connotation
(word choices
and their
implications --positive,
negative, type of
words, etc.)
A
Attitude
(the poet’s
attitude, feeling,
approach to the
subject, etc.)
S
Shifts
(Changes in
movement, shift
in ideas, tone,
etc. Contrasts,
opposition)
T
Title
(look again now
that you’ve
examined the
poem…
observations and
connections)
T
Theme
(the meaning of
the poem, what
the poem is
really about, i.e.
the main
interpretation)
AP Literature
D
DEVICES
(Tools of
language…
allusions,
figurative
language,
symbols, poetic
devices, etc.)
I
IMAGES
(Sustained
imagery, motifs,
sense imagery,
connections
between ideas
and imagery)
D
DETAILS
(facts that are
included and
omitted, ideas
that present
themselves,
underlying
details)
L
LANGUAGE
(Specifically, the
type of diction…
romantic,
idealistic,
realistic, formal,
informal,
classical,
scientific,
colloquial, etc.
and conclusion
that can be
drawn)
S
SENTENCE
STRUCTURE
(The form of the
poem, stanzas,
length of lines,
enjambment,
caesura, how
structure affects
the attitude
towards the
subject)
POETRY ANALYSIS TOOLS: DIDLS