TPCASTT
Poetry Analysis Technique
“I Died for Beauty”
By Emily Dickinson
Title
Paraphrase
Connotation
Attitude
What SHOULD
your poem look
like after you have
finished
TPCASTTing it?
Shifts
Title (again)
Theme of the poem
T -- Title


Read the title of the poem
Predict what the poem will be about based
on the title ONLY

Do not begin reading the poem yet

Write 3-4 sentences about your prediction
T -- Title
I died because I was obsessed with beauty?
I looked at someone or something so beautiful it
caused my death?
Was a beauty queen murdered?
P – Paraphrase
Translate the poem into your own words,
line by line if possible.
Be sure to paraphrase using complete
sentences.
On average, you should have approximately
one paragraph per stanza.
(Next slide)
P – Paraphrase
Your Turn
Paraphrase this poem, line by line or
stanza by stanza. Keep in mind that it
must be a COMPLETE translation.
You must understand the poet’s literal
meaning of the words.
P – Paraphrase
First Stanza
A first person speaker has recently died and
been laid to rest in a tomb. She obviously
comes from a well-to-do family because her
final resting spot is a tomb versus a grave. If
she died for beauty, what kind of stand was
she taking (inner beauty, art, history)? Shortly
after being laid to rest, another person, who
died for truth, was placed in a neighboring
room.
P – Paraphrase
Second Stanza
Sensing her presence, the new soul gently asks
what led to her death. She responds, “Beauty,”
and he replies back that he died for truth. He
then states, “the two are one,” leading the
reader to believe that standing up for your values
and principles are sometimes more important
than life itself. He also says that they are alike
because they both were willing to sacrifice their
lives for their values.
P – Paraphrase
Third Stanza
The two quickly realize they are like souls. They
continue to talk and form a friendship in the
afterlife until the weeds cover their lips and their
tomb. By that time, their families, friends, and
society have forgotten about them as individuals.
In addition, their purpose for failing, or dieing,
has also been forgotten. Meaning nothing has
changed and they died in vain.
C -- Connotation



Look for poetic devices that go beyond the literal
interpretation
– metaphor, simile, personification, alliteration,
onomatopoeia, rhythm, rhyme scheme, symbolism,
and diction
Circle these devices and make margin notes about
their meanings
In this specific poem, you should be able to identify
and explain at least three poetic devices
C -- Connotation
Extended Metaphor – throughout the
entire poem Beauty and Truth are being
compared
Personification – Giving human characteristics
to inanimate objects
Her = Beauty / Him = Truth
ABCB near rhyme scheme
A -- Attitude

Observe either the speaker’s or the
poet’s attitude
Attitude and tone are synonyms
Attitude is an adjective
There can be more than one

Explain the attitude/tone of the poem



A -- Attitude
SAD and SOMBER regarding death,
graveyard, and their failures
CONTENTMENT due to the fact that they
discover that they both died standing up
for what was important to them
S -- Shift

Identify any speaker shifts

Identify any shifts in attitude
S -- Shift
There is one speaker shift in the third stanza.
There are two speakers who continue their
dialogue back and forth in the first two
stanzas and refer to themselves as “I.”
However, in the last stanza, they begin
referring to themselves as “we” and “our.”
T – Title
(again)



Re-examine the title.
How does the title fit with the work as
a whole?
This time, you are interpreting the
title, not just predicting or looking at it
literally.
T – Title
(again)
“I Died for Beauty”
We don’t know specifically what aspect
of beauty led to her death, but we know
it was a cause she was willing to die
for.
We don’t even know specifically how she
died.
T -- Theme

Determine what the poet is saying

THIS IS NOT THE MORAL OF THE POEM


Identify the theme by recognizing the
human experience, motivation, or condition
of the poem.
One work may have several possible themes
T -- Theme
Beauty and Truth are Parallels
Each speaker died for ideals (Beauty/Truth)
Each speaker is buried is similar conditions
and within the same tomb
Each speaker dies and decays at about the
same time
Both names are covered with the same moss
T -- Theme
Friendship
The two speakers bond as friends because
they have similar causes and values
Postmortem friendship makes a scary situation
more bearable
However, their bond is broken with the
passage of time (i.e. moss reaches their
lips, and their names are covered)
Title
Paraphrase
Connotation
Attitude
What does YOUR
poem look like
now that you have
finished
TPCASTTing it?
Shifts
Title (again)
Theme of the poem