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Applying the TPCATT Poetry Analysis Method: Using “Nothing Gold
Can Stay” by Robert Frost
Nothing Gold Can Stay By Robert Frost
Nature's first green is gold,
Her hardest hue to hold.
Her early leaf's a flower;
But only so an hour.
Then leaf subsides to leaf.
So Eden sank to grief,
So dawn goes down to day.
Nothing gold can stay.
1. TITLE: What does this title suggest? What is the denotation of gold? What are the
connotations of gold?
2. PARAPHRASE: Below, put each line of the poem into your own words. Don’t
interpret or analyze the poem yet!
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3. CONNOTATION: Remember that this step is all about examining the poem for
meaning beyond the literal. Examine and explain the following poetic devices in
the poem.
a. Identify the use of alliteration in the poem.
b. Why did the author use alliteration in the poem?
c. Did the alliteration help or hurt the poem?
d. Identify the poem’s main allusion. Explain why the poet may have chosen
this allusion. How does this allusion add meaning to the poem overall?
4. ATTITUDE: Identify the speaker’s attitude toward the subject. Then, explain how
the poem’s diction, details, and imagery contribute to this tone.
5. TITLE: Now it’s time to reexamine the title. What is its significance? What new
insight can you now provide about the title?
6. THEME: First, identify the subject(s) of the poem. Then, determine what the poet
thinks about this subject. Write your theme in 1 complete sentence.