Questioning:
The Key to Transforming
Traditional Poetry Analysis
Leslie Giraldo
Waycross Middle School
Waycross, GA
Today we will…
0 Learn about steps in poetry analysis.
0 Practice using steps of analysis.
0 Discuss how analysis can be transferable.
0 Determine how to select poems for analysis.
0 See how analysis can be transformed into a final
product.
0 Inevitably in my classroom when I say we
are going to begin a poetry unit, students
begin to ask questions.
0 “Why do we have to do poetry?”
0 “What good is poetry anyway?”
0 “How does anyone understand that stuff?”
0 Great questions, right?
0 I do suspect, however, that some teachers
might have the very same questions, even
though the questions may remain
unvoiced...
0 We can easily see how students and
teachers might look at poetry analysis in a
less-than-positive light.
0 Consider one of the most prominent
methods of poetry analysis, TPCASTT.
0 For my students--particularly my students
just learning how to analyze poetry-TPCASTT is quite daunting.
0 Just look...
0 T=TITLE
Before you even think about reading the poetry or trying to analyze it, speculate on what you think the poem might be about
based upon the title. Often time authors conceal meaning in the title and give clues in the title. Jot down what you think this
poem will be about.
P=PARAPHRASE
Before you begin thinking about meaning or tying to analyze the poem, don't overlook the literal meaning of the poem. One of the
biggest problems that students often make in poetry analysis is jumping to conclusions before understanding what is taking place
in the poem. When you paraphrase a poem, write in your own words exactly what happens in the poem. Look at the number of
sentences in the poem your paraphrase should have exactly the same number. This technique is especially helpful for poems
written in the 17th and 19th centuries. Sometimes your teacher may allow you to summarize what happens in the poem. Make
sure that you understand the difference between a paraphrase and a summary.
C=CONNOTATION
Although this term usually refers solely to the emotional overtones of word choice, for this approach the term refers to any and all
poetic devices, focusing on how such devices contribute to the meaning, the effect, or both of a poem. You may consider imagery,
figures of speech (simile, metaphor, personification, symbolism, etc.), diction, point of view, and sound devices (alliteration,
onomatopoeia, rhythm, and rhyme). 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.
A=ATTITUDE
Having examined the poem's devices and clues closely, you are now ready to explore the multiple attitudes that may be present in
the poem. Examination of diction, images, and details suggests the speaker's attitude and contributes to understanding. You may
refer to the list of words on Tone that will help you. Remember that usually the tone or attitude cannot be named with a single
word Think complexity.
S=SHIFTS
Rarely does a poem begin and end the poetic experience in the same place. As is true of most us, the poet's understanding of an
experience is a gradual realization, and the poem is a reflection of that understanding or insight. Watch for the following keys to
shift: key words, (but, yet, however, although); punctuation (dashes, periods, colons, ellipsis); stanza divisions; changes in line
or stanza length or both; irony; changes in sound that may indicate changes in meaning; changes in diction.
T=TITLE
Now look at the title again, but this time on an interpretive level. What new insight does the title provide in understanding the
poem.
T=THEME
What is the poem saying about the human experience, motivation, or condition? What subject or subjects does the poem
address? What do you learn about those subjects? What idea does the poet want you take away with you concerning these
subjects? Remember that the theme of any work of literature is stated in a complete sentence.
0 There is nothing wrong with this method.
0 However, for many of my students, the
steps in this method seem just as
complicated than (if not more complicated
than) poetry itself!
0 If a poem is already complicated, do steps
of poetry analysis have to be very
challenging as well?
0 Surely there is a different way to approach
poetry analysis, isn’t there?
0 Great questions.
0 Interestingly enough, questions are at the
very heart of understanding the mystery of
poetry.
0 Robert Frost said, “I have never started a
poem yet whose end I knew. Writing a
poem is discovering.”
0 So, too, is reading a poem about
discovery.
0 Surely discovery begins with questions-not just in poetry but in other forms of
literature as well.
0 Some works even illustrate the
interrelationship between discovery and
questions.
0 Consider the contemporary dystopian
thriller based on a classic literary piece, I,
Robot by Isaac Asimov.
0 In the movie a detective named Spooner
is challenged to learn what happened to
Dr. Lanning, an expert in robotic science.
0 Spooner is stumbling through the murder
investigation without much success until
he realizes he has been left clues by
Lanning prior to Lanning’s death.
0 In fact, Spooner alludes to Hansel and
Gretel and their breadcrumbs as clues.
0 Such a realization of a “trail of crumbs”
leads to Spooner asking questions.
0 He learns to ask the “right” questions.
0 And the questions unlock the riddle of the
case, allowing him to solve the mystery.
0 In essence, his paradigm (seeing the
case as a riddle) and his technique
(questioning) are the keys to his success.
0 So, too, will paradigm (seeing poetry as
a riddle) and technique (questioning) be
our keys to successful poetry analysis.
0 Indeed, poets do provide readers with
clues: “A poet must leave traces of his
passage, not proof.” Rene Char
0 Let’s begin our discovery.
0 What follows is what would be presented
to students.
Activating Strategy
0 We’ll begin with a warm-up.
0 You’ll be getting several clues to a word that is part of
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a riddle.
Each clue is given within a line or a pair of lines of
poetry.
When solving riddles, we need to think about clue
words in different ways.
Riddles often use tricks such as word parts,
homonyms, and plays on word sounds in their
answers.
You need to examine and analyze each line carefully.
Then you have to find an answer that fits all the clues.
You might find a different answer than the “right” one;
if your answer fits all the clues, it is also a good
answer.
0 I’m the name of a plant
0 That’s shorter than a tree,
0 Bigger than a flower;
0 Two presidents are named me.
0 What am I?
0 Tell me about your thinking in arriving at that
answer.
0 The trees you often see
0 On a Hawaiian shore;
0 Or look deep in your hand
0 And see what lies in store.
0 What am I?
0 Tell me about your thinking in arriving at that
answer.
Connections
0 Analyzing a poem is a lot like solving a riddle.
0 What did you have to do when you tried to figure
out the answer to the riddle?
0 You had to carefully look at the “clues” within the
lines—word choice, etc.
0 Poetry is riddled with clues. Things are hidden by the poet for
you to discover.
0 You had to ask yourself some questions—Why
was the line phrased like that? What other things
could this word mean?
0 In poetry, you can ask lots of questions, too.
0 In fact, you almost have to ask yourself questions.
0 Who is the speaker? What are the events in the poem? Why did
the poet use this word instead of another word?
0 What did the poet want me to get/to learn from this poem?
Connections
0 You had to reread the lines until things made
more sense.
0 Poetry will remain a mystery until you re-read it
thoughtfully again and again (and again.)
0 You had to justify your answer with information
from the lines.
0 There’s no one answer in poetry. Different
interpretations are not only allowed but
encouraged—as long as you can justify your
response with lines from the text.
Model
0 I’ll model for you how to analyze a poem using many
of the steps we just mentioned.
Unfolding Bud by Naoshi Koriyama
One is amazed
By a water-lily bud
Unfolding
With each passing day,
Taking on a richer colour
And new dimensions.
One is not amazed,
At a first glance,
By a poem,
Which is as tight-closed
As a tiny bud.
Yet one is surprised
To see the poem
Gradually unfolding,
Revealing its rich inner self,
As one reads it
Again
And over again.
0 Do you have questions about the process of
analysis?
0 Now you try it.
0 You will work in groups for this activity.
0 Your group will have a poem on a large paper.
0 Each group member will get a different color
marker that can be easily read on the chart paper.
0 Make sure you write your name in the marker color of your
choice.
0 Here are some samples of previous analysis. Which group
do you think did a better job of analysis and why? *
0 Follow the steps for poetry analysis that were modeled for
you.
0 Read and re-read. Read again. And again.
0 Ask questions —write them down. Each person should write
questions.
0 Answer questions as you make discoveries.
0 Discover the clues —word choice (diction), figurative
language, etc.
0 Decide on the theme —why did the poet write this? What
does the poet want the reader to learn?
Traveling through the dark I found a deer
dead on the edge of the Wilson River Road.
It is usually best to roll them into the canyon:
that road is narrow; to swerve might make more dead.
By glow of the tail-light I stumbled back of the car
and stood by the heap, a doe, a recent killing;
she had stiffened already, almost cold.
I dragged her off; she was large in the belly.
My fingers touching her side brought me the reason—
her side was warm; her fawn lay there waiting,
alive, still, never to be born.
Beside that mountain road I hesitated.
The car aimed ahead its lowered parking lights;
under the hood purred the steady engine.
I stood in the glare of the warm exhaust turning red;
around our group I could hear the wilderness listen.
I thought hard for us all—my only swerving—,
then pushed her over the edge into the river.
0 Let’s recap our experiences in analysis.
0 How did the steps in poetry analysis help you
unravel the poem?
Transferability
0 How is analysis transferable to longer works of
fiction?
0 Why does the writer use so much color imagery in
“The Most Dangerous Game”?
0 Why does the beginning of “The Scarlet Ibis”
contain some much death imagery?
0 How is analysis transferable to nonfiction?
0 Students can use questions as they approach
any text.
0 Text can be visual, not just written.
0 Analyze art, film, etc.
0 Continue to teach students how to ask “good”
questions.
Selection of poems
0 When selecting poems for analysis, perhaps the
most important factor is the “ripeness” of the
poem for analysis.
0 That is, analyze the poem yourself first to see if it
is appropriate for analysis for YOUR students.
0 not too “simple”
0 not too “complex”
0 not too “mature”
Selection of poems
0 Definitely consider the readiness of students.
0 new at analysis
0 advanced at analysis
0 You might even consider interests of students.
0 Ex. nature, relationship, life/death
Pairing of poems
0 Consider pairing a poem with another work
0 another poem
0 a short story (“Fifteen” and “Moustache”)
0 an article (“Molly Sylvester” and CNN article
http://www.cnn.com/2013/09/16/us/bullying-santaletter-ireport/)
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Transformation of work
into a final product
0 important poetic elements
0 imagery, diction, etc.
0 textual evidence
0 justifying interpretation
0 theme
0 how poetic elements reveal theme
0 sample traditional final product
0 model from textbook or own student sample
0 create a class analysis as scaffolding
0 walk through a poem the class has done
0 be available during the drafting process
0 suggestion: keep all work in class to avoid plagiarism
0 “chew your own food”
0 sample digital final product
0 Prezi
Beyond Common Core
0 Habits of mind
0 Persisting
0 Managing impulsivity
0 Thinking flexibly
0 Metacognition
0 Questioning and problem posing
0 Thinking interdependently
Beyond Common Core
0 Creativity
0 Analysis can help develop creativity
0 “Learning activities designed to foster creativity cast students in
the roles of problem solvers and communicators rather than
passive acquirers of information.”
0 Characteristics related to creativity:
0 risk-taking
0 motivated
0 curious
0 attracted to complexity
0 open-minded
0 intuitive
0 original
Conclusion
0 In our studies of language, shifting as the studies
may be, poetry holds a special place.
0 These writers say it powerfully:
0 “The writer of prose can only step aside when the
poet passes.” W. Somerset Maugham
0 “Poetry is ordinary language raised to the nth
power. Poetry is boned with ideas, nerved and
blooded with emotions, all held together by the
delicate, tough skin of words.” Paul Engle
0 As we lead our students to uncover the greatness
of poetry--or any the power and impact of any
good writing-- questioning is key.
0 And maybe, just maybe, once we have taught
students how to analysis, the questions we will
get will be memorable...but in a good way.
0 One of the last times I taught the steps of poetry
analysis, my class had struggled through “Hist
Whist,” a poem by e.e. cummings--a challenging
poet and a challenging poem, to say the least.
0 My students had grumbled, but they kept asking
questions.
0 My students had mumbled, but they kept asking
questions.
0 And as time passed, the poem unfolded itself to
students, one by one.
0 As students took in the wonder and power of the
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poem, they were very excited.
I was just about to transition the class to another task
when one student literally began to jump up and
down.
And as she jumped she asked a question that I will
never forget:
“Can we do another one?”
And the class chimed in, “Can we...please?”
Now those truly are great questions.
0 As you move forward as a facilitator of the steps of
analysis, I am confident of this:
0 “Intelligence can be learned, nurtured, and grown.
Ability is a repertoire of skills and habits that
continuously and incrementally expands.” Arthur
Costa
0 I know that your students and their attitude toward
analysis and their skills of analysis will be changed,
transformed for the better.
0 No question about it…