 This
is an acronym which is explained below.
The TPCASTT method can be used as a
format for writing a short analysis essay
about a poem. Rely on what you find in the
poem, what the words say, and how the
poetic devices increase the meaning.
 The
tree has entered my hands,
The sap has ascended my arms,
The tree has grown in my breastDownward,
The branches grow out of me, like arms.
Tree you are,
Moss you are,
You are violets with wind above them.
A child - so high - you are,
And all this is folly to the world.
 *Title--Think
about the meaning of the title
before reading the poem.
 Example
 Title
 The
title is about some girl the author is in
love with.
A tree has entered through my hand
 The tree’s sap is going up my arm
 The tree is growing in my chest and extending
toward the ground
 The branches come out of me just like arms


You are a tree
 You are moss
 You are flowers with wind blowing above you
 You are a child and high in the sky
 And none of this makes sense to the rest of the
world

 *Connotation--Look
for meaning in the poem
beyond the paraphrase by finding all poetic
devices such as:

Alliteration, rhyme scheme, simile, metaphor,
personification, symbolism, diction – and much
more


Symbolism – The tree symbolizes metamorphosis
that people experience at various times of their
life. It is unclear what stage of life the speaker
or the subject, most likely his daughter, is at in
the first stanza, but the speaker is observing
physical, spiritual, or emotional changes that are
occurring to the subject. In the second stanza,
the speaker is observing the changes to the
subject; however, it is more than just the parts
of a tree used to symbolize the changes. Moss,
flowers, and children symbolize the natural
beauty and innocence of this transformation.
 Metaphor
– The tree is a metaphor for human
growth. In the first stanza, the tree is a seed
of the first speaker and slowly weaning him
or herself from the life giver as indicated by
the use of the word “out” in the last line.
 Diction
– The writer chooses words that have
a close relationship to the natural world.
There seems to be a clear distinction that
humans are natural elements as well.

*Attitude--What is the speaker's tone? What is
the poet's tone? (They might not be the same.)

The first speaker’s tone seems to be flat or
emotionless, and the speaker is merely observing
the occurrences. The second speaker’s tone
toward the subject of transformation seems to
be nostalgic as the speaker is watching his seed
grow to a full-fledged tree surrounded in beauty.

 *Shifts--Point
out the changes in who is
speaking, or in tone, or subject/action.
 There
is a shift between stanza one and
stanza two as the speaker observes the
transformation or growth as being a part of
him or her to being an independent entity
full of beauty and innocence.

 *Title--Think
about the title again. Has the
meaning of the title changed after studying
the poem?
–
The title, “A Girl”, is the only clue that the
subject is most likely a little girl who has
metaphorically separated from her mom
and/or dad to become her own person.
Although she is still young and innocent, she
can now grow on her own accord.

 *Theme--What
is the poet trying to say? What
idea is being communicated? (NOT what
happened in the poem. Remember to avoid
morals!)
–
Through the poem “A Girl”, Ezra Pound
demonstrates that spiritual, emotional, and
physical growth is a process that cannot be
separated from the natural world, and the
transformative beauty is difficult to embrace
in a material world such as the one we live
in.