How to read poetry (and other things too): TP-CASTT

TP-CASTT is the standard for poetry analysis at the high school level.

It is a guide to analyzing poems, but can be used for a variety of other texts as well.

You do NOT need to memorize all the steps, but it is advisable that you follow them when reading a text!

TP-CASTT stands for:

Title

Paraphrase

Connotation

Attitude

Shifts

Title

Theme

Title

First things first: read the title. What does it mean? What might the text be about?

The title can contain meaning and give clues about the text.

Paraphrase

Don’t overlook the LITERAL meaning of the text. What is it actually saying? What is it about?

***Paraphrase means to write in your own words exactly what happens (sometimes line-by-line) in the story***

This is especially helpful for poems written prior to the 20^th century.

NB: Paraphrasing is NOT summarizing! To summarize, you tell what happens in the poem, but paraphrasing means to put the author’s actual words in your own words.

Connotation

What is a denotation? What is a connotation?

Denotation refers to the literal meaning of a word, the "dictionary definition."¨ For example, if you look up the word snake in a dictionary, you will discover that one of its denotative meanings is "any of numerous scaly, legless, sometimes venomous reptiles, having a long, tapering, cylindrical body and found in most tropical and temperate regions."

Connotation, on the other hand, refers to the associations that are connected to a certain word or the emotional suggestions related to that word. The connotative meanings of a word exist together with the denotative meanings. The connotations for the word snake could include evil or danger.

When reading a text, after determining the literal or denotative meanings (through paraphrasing), look for all the figurative meanings – imagery, figurative language, point of view, diction.

It is NOT necessary to identify all uses of figurative language in the text. However, the ones you do identify will help you to draw conclusions about the text.

Quick Aside….

What is diction?

For our purposes, it means word choice!

Why does it make a difference?

Attitude

What is the speaker’s attitude toward the subject matter of the text? What does the speaker think about his/her subject?

By examining tone, diction, figurative language, imagery, and details, you can start to determine the speaker’s attitude.

Shifts

Rarely does a poem begin and end the experience in the same place – is there a shift in understanding or experience in the poem?

Look for key words (but, yet, however), punctuation (dashes, periods, ellipses), stanza divisions, changes in stanza or line length, changes in tone or mood.

Title, part two

Look at the title again – does it have greater meaning now that you have read the poem? What new insight might it provide?

Theme

What is the text saying about the human experience, motivation, or condition? What subjects or topics does the text address? What ideas does the author want you to take away with you concerning these subjects?