Poetry is one of the most expressive forms of literature. It can evoke emotions, set a mood, tell a story, or create a deeply and universally understood feeling in its readers. This makes expounding its elements, and understanding its rich meaning, comparisons, and symbols, even more important.
The TP-CASTT method of poetry analysis is a great way to teach students to dissect a poem and understand its parts. It helps students to uncover the deeper meanings within poems while giving them the confidence to be self-educators. TP-CASTT Poetry Analysis is an order of operations similar to PEMDAS for math. It asks students to list items in sequential order and answer questions based on their reading of the poem.
| T | TITLE |
The title sounds weird. Jabber? It might mean to talk really fast, like “jabbering.” Maybe it’s a fast-sounding language? |
|---|---|---|
| P | PARAPHRASE |
The first and last stanzas are in the woods in the evening, with animals moving about. The second stanza begins with a father warning his son of a monster with sharp teeth and claws called the Jabberwock; he also warns him of the Jubjub bird and the Bandersnatch. The son takes up his sword and seeks out the monsters. He rests by the Tumtum tree when suddenly the Jabberwock appears. The son cuts down the Jabberwock and takes his head back to his father, where his father receives him into his arms with joy at the boy’s triumph. |
| C | CONNOTATION |
The narrator uses nonsense words and real words, and sometimes a combination of the two. All create a sense of anticipation, fear, and adventure. Some of the more prominent words and phrases include “beware the Jabberwock”, “jaws”, “claws”, “frumious”, “vorpal sword”, “eyes of flame”, “burbled”, “snicker-snack”, “left it dead”, and “chortled.” |
| A | ATTITUDE/TONE |
The narrator’s tone is suspenseful, elevated in style, and playful. |
| S | SHIFT |
There are a few shifts. The first happens between the second and third stanzas, where the father warns his son of the creatures in the woods, but then the son takes up his sword and strikes out after them anyway. The next shift occurs when the son returns home and his father is relieved and ecstatic. The last stanza repeats the first, but this time, it’s not a sense of foreboding; instead, it seems to show that everything returns to normal. |
| T | TITLE |
The title is about a monster called the Jabberwock, which the son sets out with his sword to kill. |
| T | THEME |
The theme of the poem is the classic battle of good versus evil, and also the boy’s desire to make his father proud. His father’s sheer joy at his son’s success further confounds this theme. |
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Student Instructions
Perform a TPCASTT analysis of “Jabberwocky”. Remember that TPCASTT stands for Title, Paraphrase, Connotation, Attitude/Tone, Shift, Title, Theme.