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 will be about a black bird and the bad luck it will bring. |
|---|---|---|
| P | PARAPHRASE |
A man loses someone he loved, named Lenore. He is devastated. One night, in December, while sitting in his room, he hears a knock. A raven visits him. It makes him angry when it tells him that he'll never see Lenore again. |
| C | CONNOTATION |
The man is severely depressed, and is caught in his grief. |
| A | ATTITUDE/TONE |
Poe uses words like 'chamber', 'ponder', 'weary', 'bleak', 'ghosts', and 'embers' to make the dead come alive. These words are depressing and melancholy. |
| S | SHIFTS |
A shift occurs when the speaker asks the raven if he will ever see Lenore again. This shows his anger with the bird, whom he kicks out. |
| T | TITLE |
After reading the poem, my title was partially correct. The poem was about a raven, but he represented sorrow and death. |
| T | THEME |
One interpretation of the theme: even though death is painful and sad, one must not dwell on it, or it will consume one. |
(These instructions are completely customizable. After clicking "Copy Activity", update the instructions on the Edit Tab of the assignment.)
Student Instructions
Perform a TPCASTT analysis of "The Raven". Remember that TPCASTT stands for Title, Paraphrase, Connotation, Attitude/Tone, Shift, Title, Theme.
Help the students learn about the poem's many components, such as the topics, characters, symbolism, and the poet's style. This will assist the students in foreseeing any queries.
Ask the students to list down any questions they have regarding the poem, its themes, characters, or even the author, Teachers can give students twenty minutes within the class to come up with these questions and students can look back at the poem and read it once again to check if they have any confusion.
Divide the class into two groups. Ensure that both groups have equal members. Ask both groups to write their questions on one page each. Teachers can then ask the groups to exchange their questions with the other group. Give each group fifteen minutes to address the questions of the other group. Students can use primary sources or any other material available to answer the questions.
One student from each group can come on the stage turn by turn and give an answer to 2-3 questions from the other group. This will help the students to go through all the questions and leave no room for any confusion. It will also induce a collaborative learning environment where students learn with the help of each other.
Once students are done with their presentation, teachers can address any questions that the students were unable to answer or had given a wrong answer to. Appreciate the students for their work and give them encouraging feedback to keep up their motivation.
Occasionally rephrase the main issues brought up in the discussion. This guarantees that everyone is in agreement and serves to reinforce key ideas. Give students the chance to consider what they discovered during the Q&A period.
A few major themes in "The Raven" include the unavoidable nature of sadness, grief, loss, and despair. Students might investigate how the poem develops these topics throughout time. Students can also analyze the impact or role of these themes in comparison to other elements of the poem.
Following the TP-CASTT analysis, teachers can ask students to write an analysis that compares and contrasts one poem with another, make illustrations of their analysis, or even produce a poem that is entirely original and inspired by "The Raven."