8th grade Poetry Analysis - TPCASTT Notes

TP-CASTT – Figuring out Poetry - Notes from Class - Sample Analysis

Title    The Farewell	Ponder the title before reading the poem What you do when you’re saying goodbye What or who is he saying farewell to?
Paraphrase	Translate the poem into your own words
	Some people say the ice won’t break with me on it so I step out on it.  I have to believe what they tell me because I always trust people.  And of course it breaks open and because I never allow myself to get bugged, I slip into the water, standing up straight like it’s no big deal.  I wear the hat that says I’m in control and I can handle this okay, telling those who are watching “goodbye” as the ice closes shut over my head in a final decision of my fate in the cold water.
Connotation	Contemplate the poem for meaning beyond the literal (Interpretation)
	I think it’s saying how even though he knows better he feels compelled to do what people tell him to do and to not complain when things turn out badly.  He somehow has gained a reputation that way and even though it’s not what’s best for him, he doesn’t feel like he can change.
Attitude	Observe both the speaker’s and the poet’s attitude (tone, diction, images, mood, etc.)
	Sad, lamenting, tolerating and smiling outside but inside bugged about himself and “them”
Shifts	Note shifts in speakers and in attitudes (are there changes?)
	Click
Title	Examine the title again, this time on an interpretive level
	He wants to say goodbye to his self-defeating tendencies but he can’t.
Theme	Determine what the poet is saying
	Listen to your own best judgment instead of listening to the proverbial “they” and you will be truly happy instead of just pretending.