Question

Title: Study the title. What do you think the poem might be about just by looking at the title?

Answer 1

T-title: The meaning of the title without reference to the poem. Ponder the title before reading the poem. Make up questions about the title. There are two kinds of titles: interactive titles and naming titles. Interactive titles are
have some sort of interplay with poem itself and can affect its meaning. Naming titles may give less crucial information. If a poem lacks a title, you can do this step with the first line of the poem or skip it.
P-paraphrase: Put the poem, line by line, in your own words. DO NOT READ INTO
THE POEM. Only read on surface level. Translate the poem into your own words. And I mean translate!
Word for word! Find synonyms for every possible word. Summarizing is NOT paraphrasing!
C-connotation: Look for deeper meaning. Contemplate the poem for meaning beyond the literal. Identify and figure out the figurative language.
 Diction (word choice) and symbolism
 Imagery
 Metaphors and similes
 Rhyme scheme
 End rhymes and internal rhymes
 End stop
 Alliteration
 Assonance
 Consonance
 Mood
 Allusions
 Punctuation
 Personification  Onomatopoeia  Apostrophe
 Etc., etc., etc.
A-attitude: Look for the author’s tone. How is the writer speaking? After identifying a subject/topic of the
poem, figure out how the speaker (and/or the poet) feels about it.
S-shifts: Look for shifts in tone, action, and rhythm. Don’t just write the line number. Discuss how the shift(s) affects the poem. Note transitions in the poem. Shifts in subject,
attitude, mood, or motif.
T-title: Reevaluate the title as it pertains to the poem. Examine the title again, this time on an interpretive level. Answer your questions. Figure out how the title illuminates the poem. Remember a "naming title" may not mean much. Remember you can do this with the first line of a poem if it lacks a title or you can skip this step altogether.
T-theme: What does the poem mean? What is it saying? How does it relate to life? After identifying a subject/topic of the poem, determine what the poet thinks about the subject. What is hi