t p ii t t Poetry Analysis Technique

1. tpiittPoetry Analysis Technique

2. Notice • As we go through this presentation all tpiitt directions will be written in yellow font.

3. What is tpiitt? • tpiitt is an acronym of steps used to analyze poetry. The results of tpiitt can be used to write an essay analyzing a poem or comparing and contrasting two poems. • There are six steps in the tpiitt process.

4. T -- Title • Ponder the titlebefore reading the poem • At first---consider the meaning of the title without the benefit of knowing what the rest of the poem is about. • Look at the title and attempt to predict what the poem will be about. • Write your thoughts/predictions near the title.

5. P -- Paraphrase • Translate the poem into your own words in the left hand margin • Literally put the poem into your own words stanza by stanza. • Make sure you understand the literal plot or message of the poem.

6. I -- Imagery • Highlight or box the imagery in the poem. To the right of the poem jot down thought about each image. • What images are especially vivid? • What effect do these images have on your mood as a reader? • Are these descriptions positive or negative.

7. I – Important/Interesting Lines • [Bracket] the most important or interesting lines. To the right of the line, briefly explain why it is so important.

8. T – Title (again) • Re-examine the title. Try to see how the title fits with the work as a whole. • This time, you are interpreting the title, not just predicting or looking at it literally. • Write your interpretation next to your original prediction and thoughts.

9. T -- Theme • Consider the poem. Think back to the paraphrasing, the imagery, the important lines and the title and determine the author’s purpose/message. This message is called the theme of the poem. • Identifying the theme is not easy, it requires thought and is never, ever a one word answer. • Write the theme of the poem on the bottom of the page or on the back of the page.

10. The Road Not Taken ~Robert Frost Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, And sorry I could not travel both And be one traveler, long I stood And looked down one as far as I could To where it bent in the undergrowth;  Then took the other, as just as fair, And having perhaps the better claim, Because it was grassy and wanted wear; Though as for that the passing there Had worn them really about the same, And both that morning equally lay In leaves no step had trodden black. Oh, I kept the first for another day! Yet knowing how way leads on to way, I doubted if I should ever come back. I shall be telling this with a sigh Somewhere ages and ages hence: Two roads diverged in a wood, and I— I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference