A Man

Nina Cassian

Analyzing the Poem

What do you think the poem will be about based on only the title?

Number the lines on the poem. When we talk about poetry we use line numbers and stanza numbers.

What are some things you notice about the poem? How it is written. Who the speaker is. What the purpose is.

What were the challenges the man had to face? Which were more difficult the physical or the emotional challenges?

How is this man considered a hero? Does he have any of the heroic traits you wrote down with your partner?

TPCASTTUsed to analyze poetry

What is TPCASTT?

T – title P – paraphrase C – connotation A – attitude S – shifts T – title T - theme

T - Title

Think about the title BEFORE you read the poem. What do you think the poem might be about?

“A Man” – The title makes me think of the idea of Everyman, all men, ordinary people.

P - Paraphrase

Read the poem and paraphrase/put in your own words. If you want to go line by line you can or you can go stanza by stanza or chunk the poem.

“A Man” – A man has lost an arm during a war. He speaks of being afraid he will only be able to do things by halves from now on. But his resolve is to work twice as hard at the things of his life, and from that decision the man lives life more fully than most.

C - Connotation

Highlight words or phrases you see as significant. Think about their connotations. What ideas and feelings do you associate with the words?

“A Man” – half, halves, twice, wing are significant because it shows that he was in despair and then he changed his attitude to a positive outlook and he was a better person for it.

A - Attitude

What is the speaker’s attitude toward the situation?

“A Man” – At the beginning, he is said to be afraid and by the end he is resolved, determined unafraid, brave, resigned, inspired, and hopeful.

S - Shifts

Are there shifts in speakers? In other words, does the person speaking change within the poem? Or does the attitude of the speaker change anywhere in the poem? If so, where and explain the shifts.

“A Man” – There is a shift from third-person narrator to first-person speaker, which seems to be the voice of the injured soldier, and back to third person. A shift in tone also occurs at the end of line 15. The voice of fear and the sense of loss shift to an attitude of resolve and a sense of enthusiasm and rebirth.

T - Title

Look at the title again. How have your ideas about the meaning of the title changed?

“A Man” – The title maintains its sense that this man is Everyman; that this man’s experience is intended to be inspirational to all people who live with tragic loss. It’s this man’s positive response to a life-altering challenge that makes all the difference.

T - Theme

What is the poet saying? What is the overall message or theme of the poem?

“A Man” – (Any of these work) People conquer their greatest fears. Out of great tragedy can come a new spirit of determination and hope. One can overcome one’s greatest fears by changing one’s attitude to enthusiastic self-acceptance. Physical challenges can be overcome through a change in attitude.

Moco LimpingDavid Nava Monreal

Analyzing the Poem

What are some words/adjectives that stick out? Highlight/underline them.

How is the poem written? Where are there changes in tone?

Is Moco the hero? Is the owner the hero? Why?

Which of the 10 adjectives you selected to describe a hero match Moco? The owner?

TPCASTT

Now that we have discussed and annotated the poem, “Moco Limping”, you will TPCASTT the poem with your partner.

If you need to review TPCASTT please look back at the previous slides or your TPCASTT of “A Man”.

This will be a FORMATIVE GRADE. Please see next slide for the rubric.

TPCASTT “Moco Limping”  Possible Points Points Earned

Title – Make a prediction about what the poem is going to be about

15  

Paraphrase – In your own words what is the poem about.

15  

Connotation – What words have emotional meaning? What is the emotional meaning?

15  

Attitude – What is the speaker’s attitude toward the situation?

15  

Shift – Are there shifts in attitude or speaker?

15  

Title – Have your ideas about the title changed?

15  

Theme – What is the author trying to tell you? What is the moral?

15  

O Captain! My Captain!Walt Whitman

TPCASTT

Now that we have discussed and annotated the poem, “O Captain! My Captain!”, you will TPCASTT the poem on your own.

If you need to review TPCASTT please look back at the previous slides or your TPCASTT of “A Man”.

A new item on the rubric is you must include a picture in your TPCASTT. This picture should REPRESENT the MEANING of the poem. It should NOT be a picture of Abraham Lincoln, a captain, a ship, or any other physical items from the poem. Think about the meaning of the poem and an image that could represent that meaning.

This must be typed and submitted to netschool. This will be a SUMMATIVE GRADE. See the next slide for

the rubric.

TPCASTT “O Captain! My Captain!”

  Possible Points Points Earned

Title – Make a prediction about what the poem is going to be about

10  

Paraphrase – In your own words what is the poem about.

10  

Connotation – What words have emotional meaning? What is the emotional meaning?

10  

Attitude – What is the speaker’s attitude toward the situation?

10  

Shift – Are there shifts in attitude or speaker? Where does the shift occur? Explain the shift.

10  

Title – Have your ideas about the title changed?

10  

Theme – What is the author trying to tell you? What is the moral?

10  

Picture(s) – Relevant picture(s) to explain the poem.

10  

Conventions– Spelling, punctuation, grammar, 12 pt font, times new roman, black ink, single spaced, complete sentences

20