Pre-AP English II: TPCASTT & Digging, Pt. 2

Yesterday we began analyzing the poem "Digging" by Seamus (pronounced SHAY-mus, no one would name their child SEA-mus) Heaney. The method we used is called TP-CASTTing: each letter stands for a different step in the process. Here's a review of what we covered:

T is for Title: Make a prediction about the focus of the poem before you read the poem.

Read the Poem
P is for Paraphrase: Rewrite the poem sentence/stanza by sentence/stanza in your own words.

C is for Connotations: Analyze what the literary devices incorporated into the poem add/mean:

• Diction/word choice
• Imagery
• Metaphors
• Similes
• Rhyme scheme/patterns
• Alliteration
• Assonance
• Allusions
• Personification
• etc.

A is for Attitude: What is the speaker's attitude toward his or her subject? (aka: TONE)


And here's what we covered today:

S is for Shift: A shift (sometimes called rhetorical shift or poetic shift) occurs when the focus/tone/technique/etc. changes in the poem. Every poem has at least one major shift. Some poems have multiple major and minor shifts. In "Digging," a minor shift occurs between the first and second stanzas as the speaker's focus widens from his squat pen to the wider world. A major shift occurs after the second stanza when the end-rhyme disappears and the speaker's character seems to begin maturing.

T is for Title (again!): Look at the title again, using what you now know of the poem, and look for metaphorical or symbolic meanings.

T is for Theme: What does the speaker/poet want you to learn or understand as a result of having read the poem (how should your life or the way you see the world change)?

What is the theme of the poem? How do you know? Embed evidence!