TPCASTT #3

Love and Friendship by Emily Bronte

Love is like the wild rose-briar,
Friendship like the holly-tree --
The holly is dark when the rose-briar blooms
But which will bloom most contantly?
The wild-rose briar is sweet in the spring,
Its summer blossoms scent the air;
Yet wait till winter comes again
And who wil call the wild-briar fair?
Then scorn the silly rose-wreath now
And deck thee with the holly's sheen,
That when December blights thy brow
He may still leave thy garland green.

T(Title)- The title is quite straightforward, bluntly named 'Love and Friendship', which obviously indicates that this poem will be related to these two things that humans cherish.

P(Paraphrase)- The message of this poem is related to the nature. Quite a few metaphors have been used in this poem to represent love and friendship. Love is described in a simile as a 'wild rose-briar' and friendship as the 'holly tree'. This poem then goes on to describe the qualities of these two significant 'beauties' in the environment of the nature. The beauty of love is described through the rose-briar, but the stingy sides of love are not excluded from this poem, because it also mentions how when 'winter' comes it suddenly seems to become unappealing. That is when the 'holly tree' steps in, and it seems to describe that if and when the rose-briar sort of loses its appeal, the holly will always be there, more lovely than before. Overall, this poem about love and friendship decscribe the qualities of each, and how friendship will linger when another love has died out.

C(Connotations)- There are similes, like in line 1 and 2, where is says:'Love is like the wild rose-briar,Friendship like the holly-tree --' these similes are an introduction to the poem, to clarify to the reader what each plant symbolizes. So there is symbolism here, because when you think of a rose it's universally known to indicate passion and love, but also anger, blood, and instability. It may be good while it lasts, but this poem shows how passion can also spark negative things. Unlike the rose, the holly is described as green, which seems to be a pleasant colour for people to look at, symbolizing peace and nature. This is appropriate since friendship can be longer-lasting than love in many cases, and there isn't as much emotional turbulence, since genuine friends will always be there to catch each other should they fall, unlike love that may not last. The rhyme scheme is A, B, C, B, D, E, F, E, G, H, G, H. The steady, rhythmic flow of this poem is very nice for the reader to follow along the poem. The reader can also see many of the things described, so there is a lot of imagery involved. For example in lines 10 and 12 there are phrases like 'holly's sheen' and 'garland green' that evoke certain images. Also I noticed the seasons winter and summer have been used in the poem. I assume that Summer represents brightness and optimism in someone's life, since summer is well loved by many for the warmth and happiness it seems to bring. That could represent the happy times in one's love life, when they are blissfully oblivious of things because the lovers are so inlove. Winter has more negative connotations, because it's cold and people are catching the flu and it seems a whole lot drearier than the summer season. So winter could be seen as a unsteady and unhappy phase in someone's life, for example if two lovers have broken up and are devastated about it.

A(Attitude)- The attitude in the poem is mixed, I sense some bitter and hopeful emotions. When the narrator talks about winter, she talks in a somewhat unhappy tone, questioning, "Then scorn the silly rose-wreath now", which clearly indicates her moodyness. But towards the end of the poem she does give lovely descriptions of the holly tree, which leads the reader to feel secure and hopeful about situations where love is involved.

S(Shifts)- There seems to be a significant shift in the last four lines of the poem, which is also the "alternative" part of the rhyme scheme, if that was any indication. The whole poem has a kind of 'pondering' tone, as if the narrator is undecided about if the 'rose-briar' or the holly-tree' is better or more efficient. But when it comes to the last four lines, the phrases are no longer said in questions, but in more definitive statements. This shows that the narrator is being more sure of herself than she was before, and she is kind of 'concluding' her thoughts that were going through her head. The mood after the shift seems a little more confident and optimistic than before, since she seemed to be doubtful of both 'love and friendship' before.

T(Theme)- The theme is love and friendship. The poet has put into the poem a concise interpretation of what love and friendship are like. The reader can clearly depict the similarities and differences. The central message within the theme seems to be that no matter how beautiful love seems to be, it may not always turn out as one may hope. This poem portrays how someone can almost be deceived by the appeal of love, and how significant it is not to forget about strong friendships during that process. It is also shown that love may desert you or become weak and unpassionate, and friendship is more like the steady hand that will keep you still and on your feet during that time. So this poem shows that both love and friendship are important in relationships with others and how they can balance each other out.

T(Title)- I think the title should stay as it is, since it's simple and clear, and shows the main idea for the readers to see.

TPCASTT #2

Symphony in Yellow by Oscar Wilde

An omnibus across the bridge
Crawls like a yellow butterfly
And, here and there, a passer-by
Shows like a little restless midge.

Big barges full of yellow hay
Are moored against the shadowy wharf,
And, like a yellow silken scarf,
The thick fog hangs along the quay.

The yellow leaves begin to fade
And flutter from the Temple elms,
And at my feet the pale green Thames
Lies like a rod of rippled jade.

T(Title)-I think the title indicates a vague idea of what the poem is going to be about. The reader immediately notices the word 'Yellow' which is a sensory detail of colour, and I think that is important giving definition to the whole poem.

P(Paraphrase)- This poem by Oscar Wilde was written very poetically, in a metaphoric way. Just like the title indicates, 'yellow' is used a lot throughout all the stanzas. The first stanza mentions an omnibus, which is travelling in a cycle carrying many people. Then the stanza shows how 'restless' people are to get on that bus to go somewhere. The next stanza sounds a little darker, perhaps indicating that there is uncertainty amongst an ambition or goal. Words like 'shadowy', 'fog' are clearly representing something mysterious or unclear. Then the last stanza shows transformation, because it is in this stanza that the yellow apparantly fades and sheds its leaves, which could signify a rebirth or something new after a cycle has taken place. The colour green becomes the main focus at the last two lines, which could also represent a new, fresh life.

C(Connotations)- I think this whole poem is one great metaphor, and I see that it's very nature-related and and natural colours are used to indicate what the message is. In the second stanza, I sense there is some irony, because it describes 'fog' like a 'yellow silken scarf', which is bright and positive and very contradictory to the 'thick fog'. Perhaps its meant to say that even though people seem positive, happy, and driven on the outside, there is still a vulnerability and insecurity that they are not willing to show in their outward appearance. So maybe the reason why this stanza is so ironic is to show the contrasting sides of concealment. There is also a lot of imagery in this poem, mostly related to sight. The way that everything is described is quite concise but at the same time detailed enough to evoke senses in the reader. An example is
'An omnibus across the bridge
Crawls like a yellow butterfly'
which involves a lot of images, but also personification and simile, because an omnibus doesn't literally 'crawl like a yellow butterfly'. I've also noted that there is a pattern of a rhyme scheme, which goes like : A,B,B,A/C,D,D,C/ and E,F,F,E. It adds a good rhythm to the poem.

A(Attitude)- This poem is very descriptive and there is no indication that the narrator is personal, because there is no 'I', making it sound more impersonal. The only part that I noticed the narrator was referring to himself was in the last stanza, when he says: 'And at my feet the pale green Thames
Lies like a rod of rippled jade.' The descriptions are very eloquent and not emotionally passionate, so the attitude of this poem is not that strong. There's a certain tranquil and reflective mood to this poem, which makes the reader enjoy the rhythmic flow of this poem.

S(Shifts)- In this particular poem, there is a slight shift in every stanza, because it seems like each stanza represents something different, giving them different vibes. The first stanza starts out bright enough, but it is in the second stanza that the reader can determine where the rest of the poem is going. The first stanza seems to be a starting point, the second stanza the direction of the first stanza goes 'foggy', and in the last stanza there seems to be more optimism.

T(Theme)- There seems to be quite a few 'themes' in this poem. I think one of the messages that came across to me was that people are always rushing for something and trying desperately to reach it without stopping to apprieciate the nature that they are surrounded by. The allusions to nature have no connection with 'passers-by'(1st stanza) which could represent the fact that people just don't notice what they have been given because they are too caught up in their own lives. Also in the 2nd stanza it shows that the 'yellow hay' in the 'barge' is moored on a shadowy wharf. Assuming that the hay represents the people, it shows that many people just pretend to know where their destination is while in fact they have no idea. Again, they are too rushed and hasty, driven by something human and sinful like greed, that they don't realize that they need to take things slow to figure out what their life is meant to be. And since I noticed that the poet writes quite a big about God, I will also mention that this poem could be about people who are bright on the outside but empty on the inside, because they are lost and have no direction. That could be because they don't take the time to let God lead them to where they are really meant to be.

T(Title)- I think the title of the poem was quite well chosen, and the word 'Symphony' almost makes it sound like the poem is a song or hymm, which suits it very well.

TPCASTT

Mad Girl's Love Song by Sylvia Plath

"I shut my eyes and all the world drops dead;
I lift my lids and all is born again.
(I think I made you up inside my head.)

The stars go waltzing out in blue and red,
And arbitrary blackness gallops in:
I shut my eyes and all the world drops dead.

I dreamed that you bewitched me into bed
And sung me moon-struck, kissed me quite insane.
(I think I made you up inside my head.)

God topples from the sky, hell's fires fade:
Exit seraphim and Satan's men:
I shut my eyes and all the world drops dead.

I fancied you'd return the way you said,
But I grow old and I forget your name.
(I think I made you up inside my head.)

I should have loved a thunderbird instead;
At least when spring comes they roar back again.
I shut my eyes and all the world drops dead.
(I think I made you up inside my head.)"

TPCASTT ANALYSIS
T(Title)- By looking at the title, the phrase MAD girl's love song immediately calls out to the reader of the poem. It indicates that it's not just another love poem but suggests that the narrator is a 'mad' or mentally insane girl.

P(Paraphrase)- All the stanzas in this poem are descriptive of someone that the mad girl supposedly loves. The dreamy descriptions that have been used in the poem show that the girl is probably in a dazed, dreamlike state while she is imagining thoughts in her head. This is strongly emphasized by the bracketed phrases at the end of each sentence, 'I think I made you up inside my head'.

C(Connotations)- The rhythmic flow and regular rhyme schemes of this poem is what makes it so catchy for the reader. The pattern of the rhyme is: A, B, A, B, C, B, and so on. There are also a lot of imagery used in this poem. Colours have been mentioned such as blue, red, black, and gold, so I think each colour represents what each stanza indicates emotionally. I also noticed personifications, such as 'world drops dead', 'stars go waltzing', 'blackness gallops in'. There are some very strong lines in this poem that sound quite hyperbolic, like this phrase which was repeatedly used 'I close my eyes and the world drops dead'.

A(Attitude)- There are a lot of emotions portrayed in this poem. The narrator seems to have mixed emotions and is very moody in the way she talks. At times I felt that there was a sense of emptiness and hopeless loneliness that filled the stanzas. I think the poem involves a lot of imagination too, and I can feel tones of excitement from the voice of the narrator. I am also guessing that at times I thought the descriptions used were a little borderline hysteric, as I assume that it is an 'insane' girl who is speaking in the poem.

S(Shift)- I think there was a significant shift in the fifth and sixth stanzas, where the exuberant attitude went down a notch. The tone changed into a more mellow and subdued voice, like the narrator was tired or something. When it said 'I fancied you'd return the way you said' I think it indicated that after all the fantasies that the crazy girl had, she was still reminded and haunted by someone who was meant to return to her. Perhaps it was the person she once loved that no matter how crazy anything had driven her, she still couldn't get those memories out of her head. I wouldn't say the last stanza sounds bitter, but it's definitely not filled with happiness. The line 'I should have loved a thunderbird instead; At least when spring comes they roar back again.' shows that she may have some regrets about the choices she made about who she ought to have loved. The second part of that phrase strongly indicates that she would prefer to love a thunderbird because they still come back. This shows that she was probably abandoned and left behind and that the girl is having a hard time coping with all that has happened to her.

T(Theme)- The obvious theme would be love, portrayed from a different point of view. This poem's narrator is a 'Mad Girl', so there is a slight twist to the insight that it gives the reader about love. It shows that it's not always something that will make you happy. Also it shows that a lot of the universal idea of 'perfect' love is much credited to the vast imagination of human beings. Like the narrator, there are a lot of things that we wish for to happen, even though deep inside we are aware that things don't always work out the way we want it to. There's also a possibility that the poem shows how love can drive someone 'crazy'-both literally and figuratively. The variety of emotions that I've read in this poem shows that love is not one monotone, constant emotion. It's a rollercoaster of emotions and challenges that people have to go through to endure. This poem shows how love can affect people in very different ways depending on the situation, and that it's one of the most fragile things that people get involved in.

T(Title)- Overall I think the title pretty much sums up the general idea of the poem quite well. It is very eye-catching and gives enough hints to tell the reader what it may be about, but not too much that it becoems predictable.

Entry #1

Messy Room by Shel Silverstein

Whosever room this is should be ashamed!
His underwear is hanging on the lamp.
His raincoat is there in the overstuffed chair,
And the chair is becoming quite mucky and damp.
His workbook is wedged in the window,
His sweater's been thrown on the floor.
His scarf and one ski are beneath the TV,
And his pants have been carelessly hung on the door.
His books are all jammed in the closet,
His vest has been left in the hall.
A lizard named Ed is asleep in his bed,
And his smelly old sock has been stuck to the wall.
Whosever room this is should be ashamed!
Donald or Robert or Willie or--
Huh? You say it's mine? Oh, dear,
I knew it looked familiar!

I chose this poem to put on my blog because it's enjoyable to read. I like how this poem is very realistic and relates to many ordinary people. That quality gives a certain appeal to the reader as it is similar to real-life situations. Also, the slightly mischievous tone that is used is very fun to read and not at all tedious. This particular poem spoke to me because it talks about a 'Messy Room' and all sorts of messy, unorganized things in a room are vividly described. My room is definitely messy too. There are things all over the place obviously neglected by my lack of determination to tidy my room. This poem has some very elaborate descriptions, and the little details that Shel Silverstein wrote makes his poem much more interesting. I also like that it's quite fast-paced, and it's easy to process what has been written without becoming perplexed by cryptic phrases.