TPCASTT: Steps to Poetry Analysis PRACTICE

Practice

​TPCASTT: Steps for Poetry Interpretation

“
Nature's first green is gold,

Her hardest hue to hold.

Her early leaf's a flower;

But only so an hour.

Then leaf subsides to leaf.

So Eden sank to grief,

So dawn goes down to day.

Nothing gold can stay.

2

“Nothing Gold Can Stay” Robert Frost

“
Nature's first green is gold,

Her hardest hue to hold.

Her early leaf's a flower;

But only so an hour.

Then leaf subsides to leaf.

So Eden sank to grief,

So dawn goes down to day.

Nothing gold can stay.

3

Look up
words

“Nothing Gold Can Stay” Robert Frost

T: TITLE

What does the title reveal about the subject of the
poem?
Label words (+, -, or =). Make an inference based off
the title.

4

“Nothing Gold Can Stay”

p: Paraphrase

Put the lines and stanzas into your own words.

Summarize the poem briefly in your own words.

5

Nature's first green is gold,

Her hardest hue to hold.

Her early leaf's a flower;

But only so an hour.

Then leaf subsides to leaf.

So Eden sank to grief,

So dawn goes down to day.

Nothing gold can stay.

C: Connotation

What are some deeper meanings in the
poem?
Look at the following devices in order to help
determine the meaning.
Word choice, Figurative Language
Allusions, Imagery, Symbolism, Point of View

6

Nature's first green is gold,

Her hardest hue to hold.

Her early leaf's a flower;

But only so an hour.

Then leaf subsides to leaf.

So Eden sank to grief,

So dawn goes down to day.

Nothing gold can stay.

A: Attitude / Tone

What is the speaker/author’s attitude
throughout the poem? How does the
speaker/author feel about themselves,
others, and/or about the subject?

7

Nature's first green is gold,

Her hardest hue to hold.

Her early leaf's a flower;

But only so an hour.

Then leaf subsides to leaf.

So Eden sank to grief,

So dawn goes down to day.

Nothing gold can stay.

S : Shift

Where do the shifts in tone, setting, voice, etc.
occur? Look for time and place, keywords (but,
however) punctuation, stanza divisions, changes
in length or rhyme, and/or sentence structure.
What is the purpose and how do they affect the
meaning of the poem?

8

Nature's first green is gold,

Her hardest hue to hold.

Her early leaf's a flower;

But only so an hour.

Then leaf subsides to leaf.

So Eden sank to grief,

So dawn goes down to day.

Nothing gold can stay.

“Nothing Gold Can Stay” Robert Frost

T : Title

Any new insights on meaning or
significance of title?

9

“Nothing Gold Can Stay”

“Nothing Gold Can Stay” Robert Frost

T : ThemATIC TOPICS & MESSAGES

TOPICS

Determine what the author trying to
tell the reader about the subject.
The theme is a universal message
(applied to the world/ not just to the

poem).

10

Nature's first green is gold,

Her hardest hue to hold.

Her early leaf's a flower;

But only so an hour.

Then leaf subsides to leaf.

So Eden sank to grief,

So dawn goes down to day.

Nothing gold can stay.

“Nothing Gold Can Stay” Robert Frost

MESSAGES (full sentences
ABOUT the topics)