PPSSSSTTT Acronym for Analysis of Prose and Poetry

PPSSSSTTT Acronym for Analysis of Prose and Poetry

Each letter stands for a step in the process of examining a text. Follow each of the steps when reading poetry or prose. When assigned a PPSSSSTTT analysis, write each word/letter onto your own paper followed by a hyphen and then, in complete sentences, write information/examples related to the skills below.

Paraphrase/Summarize: This means putting the poem or story into your own words by either rewriting each line (paraphrasing) or by highlighting main ideas (summarizing).

Purpose: The poetry and prose deal with universal themes. Good literature explores universal concepts that are applicable to all of us as readers. Consider these universal concepts when considering a piece of literature’s purpose. The author’s purpose may not necessarily be immediately clear, but an insightful reader will begin to see major concepts.

Structure: If the piece is a poem, is it divided into stanzas? Is there any reason for these stanza breaks? Does a sentence begin in one stanza and then move to the next one (enjambment)? How does this affect meaning? Study the word choice (diction) in poetry and prose. If it is prose, how does the author develop the characters and the plot? Is the piece expressing a journey from childhood into adulthood? Is there a major flaw in a character that leads to his or her downfall? How do the traditional story elements manifest themselves—remember exposition, rising action, climax, falling action and resolution (denoument); conflict, point of view, figurative language, etc.?

Shift: Are there changes in tone, point of view, language, setting, etc.? Just as a car shifts to accelerate and accommodate hills, literature shifts to express or emphasize key concepts. Often the text shifts to reflect differences in attitude.

Speaker/Narrator/Point of View: Who is the speaker or narrator? Is there more than one? Is the speaker using first or third person? How does viewpoint affect meaning? Be careful not to confuse the speaker or narrator with the author; they are not necessarily the same.

Spelling/Grammar/Diction/Vocabulary: Are there any unusual spellings, words, or capitalization? Is there sentence inversion—verb comes before the subject? Is the language in the story unusual—archaic language (words or language that we no longer commonly use) is an example? If vocabulary is not assigned, consider defining words you do not know via annotation or notes.

Tone: What attitude(s) seems to prevail in the piece? What are the words that describe it most accurately? There are typically many attitudes/tones to be explored in pieces of literature.

Theme: Consider a universal meaning offered in the piece. Remember that one word is not a theme.

Title: Does the title give any hint as to the meaning?

PPSSSSTTT Templates/Examples

Paraphrase/Summarize:

Purpose:

Structure:

Consider the following templates to help formulate a statement pertaining to structure.

*Structurally, the character of ______is developed as he/she progresses from ______to ______. This shows ______.

*The structure of the story is such that ______(insert character here) goes on a journey from ______to ______.

*Structurally, irony is used throughout the story. One example or irony is ______. This example points out that ______.

*The entire story is a symbol of ______. This is important because ______.

*Structurally, the climax of the piece is when ______. This is important

because it shows ______.

*Words or diction like “______,” “______,” “______,” and “______” are used throughout the piece. These words contribute to a ______tone. This shows that ______.

*The entire piece is about the conflict between ______and ______.

*The protagonist exhibits ______conflict because ______. This conflict is important because it shows ______.

Shifts:

Consider the following templates to help formulate a statement pertaining to shifts.

*There is a shift from ______to ______on p. ____ to show ______

*There is shift when (insert character here) goes from ______to ______on p. ____ showing that ______.

*When (insert character here) says, “insert quote here” on p. _____ there is an obvious shift from ______to ______illustrating that ______.

*There is a shift from diction associated with ______to diction that expresses______. Such diction includes, “_____,” “_____,” and “_____”. This shift shows that ______.

*There is a shift from imagery associated with ______to imagery associated with ______. Images like “______” give way to images like “______”. This shift illustrates ______.

Speaker/Narrator/POV:

*There is a ______point of view throughout the piece to show______.

Spelling/Grammar/Diction/Vocab:

Tone:

*The speaker of the poem has a ______attitude/tone. This attitude shows ______.

*The narrator of the story establishes a tone of ______. This contributes to the idea that ______(consider a thematic concept here).

*The ______tone created by the author establishes a ______atmosphere to show ______(consider a thematic concept here).

*There is a ______tone throughout the piece that shows ______.

An example of diction (imagery, irony, symbolism, etc.) that establishes this tone is when the speaker says, “______”.

Theme:

Title: