Glass Commented [1]: why is it called glass?

By A. R. Ammons

The song
sparrow puts all his
saying
into one
repeated song: Commented [2]: alliteration?
what Commented [3]: personification
Commented [4]: very choppy language

variations, subtleties Commented [5]: to mirror the sparrow's songs?

he manages, Commented [6]: why is there a comma?

to encompass denser
meanings, I’m
too coarse
to catch: it’s Commented [7]: alliteration

one song, an over-reach Commented [8]: what does this mean?

from which Commented [9]: all encompassing

all possibilities,
like filaments, Commented [10]: something thin and threadlike
depend: Commented [11]: so like they're spreading out like
filaments?
killing,
Commented [12]: simile
Commented [13]: emphasis on killing? why?
nesting, dying,
Commented [14]: or just the format?
sun or cloud,
figure up
and become
song—simple, hard:
removed. Commented [15]: reflects the poem's language

Method of Analysis: TPCASTT

Beside each element of the TPCASTT method, you will find an explanation. For each poem assigned, and each
poem you find on your own, you will be required to analyze each part of the TPCASTT method as it applies to the
poem.

Title & Author of the Poem:

Glass - A. R. Ammons

T Title 1. Based on the title, what do you
think the poem is about?
2. Based on clues given in the title,
what do you think the author
will focus on?
1. I think the poem will be about glass and
its properties.
2. I think the author will focus on imagery.

P Paraphrase 1. What is the literal meaning of The

the poem? Paraphrase the poem
sparrow puts everything he
in your own words based on the
literal meanings of what’s on the says
page. Keep the same sequence
and ideas that the author has. into one
You should have the same
repeated song:
number of lines as the actual
poem, since you are keeping what
with the true ideas and form of
the poet.

variations and subtleties

he manages,

to encompass denser meanings, I'm

too dumb

to understand: it's

one song, an umbrella

 from which

all possibilities,

like filaments,

depend:

killing,

nesting, dying,

sun or cloud,

join together

and become

song - simple, hard:

removed.

C Connotation 1. Identify and explain any poetic
devices you found in the poem.
Do this by offering meaningful
annotations in the margins.
Insert comments on the
document to annotate.
2. Connotation is a word that
describes how a word is used in
context and generally refers to
emotion. Based on this, what
connotation does each poetic
device have in the poem?
3. What conclusions can you draw
about the meaning of the poem
by analyzing the words’
connotations?
1. In stanza 1, lines 1-5, “The song / sparrow
puts all his / saying into one / repeated
song,” the sparrow is given
personification. These lines also have
alliteration.
In stanza 2, lines 5-6, “too coarse / to
catch: it’s,” coarse and catch have
alliteration.
In stanza 3, lines 3-4, “all possibilities, /
like filaments,” the lines describe a
simile.
2. In the first example, the personification
makes the sparrow seem neat, orderly,
and intelligent. Overall, he has a calm
connotation.

A Attitude 1. You’ve taken a look at the poem
in literal terms. Now it’s time to
explore the figurative meaning
of the poem. What personality
do you see used in the poem?
2. What is the tone of the poem?
3. What was going on in the
author’s life / the world when
this poem was written and how
might that have influenced this
poem?
S Shifts 1. What shifts in mood / tone do
you see throughout the poem?
Which words signal to you a
shift?
2. What effect(s) does this shift
have on the poem’s meaning?
3. Does the poem begin and end
with the same emotions,
thoughts, and opinions?
The third example has a more wild,
crazy connotation, as it describes the
possibilities spreading out in thin wire-
like lines.
3. I can conclude that although the
sparrow is seen as neat and calm, his
song can be much more excited and
wild. This describes chaos in order.
1. The sparrow in this poem has a very
orderly personality, while his song has a
chaotic personality. Overall, the
narrator of them poem gives it a more
inquisitive personality.
2. The tone is kind of awe-ful, as the
narrator contemplates the sparrow’s
song.
3. I couldn’t find anything in the author’s
life that would have influenced this
poem specifically, but the author lived
through the Great Depression, which
influenced much of his poetry.
1. The poem shifts in tone in stanza 1, line
6, and stanza 2, lines 1-2, “what //
variations, subtleties / he manages,” and
in stanza 4, lines 3-6, “figure up / and
become / song - simple, hard: removed.”
2. These shifts cut the poem from
describing the sparrow’s song in general
(short, repeated, simple), to describing
his song in more detail (encompassing
denser meanings, having infinite
meanings).
3. The poem ends with the same emotions,
thoughts, and opinions. However, these

T Title 1. Revisit the title. Were you
correct in your initial ideas, or
has the poem taken on a new
meaning? Explain.
T Theme 1. What is the poem trying to
explain to us about the human
experience?
2. What are the main themes and
subjects of the poem? What have
you learned to be true, from the
author’s point of view, about
these subjects?
3. What do you think the author
wants you to learn from this
poem?
4. What else do you want to know
about this poem?
do change in the middle of the poem,
they just come back at the very end..
1. I was not correct in the interpretation at
all. The title doesn’t really reflect the
poem’s meanings, in my opinion. The
poem was about a sparrow, but the title
is Glass.
1. I think the poem is trying to explain that
some things we find simple may actually
be much more complex.
2. I think the main theme is chaos within
order. The author says it’s true that this
can be found within nature.
3. The author wants me to learn not to
underestimate things that seem simple
on the surface.
4. I’d like to know why the title is Glass.