LAC - Poetry of Ancient Civilizations Lesson
Poetry of Ancient Civilizations
Poetry of the Ancient Civilizations was considered the highest form of art and celebrated how temporary and beautiful human life was.
Ritual Poetry attempted to recreate what the various people groups viewed as sacred, or important due to a connection with the gods.
The Aztecs often used lyric poetry, especially during the conquest, and many of these poems were recorded by scribes. The Cantares Mexicanos, or Mexican Songs, is the largest collection of songs by the Aztecs. Normally, the reader can sense the rhythm of the poem when reading; however, due to the translation of these lyric poems, a sense of the rhythm is lost by the reader.
Poetry Terms Interactivity
Before beginning the TPCASTT, review your knowledge of poetry terms. These terms will appear on the module test.
T.P.C.A.S.T.T. for Analyzing Poetry
Interpreting poetry can be difficult. However, there is an easy way to remember how to interpret poetry and not miss out on any of the important details that poems reveal to the reader. This method is called T.P.C.A.S.T.T. Open and print the documents labeled TPCASTT1 and TPCASTT2 in the sidebar. These will be used throughout the unit to help you analyze poetry.
TPCASTT Example
We are now going to use the following poem to explore the TPCASTT method. Pay close attention as you will be practicing the method in a poem on your own later.
It was called the Jaguar Sun.
Then it happened
that the sky was crushed,
the sun did not follow its course.
When the Sun arrived at midday,
immediately it was night;
and when it became dark,
jaguars ate the people.
In this Sun giants lived.
The old ones said
the giants greeted each other thus;
"Do not fall down," for whoever falls,
he falls forever.
Step 1: Read the poem thoroughly and examine the title. This poem has no title, so this step will be skipped.
Step 2: Paraphrase the poem. If the poem has more difficult language (like a poem by Shakespeare), sometimes paraphrasing line by line is the best option. However, you might paraphrase in stanzas or group lines how you wish. Paraphrase the poem in a way that will help you understand clearly.
See the first two steps illustrated below
Step 3: Identify the connotative devices. A short list appears on the TPCASTT sheet in the sidebar. Also, reference the Genre Term Reference Sheet for poetry. See this step illustrated with the sample poem below.
Line 1: Metaphor A reader might infer that the Jaguar Sun stands as a metaphor in some sense. Without a thorough knowledge of the people group and history, a clear connection is difficult. Therefore, the reader might infer that the Jaguar Sun represents the native people.
Line 3: Hyperbole The sky was not actually crushed, but this exaggeration shows how extreme the destruction might have been.
Line 6-7: Symbolism The night and darkness might symbolize evil, death, or destruction. Darkness and night can also be archetypes for difficulty, evil, or death.
Line 9: Metaphor Giants might serve as a metaphor for the people intruding on the native people.
Line 13: Alliteration Falls forever appears as alliteration in the poem. Alliteration creates fluidity in lines of poetry and also contributes to the rhythm of the poem.
Step 4: Identify the persona and the speaker's tone. Make sure you use proof from the poem to support your claims. Remember that the speaker is never the author unless the poem indicates otherwise and that the tone is the speaker's voice, but the mood is the way the audience feels towards the work. The speaker of our sample poem might be one of the native people, seeing as they refer to the Jaguar Sun, which sound like native terminology. Also, an explorer might not refer to the non-natives as giants, but a native person might use the term giant having never seen these new people. The tone of the poem could be foreboding. Many of the words in the poem are negative or threatening, so the speaker sounds ominous.
Step 5: Identify the stanza type and if the tone shifts in the poem. This poem only has one stanza, and there could be a shift that appears in Line 2-3 with "then it happened." This indicates that something changed, and the rest of the poem indicates negativity with that change.
Step 6: Reexamine the title. This sample poem has no title, so this step will be skipped again.
Step 7: Identify the theme of the poem. The sample poem seems to be about explorers coming in and attempting to destroy the native people, but the native people fight back. The theme could be imperialism or the negative effects of westward expansion.
Notice that many of the steps include terms such as "might be about" or "seems to sound like." The beauty of poetry is that different people interpret the various works in different ways. If a reader can support his or her claims with words or lines from the poem, the reader has the right to his or her interpretation. So, with poetry, open your mind and attempt to dig dip into what might exist below the surface of the text. Remember to analyze the poems in terms of the historical context in order to stay on track.
Once the TPCASTT analysis has been completed by the reader, and the reader has a full understanding of the poem, a teacher might request that student's write a literary response to the poem. The TPCASTT 2 handout in the sidebar reveals how a writer might organize his or her essay when writing about poetry. You will write a response to poetry later in the semester.
Reading Assignment: Cantares Mexicanas
Click here to read the two Cantares Mexicanas, or Mexican Songs Links to an external site..
These poems are from the Aztec people of Latin America.
RESOURCES IN THIS MODULE ARE OPEN EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES (OER) OR CREATED BY GAVS UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED. SOME IMAGES USED UNDER SUBSCRIPTION.