TPLASTT for “Harlem (A Dream Deferred)”

Student Version

T(itle) / In complete sentences, write what you think this poem will be about and discuss why.
P(araphrase) / A paraphrase is...
  • your own rendition of essential information and ideas expressed by someone else, presented in a new form.
  • one legitimate way (when accompanied by accurate documentation) to borrow from a source.
  • a more detailed restatement
  • (
Go LINE by LINE, or even word by word! Remember you can easily paraphrase by changing the structure/order of the words, but paraphrasing is not just synonym substitution. Use your explication skills!
EXAMPLE PARAPHRASE OF FIRST TWO LINES:
When a dream is postponed, what then becomes of that dream that one has?
Will it become obsolete and shrink like a raisin does after being exposed to the heat of the sun?
L(iterary features) / You must write about 2! Always include the type of diction seen in the poem.
You may use any of the following literary devices, or one of your own. If you are unsure of what the following devices are, look them up!
Alliteration Rhyme Simile Metaphor Personification
Imagery (Sensory Diction) Symbolism
Example:
1)I observe rhyme in the poem when the poet writes, “sun” (line 3) and “run” (line 5); and “meat” (line 6) and “sweet” (line 8). The effect that it has on the poem is that it gives rhythm and structure to the second stanza which also happens to be the largest stanza of the entire poem.
A(ttitude) / The overall tone that is portrayed in “Harlem” seems to be ______because…
S(hifts) / The shift is demonstrated between the ______and ______stanzas because….
T(itle) / The title “Harlem (A Dream Deferred)” refers to…
T(heme) / The single sentence summary should include the name of the poem and the poet.
SSS: “Harlem (A Dream Deferred)” by Langston Hughes...
What is theme? Theme is a generalization about life that the poet wants to communicate. There may be more than one theme in a literary work.