Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Judge 1
Mrs. Hope
English LPS
9 November 2015
TPCASTT Analysis
TITLE:
Jade Flower Palace could be about a persons life in a palace surrounded by beautiful jade
flowers
PARAPHRASE:
The creek twists.
The breeze creates a low sound in the pine trees.
Gray rodents run hastily over shattered tiles.
Which kings son, long time, assembled this castle, structured among the destruction next to the
cliffs?
There are Green spirit fires in the dark space.
The broken paved surfaces are all swept away.
Ten thousand wind instruments bellow and whistle.
The fall, ruby leaves are dispersed because of the storm.
His girls that moved to music have turned into yellow, tiny particles.
Their colorful cheeks have fallen to pieces.
His gold wagons and attendants have left.
The only object left of his fame is a stone stallion.
I perch myself on the grass and begin writing poetry, but the quality of it overwhelms me with
sorrow.
Without being noticed, the future slips away.
Judge 2
Who can say what will happen in the time to come?
CONNOTATION:
The poem has an overall negative connotation; this is shown by the authors word choice and
imagery. The text uses words such as moans, ruins, and left of his glory (Tu Fu). All of
these words aid in making a depressing image of a run down palace. The last sentence also
portrays a hopeful connotation because you never know if your future will turn out bad or good.
ATTITUDE/ TONE:
The speakers tone is contemplative because by examining all of the glory this prince lost, the
poet begins to express how no one knows what the future holds. He/she feels the future/ Slips
imperceptibly away (Tu Fu, 18-19). By thinking of what is to come, the poet creates a reflective
tone.
SHIFTS:
One time where the poem shifts is near the end. The poet states, I sit on the grass and/ Start a
poem, but the pathos of/ It overcomes me (Tu Fu, 16-18). This is a shift because the author uses
the word but.
TITLE:
The first impression I got of the poem based on the title was that it was going to be uplifting and
joyful. However, after reading it the title gains more of a deeper, hidden meaning since the story
is about how anyone can lose anything, and the future is uncertain. The title symbolizes how
something beautiful can slip away into ruins.
THEME:
The future is unpredictable, and people never know what the future holds.
Judge 3
Judge 4
Furthermore, Tu Fus overall attitude in his poem conveys his beliefs. To begin with, the
tone of Jade Flower Palace is contemplative; by examining all of the glory this prince lost, the
poet begins to express how no one knows what the future holds. He feels the future/ Slips
imperceptibly away (Tu Fu 18-19). By thinking of what is to come, the poet creates a reflective
tone. As a result he ends the poem with a rhetorical question forcing the reader to contemplate
his/her own future. To add on, the theme is about how everything is temporary and the future is
uncertain. The poet is saying that anything can happen. It is possible to have all of the glory and
fame in the world but lose it all; on the other hand, there is also opportunities for people to have
nothing and then do something great, leading people to remember them for ages. Either way the
poet is trying to get the point across that the future can bring surprises, even great loss.
All in all, Tu Fu uses a variety of elements in his poem in order to articulate his views on
what the future brings. By examining the different aspects the poem has to offer, the reader can
reach the conclusion that the future is unpredictable. In order to portray this the poet tells the
short story of a prince and a palace that lost all of its glory. Overall, the poet leaves the reader
thinking about what their own destiny will hold because nothing is set in place.