Prayer to the Teachers to Forgive them for Solely Using TPCASTT

Last year, I began moving away from the formulaic TPCASTT and Somebody-Wanted-But-So methods of poetry analysis in my AP course. I still teach those methods of analysis; any tools my students have for decoding poems that serve as potential pathways toward understanding are valuable, and I want them to have as many tools as possible! However, I found that by emulating mentor texts, my students were able to find all of the poetic devices and reach a deeper understanding of the author’s work. This is simply a natural by-product of analyzing which parts of the poem – diction, syntax, theme, repetition and other devices – that they would like to mimic in their own work. My students came up with some of the most beautiful and deeply personal work I’ve ever experienced – some of which they performed at a poetry slam that they organized at the end of the year.

To that end, tomorrow we will read “Forgive My Guilt” by Robert P. Tristram Coffin and “Prayer to the Living to Forgive them for Being Alive” by Charlotte Delbo (one of my favorite poems to teach, by a Holocaust survivor and heroine). We will look at the TPCASTT method as well as Somebody-Wanted-But-So, but my students will ultimately choose one of the two poems as a mentor text from which to gather inspiration. I will ask my students to follow the original poem as much as they see fit as far as structure and ideas, but they have creative freedom to make their own choices. This provides a safety net for students who need a bit more support in poetry-writing. They can simply replace nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs. More adventurous students can depart significantly (or entirely) from the mentor text. This approach provides built-in choice and differentiation that are crucial to our modern classrooms. In my experience, students are capable of creating works that rival those in the literary canon.

I always do what I ask my students to do. It demonstrates that we are all writers and that this writing has value; it is not merely busy-work. Tomorrow, while my students write, I will craft my version of “Forgive My Guilt.” Today, I wrote my version of Delbo’s poem based on how I felt about the socioeconomic disparity between me and my peers in the mid-1980s. I recommend sharing as much of your life with your students as is appropriate. This will make it safe for them to share, let them know that they, too, can overcome obstacles, and engage them in a learning community in which everyone has a voice and valuable ideas to share.

When I discuss my version of this “Prayer” poem with my class, I will talk about my decision to emulate the syntactical style, fragmented thought pattern, repetition, and the accusatory effect of the use of 2^nd person. This is also a good time to note why we don’t use “you” in essays, as it sounds very harsh! I will discuss the differences as well, such as my use of specific examples, the weight of her subject matter compared to mine, and the fact that mine is more personal (though I speak for everyone who felt this way) while Delbo’s definitely speaks for those who cannot speak for themselves.

Teachers, I urge you: please get your students writing, and write with them! They will amaze you with what they write.

“Prayer to the Living to Forgive them for Being Alive” by Charlotte Delbo (mentor text)

“Prayer to the Affluent to Forgive them for Being Materialistic” by Amber Counts (inspired by Delbo’s mentor text)

You who are passing by well dressed in all your muscles clothing which suits you well or badly or just about you who are passing by full of tumultuous life within your arteries glued to your skeleton as you walk with a sprightly step athletic awkward laughing sullenly, you are all so handsome so commonplace so commonplacely like everyone else so handsome in your commonplaceness diverse with this excess of life which keeps you from feeling your bust following your leg your hand raised to your hat your hand upon your heart your kneecap rolling softly in your knee how can we forgive you for being alive… You who are passing by well dressed in all your muscles how can we forgive you that all are dead You are walking by and drinking in cafés you are happy she loves you or moody worried about money how how will you ever be forgiven by those who died so that you may walk by dressed in all your muscles so that you may drink in cafés be younger every spring I beg you do something learn a dance step something that gives you the right to be dressed in your skin in your body hair learn to walk and to laugh because it would be too senseless after all for so many to have died while you live doing nothing with your life.

You who are passing by well dressed in designer clothes the latest styles that suit you well so you think until you look back one day and feel embarrassed embarrassed that you wore a rabbit fur coat when it was 85 degrees under the Texas sun embarrassed that despite perm after perm after perm your hair looked like fried straw and your rubber bracelets did not make you Madonna You who cast aspersions on my character downward glances dismissive based on my clothes at least I stand out in my second-hand jeans clothes my grandmother lovingly chose for me while you you all look the same you all look like everyone else everyone with money everyone who can buy Gloria Vanderbuilt jeans oh wait it’s Jordache this month no it’s Guess well guess what I am more than the label on my jeans You are just a label a superficial label seeking the acceptance of your clone peers how can we forgive you those of us who cannot fit your mold how can we forgive you that you have everything while we have nothing yet you’re still unhappy and often mean how can we understand each other when you think tragedy means not going to Florida on spring break or not getting the right color car on your birthday when tragedy for me is bathing in the laundrymat sink for school because I am homeless again skipping another meal because there is no money for food but these aren’t tragedies for me they’re commonplace this is my reality But go ahead laugh that I don’t have my own Sony Walkman because you do not have the depth of thought compassion or character to understand my life while you superficially make your way through yours.