Gridlock

A Dream Within A Dream by Edgar Allan Poe

TPCASTT:  Poem Analysis Method:  
title, paraphrase, connotation, diction, 
attitude, tone, shift(s), title revisited and 
theme

Titleof poem means-The speaker says that everything is merely a dream

Paraphraseparts of the Poem- In the first stanza the speaker is leaving someone. He says that everyday and everything he sees is just a dream. In the second stanza the speaker is standing on a beach seeing everything and asking God why can't he grasp the grains of sand tighter. 

Connotationof some of the words – changing literal meaning to implied or associated values- 

AttitudeWhat is the attitude of the author, characters or yourself?- In the first stanza the attitude of the author is confident in himself and what he thinks. He believes that everything is a dream. In the second stanza the attitude changes. He begins to question what he believes and question God. 

ShiftAt first we think or feel one way – then there is a shift:  identify the shifts and explain them-The shift is in between the two stanzas. At first you are comfortable with the fact the everything is just a dream. After the shift the speaker begins to question it and why it cannot be stopped. In the first stanza he seems to be having a good dream which then turns bad.

Title revisitedAny new insights on meaning or significance of title?- Not everything is what it may seem like.

Theme- The theme is that there are good dreams and bad dreams. Sometimes you may question them.