Hedgehog
By Paul Muldoon
The snail moves like a
Hovercraft, held up by a
Rubber cushion of itself,
Sharing its secret
With the hedgehog. The hedgehog
Shares its secret with no one.
We say, Hedgehog, come out
Of yourself and we will love you.
We mean no harm. We want
Only to listen to what
You have to say. We want
Your answers to our questions.
The hedgehog gives nothing
Away, keeping itself to itself.
We wonder what a hedgehog
Has to hide, why it so distrusts.
We forget the god
Under this crown of thorns.
We forget that never again
Will a god trust in the world.
Commented [1]: why is there a snail?
Commented [2]: vehicle moved by pushing air
between it and the ground
Commented [3]: instead of air it's held up by itself
Commented [4]: snail shares its secret with the
hedgehog. hedgehog shares its secret with nobody
Commented [5]: we probably refers to
humans/humanity
Commented [6]: addressing it personally
Commented [7]: the hedgehog doesn't want to be
loved. ?
Commented [8]: emphasis on You/Your ?
Commented [9]: undemanding and then immediately
demanding
Commented [10]: alliteration
Commented [11]: the hedgehog has a god in it
Commented [12]: talking about the force of nature?
the spirit of animals?
Commented [13]: something spiritual
Commented [14]: we did something bad to this god
Commented [15]: hmmm
 Method of Analysis: TPCASTT

Beside each element of the TPCASTT method, you will find an explanation. For each poem assigned, and each
poem you find on your own, you will be required to analyze each part of the TPCASTT method as it applies to the
poem.

Title & Author of the Poem:

Hedgehog - Paul Muldoon

T Title 1. Based on the title, what do you
think the poem is about?
2. Based on clues given in the title,
what do you think the author
will focus on?
1. I think the poem is about a hedgehog.
2. I think the author will focus on
describing the hedgehog, and maybe
symbolize it somehow.

P Paraphrase 1. What is the literal meaning of The snail moves like a

the poem? Paraphrase the poem
Hovercraft, held up by a
in your own words based on the
literal meanings of what’s on the Rubber cushion of itself,
page. Keep the same sequence
and ideas that the author has. Sharing its secret
You should have the same
number of lines as the actual
poem, since you are keeping With the hedgehog. The hedgehog
with the true ideas and form of
Shares its secret with no one.
the poet.

We say, Hedgehog, open yourself

to us and we will love you.

We mean no harm. We want

Only to listen to what


C Connotation 1. Identify and explain any poetic
devices you found in the poem.
Do this by offering meaningful
annotations in the margins.
Insert comments on the
document to annotate.
2. Connotation is a word that
describes how a word is used in
context and generally refers to
emotion. Based on this, what
connotation does each poetic
device have in the poem?
3. What conclusions can you draw
about the meaning of the poem
by analyzing the words’
connotations?
You have to say. We want
Your answers to our questions.
The hedgehog gives nothing
Away, keeping itself to itself.
We wonder what a hedgehog
Has to hide, why it doesn't trust us.
We forget the entity
In the hedgehog.
We forget that never again
Will a god trust in the world.
1. In stanza 1, lines 1-2, “The snail moves
like a / Hovercraft, held up by a,” the
snail is compared to a hovercraft,
making it a simile.
In stanza 5, lines 1-4, “We forget the god
/ Under this crown of thorns. / We
forget that never again / Will a god trust
in the world,” the hedgehog is
compared to a god, making it a
metaphor.
2. The first example doesn’t really have a
connotation. I think the connotation is
peaceful and calm.
The second example has a sort of
unnerving, severe connotation.

A Attitude 1. You’ve taken a look at the poem
in literal terms. Now it’s time to
explore the figurative meaning
of the poem. What personality
do you see used in the poem?
2. What is the tone of the poem?
3. What was going on in the
author’s life / the world when
this poem was written and how
might that have influenced this
poem?
S Shifts 1. What shifts in mood / tone do
you see throughout the poem?
Which words signal to you a
shift?
2. What effect(s) does this shift
have on the poem’s meaning?
3. Does the poem begin and end
with the same emotions,
thoughts, and opinions?
T Title 1. Revisit the title. Were you
correct in your initial ideas, or
3. I can conclude that while the snail is a
calm creature, the hedgehog is less
merciful towards humans.
1. The personality of this poem is very
whimsical and inquisitive.
2. The tone is also mostly whimsical and
playful.
3. I couldn’t find anything in the author’s
life that would have affected this poem.
1. In stanza 5, lines 1-4, “We forget the god
/ Under this crown of thorns. / We
forget that never again / Will a god trust
in the world,” the tone changes from
playful to serious.
2. This shifts the meaning of the poem
from simply describing a shy hedgehog
to making it seem like the hedgehog has
a personal hatred towards humans.
3. The poem begins with the same
opinions. The thoughts are a little
different, as the poem starts with a snail
and ends with a hedgehog. The
emotions begin as calm and end as
hateful.
1. I was pretty accurate in my initial ideas.
However, I did not think the poem’s
 has the poem taken on a new
meaning? Explain.
T Theme 1. What is the poem trying to
explain to us about the human
experience?
2. What are the main themes and
subjects of the poem? What have
you learned to be true, from the
author’s point of view, about
these subjects?
3. What do you think the author
wants you to learn from this
poem?
4. What else do you want to know
about this poem?
meaning would end on such a dark
note.
1. I think the poem is trying to explain that
humans sometimes force nature to hide
and hate us.
2. The main themes are inquisitism and
hatred. It’s true that humans are
inquisitive, which can lead to hatred in
nature.
3. I think the author wants me to learn
that unknowingly interacting too much
with nature can be a bad thing.
4. I’d like to know why a snail is brought
up at the beginning of the poem.