Comparison of Still to Be Neat and Delight in Disorder Poems - Assignment Example

The two 17th century poems Ben Jonson's "Still to be neat" (1609) and Robert Herrick's "Delight in Disorder" (1648) make for excellent comparison notonly due to the similarity of their themes but also because of their contemporaneous writing. Both were written in a similar social background, forty years apart. What makes the exercise of comparison and contrast even more interesting is that Herrick was a known admirer and imitator of the jovial, likeable as well as older and more successful Jonson. Ben Jonson's "Still to be neat" was originally part of the opening act of Jonson's comedy Epicoene, and was addressed to the character of a lady. It was only later that the verses gained renown as a standalone poem. The poem begins with the line: "Still to be neat, still to be dressed". The word "still" in Renaissance times had the added significance of "always", which gives the poem a different layer of meaning, the lady is "always" in a state of dishevelment. The poem goes on to comment on the lady's appearance, and how she is "Still to be powdered, still perfumed:", but very soon introduces the central theme, that of artifice versus natural beauty. The subject of art is brought up, "art's hid causes are not found,/All is not sweet, all is not sound", and it is given a negative verdict. Appearances and artful decorations are found wanting in comparison to the pure simplicity of a woman who is given to "sweet neglect" and lets her personality shine through: "That makes simplicity a grace; Robes loosely flowing, hair as free". Simple beauty is pictured, a woman is thought to be graceful when in natural demeanor. The poem brings out the contrast between natural beauty and the beauty that is bolstered by external modifications. It is clear that in Benson's world, natural beauty in a woman finds favor with the male heart, instead of the "adulteries of art". Artificial enhancement of feminine beauty attracts the gaze, arouses desire, but can get no further. When examining the poem by Herrick, it is impossible to dismiss the notion that he was inspired by Benson's poem. The theme is similar, and the preoccupations seem to be set around the female form: "A sweet disorder in the dress/ Kindles in clothes a wantonness". A woman's body appears in the reader's imagination as the poem is read. The sexuality of the female form is established through deft phrases that trace the "sweet neglect" extolled in Benson's poem. Instances like "fine distraction", "erring lace", "neglectful cuff" and the "careless shoe-string" are all part of Herrick's attempt to capture the concept of a woman's natural beauty which is infused with "wantonness". The poem ends with the affirmation : "I see a wild civility:/ Do more bewitch me, than when art/ Is too precise in every part". The speaker in the poem prefers the small imperfections of natural beauty to the absolute perfectionism of made-up beauty. The poem explores implied eroticism quite thoroughly and can be said to be even mildly titillating in nature. Looking at the poems side by side, the similarities are highlighted, but then some of the essential differences are also immediately discernible. The themes of the two poems obviously have much in common, but the same cannot be said of the treatment of the subject matter. While Benson's poem has a serious, simple tone, Herrick's poem has a more playful, teasing approach. Another facet of the comparison that stands out is that Benson has treated the subject in a more straightforward way, the whole poem is addressed to a lady, who is addressed as such: "Lady, it is to be presumed," . The speaker could be a person known to the lady, because she was one specific woman and no other. But a study of Herrick's poem reveals that the poet has skillfully used phrases to describe the attire of a woman who is not physically present in the poem at all. She could be any woman. She is an everywoman, a composite image of womankind being detailed, and her body objectified through the use of nothing but the description of her state of clothing. The flutter of a woman's petticoat, the lace in her clothing, her jacket or cuff, all part of the elaborate of a 17th century lady's attire, are the only protagonists in this poem, not the wearer. The second aspect of comparison is the amount of erotic implication in "Delight in Disorder". The poem is almost raunchy, because it plays tricks with the reader's imagination. Herrick uses words like "wantonness", and the disorder in the imagined woman's attire, the " wild civility" points to her seductive abilities or her lasciviousness. It could also be the projected imagination of the speaker himself. This ambiguity, of whether the woman's sexuality is real or imagined, adds a dimension to this poem that is not present in "Still to be neat". The reader of Benson's poem knows that the lady in question is definitely a specific woman, the ambiguity in Herrick's poem does not exist in Benson's. But this deliberate ambiguity in Herrick's poem throws up another interesting observation: the artistry of this poet is quite in keeping of the mannerist skills of the time, where split-second motions are captured with the deft use of language. The very thing that the speaker talks against, the very artfulness, is what the poet displays in his writing of the poem. While Benson's poem is straight, balanced and dignified, Herrick's poem is full of dextrous layerings of ambiguity. Instead of "simple grace", the poem "Delight in Disorder" has all the trappings of skillful art. On the structural front, both poems are iambic tetrameter, which could argue for the fact that Herrick may well have borrowed the meter from Jonson's poem as well as the idea of "sweet neglect". Both are pithy poems, with almost similar number of short lines, and end on sharp notes. The aabb rhyme scheme is handled well in both the poems, and the last couplet stands out as a conclusion. Perhaps Benson's creation is the better balanced, as it is separated neatly in two halves, one introducing the theme and the second one concluding it. This is in contrast to Herrick's poem that paints a picture in repeated strokes. In conclusion, "Still to be Neat" and "Delight in Disorder" are comparable poems with similar themes, rhyme schemes and subject matter, but radically different treatments. While Herrick is bold, playful and stimulating, Jonson is straightforward and balanced. Each is an expression of a different personality and is justly renowned in its own right. Read More