Robert Herrick
p979
The main point of the poem by Robert Herrick is that often times the most beautiful things can come out of imperfections. The speaker even claims that the imperfections of the woman whom he admires "do more bewitch me than when art Is too precise in every part," (Herrick, 979). He describes her dress as a "sweet disorder" which covers her "here and there" and even "careless," (Herrick, 979). In modern day terms, the woman sounds like a "hot mess," meaning that she is disheveled but in a manner that adds to her attractiveness in some fashion. Although the name can sometimes carry a negative connotation with it, it would apply nearly perfectly to the woman that is described within the poem.
But something else that also adds to her beauty is the confusion that the speaker experiences when he looks at the woman. This confusion is conveyed through the oxymoron "wild civility" in line 12 (Herrick, 979). Within this oxymoron, the speaker reveals that the woman is actually very refined, but this state in which she currently exists adds a sort of wild aspect to her appeal. The speaker admits his distraction by the woman which also helps to contribute to the reader's understanding of the abnormality of this particular woman's appearance. However, the speaker cannot deny that she is beautiful, even more beautiful than if she were to have been perfectly put together.
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