Jojo C. Chukwueloka
Art and beauty are often intrinsically linked. Many of the most famous poems, art pieces, and general great media are often encased around the idea of what it means to be beautiful, to look beautiful, and to feel beautiful. It is only expected, then, that both Ben Johnson and Robert Hedrick would put the symbols of their poems to be the most familiar and citedly beautiful creatures humanity has ever known: women. However, while their subjects and opinions are the same, neither man goes about representing their regard for art the same way or how they view the women they choose to symbolize it.
In Herrick’s “Delight in Disorder”, the reader is presented with a woman in a state of dishevelment. Specifically, she’s referred to as a “sweet disorder in a dress” with “erring lace which here and there” and “in clothes a wantonness” (lines 1 to 5).” Most would consider this a criticism, but the poet doesn’t present it as such. He can see notions of “wild civility” (line 12) meaning that though ungainly to most it is still beautiful. To him, her messiness is natural and realistic, something that enthralls him. He uses this as an argument against the notion that art needs to be polished or aesthetically pleasing to be moving and intimate. Hedrick emphasizes his belief that art should be allowed to be imperfect and sloppy in line 4. Unlike the rest of the poem that is set in iambic tetrameter, line 4 is spondaic and throws the reader off (being a literal distraction). It makes the poem “imperfect”, making the reader actually have to pause and consider the message presented rather than follow a rigid system of thoroughly repeated patterns. Lines 13 and 14 reinforce this viewpoint in a self-aware moment presented by the poet. The lines state that inconsistency and inaccuracy is far more bewitching and interesting to view than a perfect piece. Having non-linear lines, blemishes, or mistakes in art adds to the piece, spellbinding the viewer more so than without.
Johnson’s “Still To Be Neat”, delivers a situation of the complete opposite to Herrick’s. Here the woman is in a state of what Johnson decides is overdressed. He laments, stating that she is “still to be powdered, still perfumed” (line 3) and how he wishes for “a face that makes simplicity a grace” (lines 7 and 8). The use of over abundant makeup on a woman is a common comparison to over-touched art that lacks noticeable features like messy brush strokes, muddy colors, or unrealistic proportions. Johnson argues that both, while pleasing to look at, do not invoke any emotion in him. They are pretty, yes, but there is no human/natural element to them via the scarcity of imperfections. His use of repetition in lines 1, 3, and 6 further this idea. They represent the boredom through the uninteresting nature “perfect” art has. That it comes off as feeling wrong and unsound, truly unnatural. Johnson furthers this disillusionment with art in line 11. He describes art as a series of adulteries, secondary to candid life. It is only an imitation and, therefore, it’s something incapable of making him feel like a real, genuine, and bare person would. This is also the line where he goes off the usual iambic tetrameter and pulls a spondaic pentameter to emphasize his point.
In terms of which is most effective in representing the nature of art, my hand goes for Herrick’s. Both are reaching for the same goal, but “Delight in Disorder” is far less restrained than “Still to be Neat”. Rather than just stating he wants simplicity, Herrick entices the reader’s senses and puts us in the scene. This decision to describe the unkempt nature makes the poem feel more intimate and less artificial. Neither are love poems (per se), but they are honest. Disorder is far more valuable than perfection. Without it, life would be tedious and boring. So, whether it be in women, art, or poetry, inconsistency makes the ride a whole lot more compelling.
Introduction to Poetry 