Poetry Analysis

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Poetry Analysis

• TP-CASTT Analysis
• Derived from The COLLEGE BOARD
• GUIDE FOR AP ENGLISH VERTICAL TEAMS
• Educational Excellence for All Students
• by P.A. Herger, RCDS

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Delight in Disorder By Robert Herrick
1591-1674 A sweet disorder in the dress Kindles
in clothes a wantonness. A lawn about the
shoulders thrown Into a fine distraction An
erring lace, which here and there Enthralls the
crimson stomacher A cuff neglectful, and
thereby Ribbons to flow confusedly A winning
wave, deserving note, In the tempestuous
petticoat A careless shoestring, in whose tie I
see a wild civility Do more bewitch me than when
art Is too precise in every part.
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Summary of TP-CASTT Analysis

• T itle ponder the title before reading the poem
• P araphrase- translate the poem into your own
  words, part by part
• C onnotation contemplate meanings of words
  beyond the literal
• A ttitude observe BOTH the SPEAKERS and the
  POETS attitude (TONE)

• S hifts Note shifts in speakers and in
  attitudes
• T itle Examine the title again, this time on an
  INTERPRETIVE level
• T heme Determine WHAT the poet is saying

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T itle
Delight in Disorder
A wantonness.
A sweet disorder in the dress
P araphrase
Kindles in clothes
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A sweet disorder in the dress Kindles in
clothes a wantonness

• When a womans attire is in a bit of disarray a
  viewer may be stimulated to think sensuous
  thoughts.
• C onnotation - disorder in dress disarray
• kindles literally, starts a fire
• Figuratively inspires a man to think sensual
  thoughts, carnal imaginings? (wantonness)

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wantonness

• DICTIONARY search necessary with such a word of
  manifold connotations!
• Explore each meaning possible before determining
  the one that seems to fit, and only after
  MULTIPLE READINGS of the poem.
• Here the implication is naughty but not dirty
  you might say, playful, frivolous, lighthearted
  about human sensuality. (oops, were sensing
• Tone!

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wantonness
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Observe syntax and punctuation

• Shucks!! The whole rest of the poem, 12 whole
  lines is ONE sentence with semicolons, colons,
  commas and, at last, a period. What does this
  require of one?

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ANALYSIS break down into parts
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A cuff neglectful, and therebyRibbons to flow
confusedly

• P a sleeve loosely opened and near it ribbons
  haphazardly dangling over lovely uncovered
  forearms

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A winning wave,deserving note,In the
tempestuous petticoat

• P an attractive swirl within an eyecatching
  snowstorm of frilly undergarments

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Tempestuous petticoat
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a careless shoestring, in whose tie / I see a
wild civility

• P a loosely fastened shoestring impresses on me
  her mild manners and her passion!

Notice the colon ?what follows?
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Do more bewitch me than when art/ Is too precise
in every part

• PAll THESE casual ways a woman carries her attire
  I find more enticing than women who dress
  entirely too formally and neatly.

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Connotations of peculiar word choices
a cuff neglectful
an erring lace
enthralls the crimson stomacher
enthralls the crimson stomacher
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Ribbons to flow confusedly
a winning wave
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deserving note
in the tempestuous petticoat
careless shoestring
wild civility
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Delight in Disorder
wild civility
bewitch me
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More
THAN
When art is too precise in every part
art attire
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Attitude of speaker/and that of author TONE
To misinterpret TONE is to misinterpret meaning.
If you miss IRONY or SARCASM you may wrongly find
something serious in veiled HUMOR
Joking? Frivolous? Fanciful? Irreverent? Humorous?
Dreamy?
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A list of tone words providing a rudimentary
tone vocabulary
Angry Sharp Upset Silly Boring Afraid Happy Hollow
Joyful Allusive Sweet Vexed Tired Bitter Dreamy
Restrained Proud Dramatic Sad Cold Urgent Joking P
oignant Detached Confused Childish Peaceful Mockin
g Objective Vibrant
Frivolous Audacious Shocking Somber Giddy Provocat
ive Sentimental Fanciful Complimentary Condescendi
ng Sympathetic Contemptuous Apologetic Humorous Ho
rrific
Sarcastic Nostalgic Zealous Irreverent Benevolent
Seductive Candid Pitiful Didactic
Go to the dictionary to understand these and ADD
to a LIST of TONE words you develop constantly
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DISCERN speakers TONE and distinguish it from
AUTHORS!

• In Delight in Disorder the SPEAKER literally
  takes delight in women who dress beautifully
  and seductively, beguiling men with casualness
  and accessories to their attire arranged in
  ways that attract male interest. He is, from the
  list, perhaps silly, happy, joyful, sweet,
  dreamy, dramatic, fanciful, candid to begin
  with in TONE

• BUT its more important to DISTINGUISH what the
  AUTHOR is up to
• His TONE here is possibly pulling the legs of the
  PURITANS who dispossessed him
• (context Robert Herrick, CAVALIER poet
• So he may be joking, mocking opposing
  viewpoints,audacious, shocking, provocative,
  zealous, irreverent

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Shift (Progression)

• The two line first sentence establishes the
  subject to be womens attire and how it AFFECTS
  mens sympathies.
• The third line begins a minor shift to a sequence
  of images modifying the thought and developing a
  catalog of costume parts that stimulate such
  seduction prone aesthetics in men

• A final and concluding, major Shift occurs after
  the COLON in line 12. The preceding sequence of
  SUBJECTS (on womens girdles, ribbons, petticoats
  etc.) culminate finally in the VERB DO
  BEWITCH
• And the final thought shift is to be mined from
  the reference to the opposite kind of lady, she
  whose clothing is too precise in every part
  (tone? Condescending?)

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Title (again)now on an INTERPRETIVE level
Delight in Disorder- the disorder refers to
feminine wiles and beauty, devices of attire that
beguile and seduce mens hearts what charms and
thrills in the dance of courting
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Theme
Is this image appropriate to Herricks THEME?
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Theme should be articulated in a sentence.

• What human experience, motivation or condition is
  suggested by the poem?
• Prewrite perhaps, by summarizing the plot of
  the poem list the subject or subjects of the
  poem
• Move from the literal subjects to the abstract
  concepts being expressed what is the POET SAYING
  about each subject or concept s/hes presenting?

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Write a sentence on the THEME
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Valentine's Day 2001
English 12HA , 12HB and 10E will add THEME
sentences to this site before March 2001 exams