"Delight in Disorder" by Robert Herrick: Oxymorons

       In Robert Herrick's "Delight in Disorder", the speaker talks of the type of love and relationship he wants.  The dress symbolizes this.  Herrick uses several oxymorons to characterize the speaker's "dress."  One of them can be found in line 1, "A sweet disorder in the dress," (Herrick, 979).  "Sweet disorder" is the oxymoron used here.  The adjective sweet is usually seen as nice, desirable, attention grasping, and organized or wonderful.  Disorder is described as chaotic, stressful, and a distraction.  Herrick puts these two words together to describe the speaker's ideal love and relationship or maybe his current relationship.  It is described as not the usual romantic relationship but more spontaneous and not structured.  Another one is in line 12, "I see a wild civility;" (Herrick, 979).  This combines chaotic and unorganized with civil and the structure of society.  Possibly the speaker is describing how love should be: without all of the courting rules.