Still to Be Neat Analysis

"Still to be Neat" Analysis

"All things change with time" is well known cliché that applies to virtually everything. However, the poem, "Still it be Neat" by Ben Jonson, demonstrates that the only thing stagnant in life is the way to men's hearts.
The first stanza of the poem describes the perfect lady of the seventeenth century. She is always to be powered, perfumed, and neat. The poem continues with a sweet contradiction. It verifies that regardless of how appealing the typical lady of that era is; it is still insufficient to reach a man’s heart. Beauty is too superficial to be the basis for loving another person.
The line “they strike mine eyes, but not my heart,” best supports this interpretation of this poem. In addition, this sentence can be easily compared in the world today. Women are bombarded every single day by propaganda describ...