TPCASTT time :)

Hello fellow readers! More TPCASTTs by none other than the famous Dorothy Parker.
The first poem, "Unfortunate Coincidence" is one of my favorites by her.

Unfortunate Coincidence

By the time you swear you're his,
Shivering and sighing,
And he vows his passion is
Infinite, undying--
Lady make a note of this:
One of you is lying

Title: This title is pretty interesting. When I first read it, I thought there would be a situation that took place that revealed to another that an upsetting coincidence,hurting both people involved. I also thought there would be some irony involved in the poem because the title made me think of the story where a woman sells her hair for a watch for her love and her love sells the chain for a bow, I think it was, and so they both gave each other presents relying on the fact that they had the other component that goes along with it.

Paraphrase: I think it is pretty straightforward here: By the time you swear you are his, upset, and he reveals that his passion is so strong that it will last forever and never burn out, Lady, keep a mental note: one of you is lying.

Connotation: Although this is a short poem, there are many connotations used to give the poem its affect and set its tone.
For one thing, "unfortunate" is negatively connotative although when it is used, it usually brings to mind something of high importance or value. It's used in somewhat of an ironic sense because Parker basically slanders when two people reveal that they love each other. This topic is generally not of very much imporance but Parker presents it to be so gigantic in intensity.
"coincidence": I'd like to point out the irony Parker displays by using this word. The situation that Parker describes (two people revealing and stating their undying love for each other..although it seems as though the man is leaving her with the way in which she describes when she reveals her feelings for him) is something that can take place based on the control of either party. The woman and the man have a choice to reveal their feelings to each other or not. So why then does Parker use this word? My guess, irony.
"Swear": I honestly think this word is way too negative to use when referring to someone revealing their emotions towards an infatuation. It almost seems as if the women is begging the man to love her back or begging him to stay. This is further reinforced when Parker places it before "shivering" and "sighing" to complete the full effect.
"Shivering"/ "Sighing": This word is negatively connotative. It usually implies or brings about an image of rape, or something cold. Why then, does Parker decide to use this in describing the woman as she reveals her feelings for the man? It seems as though she is begging him to stay or that she is revealing her feelings reluctantly.
"Infinite": Honestly, this word reminds me of how astronomers describe the universe. Parker uses it to mock how many percieve that they will last forever with his or her lover.
"Undying": The connotation of this word almost seems ingenuine. Its blunt nature makes the reader question why Parker would chooce to use this word over any other. Again, she is mocking the perception of those in love.

Attitude: Mocking and it almost seems like she's laughing pitifully about those who act and feel this way. It's created by the connotative language.

Shift: "Lady make a note of this: One of you is lying". Wow, Parker really uses In Your Face like statements. She creates a shift in which she goes from referring to the situation between two lovers revealing their feelings towards each other (although it doesn't sound too nice as we've stated before) but then goes to bluntly state her perception about true love and its longetivity.

Theme: The fact that in society, people believe that true love exists but in reality, passion fades and it will not last forever.

Title: As I've stated before, I find the title to reflect the ironic nature of the poem and the fact that people have a choice whether or not to involve themselves in situations with lovers about their "true" feelings towards each other.

It's getting late so I'll blog again later today with the other two short poems that slightly went along with this poem.