Huswifery

Amanda Onalaja

September 9, 2009

Pd. 2 – Ms. Brown

The life of a Puritan is known to revolve around one thing–God. So it was no surprise when reading Edward Taylor’s work it expressed his want to be reformed by the Lord. His writing differs though, unlike Anne Bradstreet’s writing that was somewhat prosaic, Taylor’s writing is a little more in-depth wherein you have to infer and analyze the metaphors he uses. “Huswifery”, however cleverly written, was nothing I expected by the title alone. I thought of a married coupled since “huswifery” looks like husband and wife mixed together. But, instead I read an account of a man who wants God to take control of his life.

“Huswifery” is an appeal to pathos because the narrative left me feeling empathetic. Taylor relates to God through a daily task for Puritans of that time, operating a spinning wheel, “Make me, O Lord, thy Spinning Wheele compleat”. Using the spinning wheel as a metaphor for his place with God was good because he and other Puritans could better understand their connection. Modern day, we might not be as subtle and directly say something such as “Lord mold me into a better man”; maybe a phrase like that would be easier to understand because we hear something like that often or about someone becoming a better person because they want to be saved. Taylor continues to weave his qualities with everyday knitting to further highlight the act of God manipulating his life.

Taylor also expresses his belief that one cannot expect to find true salvation without first reaching for God. A spinning wheel cannot operate on its own, it needs someone to guide its movements and actions, “Then cloath therewith mine Understanding, Will, Affections, Judgment, Conscience, Memory”. The process of God weaving in out of mankind applies to all man, but in Taylor’s case, he wants God to leave behind a better man; a man with grace and overall salvation. It also seems to follow the path of predestination, since he writes as if one cannot take control of their own lives; that it is only by God’s hands can you be worthy of such grace.

Aside from the overall meaning of the poem, Taylor’s syntax is unlike that of present day. On common words readers notice a silent “E”, “worde”, “mee”, “reele”, etc. The “E” is something I’ve noticed on old shops or retro restaurants called “The Shoppe”. It isn’t used often but the use of it in Taylor’s writing is evidence of its old age and times.