Huswifery Questions and Answers
Huswifery
Huswifery Analysis
In the third stanza of "Huswifery," Edward Taylor concludes his extended metaphor of weaving by asking God to dress him in the robes of salvation and righteousness. This reflects the speaker's desire...
Huswifery
If Taylor wrote "Huswifery" today, what modern household task might he describe?
If Edward Taylor wrote "Huswifery" today, he might use gardening or cooking as modern metaphors for divine influence, similar to how spinning thread symbolized spiritual transformation in the...
Huswifery
What household objects and activities does the speaker compare himself to in "Huswifery" by Edward Taylor?
In "Huswifery," the speaker compares himself to household objects and activities involved in cloth-making, specifically a spinning wheel and a loom. The spinning wheel symbolizes the process of...
Huswifery
What is Edward Taylor asking God to do in "Huswifery"?
For many Puritan poets, God's relationship with his people was a central metaphor for the dynamics of human relationships in general. In this poem, Taylor surveys the long history of God's...
Huswifery
What is the overall purpose of "Huswifery," and how do the final two lines convey Taylor's belief about religious grace?
The poem "Huswifery" serves as a prayer for God to use the speaker's life in divine service, reflecting Puritan beliefs. In the final lines, Taylor envisions himself "clothed in holy robes for...
Huswifery
In Taylor's "Huswifery," what conclusions can be drawn about Puritan life and ideals?
"Huswifery" reveals that Puritan life was centered on serving and worshiping God, with individuals seeing themselves as humble tools for divine purposes. The poem's extended metaphor of a spinning...
Huswifery
What is God compared to in the poem "Huswifery"?
In "Huswifery," God is compared to a weaver or cloth maker, using an extended metaphor of spinning and cloth-making to illustrate the divine process of salvation. The speaker asks to be God's "wheel"...
Huswifery
Would the Puritans have considered the poem "Huswifery" useful?
The Puritans might have considered "Huswifery" useful because it aligns with their belief in the sacredness of everyday work, reflecting the Calvinist work ethic that views labor as a path to...
Huswifery
Who is the speaker addressing in the poem "Huswifery"?
The speaker in the poem "Huswifery" is addressing God, as indicated by the opening line where the speaker asks God to make him a spinning wheel. The speaker seeks to be a tool through which God can...
Huswifery
What eight things does the poet want God to clothe in holy robes in "Huswifery"?
In "Huswifery," the poet asks God to clothe his understanding, will, affections, judgment, conscience, memory, words, and actions in holy robes. This request symbolizes the speaker's complete...