Huswifery

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Huswifery
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First, a quick journal. . .

• A man may be so much of everything that he is
  nothing of anything. - Samuel Johnson
• Trying to define yourself is like trying to bite
  your own teeth. - Alan W. Watts
• An identity would seem to be arrived at by the
  way in which the person faces and uses his
  experience. - James Baldwin

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Tell me the first five words that come into mind
when you think of the following topics

• Family
• Friends
• Education
• Geography
• Personal Beliefs

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Today many people believe that individual
identity is shaped by numerous factors, such as
family, friends, education, geography, and
personal beliefs.
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The Puritans believed that each aspect of their
identity was shaped by God and that all their
emotions, thoughts, desires, and behavior should
be directed towards Gods service and
glorification. The Puritans endlessly examined
their lives for evidence of Gods grace.
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Okay, so what is this huswifery?
It is an archaic spelling of housewifery, which
means the care and management of a household.
It suggests the whole range of domestic
responsibilities, as well as the qualities of
thrift and orderliness.
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Before we read. . .

• Distaff On spinning wheels, the distaff is a
  stick around which fibers are wound before they
  are spun into thread. Flyers help govern the
  rate of the spinning. The finished thread is
  wound upon a reel, or spool.

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Before we read . . .

• There are three different stages in the making of
  cloth . . .
• The spinning of the thread on a spinning wheel.
• The weaving of fabric on a loom.
• Sewing and dyeing of clothes.

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Huswifery by Edward Taylor

• Make me, O Lord, thy Spinning Wheel complete.
• Thy Holy Word my Distaff make for me.
• Make mine Affections thy Swift Flyers neat
• And make my Soul thy holy Spool to be.
• My Conversation make to be thy Reel
• And reel the yarn thereon spun of thy wheel.

Whom is the speaker addressing?
A God
What request is the speaker making of God?
Note the flyer helps to store the yarn evenly on
the bobbin
A To make him His spinning wheel an instrument
or tool in His hands.
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Huswifery by Edward Taylor
Fulling or milling is the term used for the
processing of raw wool cloth through a
combination of washing, heating, and compressing.
The cloth is processed in fulling mills to
preshrink and treat the individual fibres,
thereby enhancing its appearance in finished
fabrics.

• Make me thy Loom then, knit therein this Twine
• And make thy Holy Sprit, Lord, wind quills
• Then weave the Web thyself. The yarn is fine.
• Thine Ordinances make my Fullling Mills.
• Then dye the same in Heavenly Colors Choice,
• All pinked with Varnished Flowers of Paradise.

A looms spools or bobbins, on which thread is
wound before weaving.
Religious rules and laws
(decorated)
Embellished
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Huswifery by Edward Taylor

• Then clothe therewith mine Understanding, Will,
  Affections, Judgment, Conscience, Memory,
• My Words, and Actions, that their shine may fill
• My ways with glory and thee glorify.
• Then mine apparel shall display before ye
• That I am Clothed in Holy robes for glory.

How do the final two lines, in which the speaker
is clothed in Holy robes, convey the Puritan
belief that salvation is a gift from God that
cannot be earned?
A These robes are made by God and given to the
speaker to display as a sign that he is one of
the elect.
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The Conceit

• A conceit is a startling extended metaphor that
  makes a surprising, even shocking connection
  between two different things. The connection may
  be witty, strange, exaggerated, or cleverly
  elaborate.
• They are exercises of imagination, devices for
  making us see sometimes profound connections
  between vastly different things in the world.

First, under your journal list 10 things you know
how to do very well!
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To Write the Conceit

• The sun peeking over the horizon is the boy's
  first glance at the girl

Remember, the key is to have two drastically
different ideas!
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To Write the Conceit

• First, lets choose the first part of our
  metaphor choose one of the emotions/feelings
  listed below!
• (You can choose several in case you need a
  back-up!)

happy ridiculous bereaved bizarre concerned
thoughtful passionate tentative caring
way-out-there warm thrilled sarcastic
self-deprecating
timid introspective superficial scholarly
profound revealing resentful self-righteous
pleasing earnest flat dismal frightened
courageous riveting horrifying subtle
delightful funny rude detached gracious
curt entertaining clever biting
mistrustful critical pathetic cynical
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Your Assignment

• 10 lines long
• Creative Word Choice
• Refer to three parts of the process
• Look at Huswifery if you need a bit more
  guidance!
• Do not use like or as then you end up with
  a simile!
• Use the example below to help you!

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• Shaping of Something Beautiful
• Life is the potters wheel that continues to spin
• Each day, one of us gets thrown in
• The wheels rate, just too high for us to take
• Everyone can see the obvious mistake
• Life is unfair and relentless, as it continues to
  fold the pot in the making
• But the clay is strong and doesnt take the
  aching
• Each ridge is smoothed, every cut healed
• A lifetime of work has something beautiful to
  yield
• Despite every bump in the road, every scam that
  was torn
• An amazing vase has just been formed.

FYI Dont get hung up on rhyming! The idea of
the metaphor is more important than rhyming!