Edward vs. Bradstreet Puritanical Views

352 Words2 Pages
Edward Taylor’s “Huswifery” and Anne Bradstreet’s “To My Dear and Loving Husband” both contain strong puritanical views, but which of their compositions shows the lifestyle more clearly? Bradstreet’s work approaches the subject directly with riveting emotion, while Taylor’s uses countless metaphors to subtly express the same basic opinion. Even though both effectively showcase the same opinion, Taylor’s clearly has more of a Puritanical Edge that allows his to portray the lifestyle more strongly. Bradstreet’s does a very good job displaying her devotion to her husband, a major merit in Puritan lifestyle, but she fails to show the aspect of faith in the Puritan lifestyle. The husband’s is the head of the home, and the wife is supposed to follow him fully with her own life. A wife’s devotion to her husband in puritanical lifestyle was much greater than in any other. Religious faith is also regarded highly in Puritan settlements, and had Bradstreet’s shown this more her work would have been a perfect portrayal of Puritanical lifestyle. Taylor’s on the other hand, evenly shows both of the puritan views. His use of metaphors almost disguises the true meaning of some of his work. Taylor compares his relationship to God with the relationship between a sewing machine and a housewife because he wants to show that he is simply a tool that God uses to create and sculpt civilization. Also, as he says “Then mine apparell shall display before yee, That I am Cloathd in Holy robes for glory. “, it symbolizes that he believes God’s finished product as himself as a person will be as if he has been clothed in “Holy robes for glory”. The Puritan faith is not something easily described or summed up, but both of these poems provide justice. If one wanted to get a full perspective of the Puritan faith, simply read both Edward’s and Bradstreet’s compositions. One would perceive two
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