Parallel Structure Of The Poem Huswifery

The poem Huswifery is a literary work ahead of its time. During the 17th century to be a man is to be strong and to never show emotion, but Taylor shatters that image and embraces his emotions. Another thing is that his way of writing showed differences than the usual work of his time. Unlike the usual bland puritan writing of the 17th Taylors poem features parallel structure, end rhymes, and asyndeton. Parallel structure is a prominent rhetorical device used throughout the poem. The use of parallel structure in a passage symbolizes the two separate phrases are of equal importance. For example, when Taylor says, “Make me O lord thy spinning wheele … Make mine affections as thy swift flyer … Make my soule thy holy spoole”. In this quote, parallel structure is used to represent that each part of his body and mind is equally gods. Without parallel structure, it would seem as if each part is represented disproportionally. It would also seem as if they aren’t connected at all making it harder to comprehend the point of writing that section.

End Rhymes used in Huswifery increase the readability of the poem greatly. For instance, the author writes” Make me thy Loome then, knit therein this Twine: And make thy Holy Spirit, Lord, winde quills:
Then weave the Web thy selfe. The yarn is fine. Thine Ordinances make my Fulling Mills.” Reading this excerpt is a prime example of this because of the “e” and “s” sound at the end of twine, fine, mills, and