Anne Bradstreet and Edward Taylor

     I really enjoyed reading Anne Bradstreet, especially the Prologue.  I liked how she used sarcasm to convey her message, and to get the reader to see things from a feminine perspective.  A male reader at the time who understood the sarcasm she used would be forced to read her work for what it's worth instead of just "say it's stol'n, or else it was by chance," as Bradstreet points out is often done.  Since Bradstreet has already put those assumptions into words, it forces the reader to question what assumptions they are working from.  After reading, "Men can do it best, and women know it well," gives the reader a chance to question if this statement is true, or if Bradstreet is again making use of sarcasm. This poem, as well written as it is, is as a whole ironic.  The poem is pointing out how women don't get recognition for their work, even if it is well done.  And since this poem is so well written, it forces the reader to take women's writing seriously and to see that women are qualified and talented at things other than just housework or sewing.
     I also appreciated Edward Taylor's "Huswifery."  As we talked about in class, Taylor makes use of a spinning wheel and traditionally feminine tasks of making clothing to give us an image of God.  Oftentimes we think of God as a male being, and he can seem somewhat inaccessible to women at times.  But as we are all--both female and male--made in God's image, there is more to God than just masculinity.  We tend to neglect his feminine qualities, and Taylor's choice to point them out is one I find commendable.  Pointing out both feminine and masculine qualities gives us a fuller image of God and makes him relatable to all of us.  It also gives room for both men and women to act in ways that may not be "traditional" of their gender, yet they have freedom to do so as they learn how to best serve a God who is not solely masculine or feminine.