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K–12 teaching and learning · from the UNC School of Education

God's Weaving in Taylor's "Huswifery"

The students will trace Taylor's use of "conceit" or "extended metaphor" in his poem "Huswifery" where he compares the process of cloth making to God's salvation of man. They will personalize the use of conceit by writing a poem in which they compare a personal transformation with an inanimate task.

A lesson plan for grade 11 English Language Arts

By Carla Weist

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Learning outcomes

Students will:

  • identify the literary term “conceit” in poetry.
  • learn more about the life of Edward Taylor and how his works are characteristic of the Colonial Period.
  • personalize their understanding of the literary term “conceit” by composing their own poems.
  • think about how the spiritual world is linked with the physical world.

Teacher planning

Time required for lesson

2.00 Days

Materials/resources

  • Adventures in American Literature
  • review notes on the Colonial Period
  • transparency notes on Edward Taylor
  • transparency examples of conceit
  • spinning wheel diagram
  • conceit chart worksheet
  • paper and pen/pencil
  • transparency on personal poetry format
  • Edward Taylor’s Conceit test

Technology resources

none

Pre-activities

The students will have been introduced to the literary history of the Colonial Period as well as the authors who preceded Edward Taylor during this time.

Activities

  1. The teacher will review the literary history of the Colonial Period, including the main characteristics of Puritan writing.
  2. The teacher will introduce the background information on the life and works of Edward Taylor. The students will take notes and discuss the information.
  3. The teacher will give the definition of “conceit” or “extended metaphor” with examples. The students will take notes and give examples of their own.
  4. The students will be given a diagram of a spinning wheel with the appropriate comparison parts from the poem labeled. The teacher and students will briefly discuss the function of each part.
  5. The students will be given a handout with a conceit comparison chart to be filled in as they read the poem.
  6. The students will read the poem “Huswifery” and complete the study questions and conceit comparison chart, where stanza by stanza they will compare the functions of the different parts of a spinning wheel and cloth making with God’s work of salvation in man’s life.
  7. The students will read and take notes on the commentary written about Taylor’s use of conceit in “Huswifery.”
  8. As a class the students and teacher will read the poem aloud and discuss the conceit comparisons while going over the conceit worksheet, answering the study questions, and reviewing the commentary notes.
  9. The students will be given notes on the format they need to use for writing their own conceit poem where they compare a personal transformation to an inanimate task.
  10. The students will compose their conceit poems, read them aloud to the class, and explain their use of conceit.
  11. The class will review Edward Taylor, his use of conceit in “Huswifery,” and the students’ personal understanding of Taylor’s work as a reflection of that time.

    12. Assessment

    The students will be tested through short essay and fill-in-the blank questions. They will write a short essay about how Taylor’s work characterizes the Colonial Period. They will fill in another conceit chart, explaining the connections between the parts of the spinning wheel and cloth making in the poem to the Puritan view of God’s work of salvation in man’s life.
    They will also be assessed on their own use of “conceit” in their poems.

    Supplemental information

    none

    Related websites

    Poems of Edward Taylor
    http://www.puritansermons.com/poetry/taylor14.htm

    Comments

    None

North Carolina Curriculum Alignment

English Language Arts (2004)

Grade 11 — English III

  • Goal 4: The learner will critically analyze text to gain meaning, develop thematic connections, and synthesize ideas.
    • Objective 4.02: Develop thematic connections among literary works by:
      - connecting themes that occur across genres or works from different time periods.
      - using specific references to validate connections.
      -examining how representative elements such as mood, tone, and style impact the development of a theme.
  • Goal 5: The learner will interpret and evaluate representative texts to deepen understanding of literature of the United States.
    • Objective 5.01: Interpret the significance of literary movements as they have evolved through the literature of the United States by:
      - analyzing the characteristics of literary genres, including fiction, non-fiction, drama, and poetry, and how the selection of genre shapes meaning.
      - relating ideas, styles, and themes within literary movements of the United States.
      - understanding influences that progress through the literary movements of the United States.
      -evaluating the literary merit and/or historical significance of a work from Colonial Literature, the Romantic Era, Realism, the Modern Era, and Contemporary Literature.
  • Goal 6: The learner will apply conventions of grammar and language usage.
    • Objective 6.01: Demonstrate an understanding of the conventions of language by:
      - decoding vocabulary using knowledge of Anglo-Saxon, Greek, and Latin bases and affixes.
      - discerning the relationship of word meanings between pairs of words in analogies (synonyms/antonyms, connotation/denotation).
      - revising writing to enhance voice and style, sentence variety, subtlety of meaning, and tone in considerations of questions being addressed, purpose, audience, and genres.
      - contrasting use of language conventions of authors in different time periods of United States literature.
      -analyzing the power of standard usage over nonstandard usage in formal settings such a job interviews, academic environment, or public speaking events.