Becoming America - An Exploration of American Literature from Precolonial to Post-Revolution, 2018a

BECOMING AMERICA
SEVENTEENTH CENTURY ENGLISH COLONIAL LITERATURE
I piecemeale pass to Glory bright in them.
I joy, may I sweet Flowers for Glory breed,
Whether thou getst them green, or lets them seed.
2.10.7 Reading and Review Questions
1. In “Prologue,” when referring to himself as a poet, why does Taylor
describe himself as a crumb of dust? How does this self-representation
compare to those of Bradstreet’s and Wigglesworth’s?
2. In “Preface to God’s Determination,” why and to what eect does Taylor
present God’s creation in terms of craftsmanship and domesticity?
3. What metaphors, or metaphysical conceits, does Taylor use in “Meditation
32” and “Meditation 8”? How does Taylor make their dissimilar elements
similar? To what end?
4. In “A Fig for Thee, O Death,” why does Taylor refer to his body as a
strumpet? In what other ways does he refer to his body? What do these
metaphors, or metaphysical conceits, have in common?
5. In “Upon Wedlock, and Death of Children,” how does Taylor console
himself for the loss of his child Elizabeth? How does his consolation
compare with those of Bradstreet’s for her losses?
2.11 SAMUEL SEWALL
(1652–1730)
Samuel Sewall was born in England
to a wealthy family that had property in
Massachusetts. Upon the Restoration
of the Monarchy with Charles II’s
accession to the throne, the Sewall
family emigrated to New England.
There, Sewall continued his education
and graduated from Harvard in 1674
with an MA. Soon thereafter, he married
Hannah Hull (d. 1717), daughter of
the wealthy John Hull (1624–1683),
Master of the Mint of Massachusetts
Bay Colony. Sewall remained in Boston,
where he took his place as one of its
wealthiest citizens. Despite his wealth,
Sewall devoted much of his life to public
service, a life he recorded in his now
famous Diary.
Image 2.11 | Samuel Sewell
Artist | John Smybert
Source | Wikimedia Commons
License | Public Domain
Page | 270