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124 Unit 2 ■ Analyzing Comparisons and Representations

7 CHARACTER VALUES Instead of dwelling That dunghill mists away may fly.
Thou hast a house on high erect
upon what she has lost in the material world, the 7 Thou hast a house on high erect
Fram’d by that mighty Architect,
speaker chooses to focus on spiritual salvation Fram’d by that mighty Architect,
and the home that has been prepared for her by 45 With glory richly furnished
God in heaven. Stands permanent, though this be fled.
It’s purchased and paid for too
8 CHARACTER The speaker says goodbye By him who hath enough to do.
to her earthly possessions and resolves to A price so vast as is unknown,
strengthen her religious faith as a result. 50 Yet by his gift is made thine own.
Copyright (c) 2023 Bedford, Freeman & Worth Publishers. Uncorrected proofs were used with this sample chapter.
There’s wealth enough; I need no more.
8 Farewell, my pelf; farewell, my store.
Farewell, my pelf; farewell, my store.
The world no longer let me love;
The world no longer let me love;
My hope and Treasure lies above.
My hope and Treasure lies above.
Distributed by Bedford, Freeman & Worth Publishers. Strictly for use with its products. Not for redistribution.
SUGGESTED RESPONSES CHARACTER
TO THE QUESTIONS
1. How is the speaker described in the first few lines? What does her reaction to
1. The narrator is characterized as a devoutly the fire reveal about her values?
religious individual who was not prepared for 2. As she reconciles the events of the poem, what does the speaker reveal about
disaster. While she is fearful of the fire (which her beliefs?
may allude to the Christian belief in Judgment 3. How do the speaker’s values and beliefs contribute to her perspective?
Day), she chooses to place her faith in God to
save and provide for her; she values the world 4. The speaker experiences a new understanding of material possessions and their
of the spiritual more than the physical. value. What does this insight reveal about her perspective?
2. The narrator reveals that while she does
grieve the memories she has of her home
and belongings, she believes that God
was justified in allowing the fire to happen
because everything is his to take away (as
he was the one to give it in the first place).
The character realizes that she has secured a
purpose and meaning through salvation that
can never be destroyed, and as such, her
worldly possessions mean nothing to her.
3. The character’s beliefs influence her resiliency
and contribute to her recovery after the
catastrophe of losing all her possessions.
4. The character’s new understanding of the
value of physical belongings contrasts with
the value of her spiritual inheritance; her faith
is strengthened and reaffirmed instead of
destroyed.

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COMPREHENSION CHECK
1. What time of day does the narrator say the fire took place? [Night]
2. To whom does the narrator believe her house and material possessions ultimately belong to?
[God]
3. The narrator describes another house that is “[w]ith glory richly furnished”; where is this house
located? [The afterlife/heaven]
4. The narrator mourns her possessions and “pleasant things,” which now lie in _______. [ashes]
5. When she passes the ruins of the house, the narrator remembers ________. [where her furniture
used to be and how the space of the house was used]

TRM Unit 2: Comprehension Check Digital Comprehension Check

124 Unit 2 Analyzing Comparisons and Representations

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