# Renewal of Strength explained — Poetry

> Chapter companion for Poetry by Frances Ellen Watkins Harper.

## What happens

The speaker reflects on the decay of their physical body and earthly home, yet finds spiritual renewal and strength through God's love, with heaven drawing nearer as earthly senses fade.

## Themes in this chapter

### Faith and Divine Justice

The speaker's faith in God's renewal and the promise of heaven sustains them amid physical decay.

### Resilience and Sacrifice

The speaker endures the crumbling of their earthly home with resilience, finding strength in divine love.

## Character check-ins

### Unknown Narrator

The speaker reflects on personal physical decay and spiritual renewal.

### Father

Referenced as 'my Father's house,' symbolizing divine presence and heavenly comfort.

## Key lines

> The prison-house in which I live Is falling to decay, But God renews my spirit’s strength, Within these walls of clay.

My physical body is deteriorating, but God strengthens my spirit from within.

_The metaphor of the body as a prison-house emphasizes the contrast between physical decay and spiritual renewal._

> It may be earth’s sweet harmonies Are duller to my ear, But music from my Father’s house Begins to float more near.

Earthly pleasures may fade, but heavenly joys become more perceptible.

_The shift from earthly to heavenly perception underscores the theme of spiritual transcendence._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/poetry_7_se/chapters/renewal-of-strength
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/poetry_7_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/poetry_7_se/chapters