This is an analysis of the poem The Ancestral Dwelling that begins with:

Dear to my heart are the ancestral dwellings of America,
Dearer than if they were haunted by ghosts of royal splendour;... full text

Elements of the verse: questions and answers

The information we provided is prepared by means of a special computer program. Use the criteria sheet to understand greatest poems or improve your poetry analysis essay.

  • Rhyme scheme: XXab cdXcXee aaXdXcf cXccaab cecXccacXfac
  • Stanza lengths (in strings): 4,7,7,7,12,
  • Closest metre: trochaic pentameter
  • Сlosest rhyme: couplets
  • Сlosest stanza type: tercets
  • Guessed form: unknown form
  • Metre: 1011100101000100 101010101101010 11011011010100010 111001001110010100 1101111010011010 101111011100100 1001001111111010 0110101110110010 011101011110010110 010100101001110 10100101101001010 110100101011010 111111100111010 10110111111010110 11011001101001000010 1001010010111010 101110100111010 1001011011011010 110101010011110 111101011011010010 1110100110111010 1011010010011101110 1111001101011010 1110111111111110 10110101001011010100 001110011101010 0101110101001111 101010001011111010 1111101110001011 1010100001000100 10010110111010 10101001010100100 1011011010101010 11111011101111100 1101101001111010 010110010010001010
  • Amount of stanzas: 6
  • Average number of symbols per stanza: 408
  • Average number of words per stanza: 72
  • Amount of lines: 36
  • Average number of symbols per line: 67 (very long strings)
  • Average number of words per line: 12
  • Mood of the speaker:

    The punctuation marks are various. Neither mark predominates.

  • The author used lexical repetitions to emphasize a significant image; of, and, in, with, their, they are repeated.

    The poet used anaphora at the beginnings of some neighboring lines. The same words the, they are repeated.

    The author used the same word i at the beginnings of some neighboring stanzas. The figure of speech is a kind of anaphora.

If you write a school or university poetry essay, you should Include in your explanation of the poem:

  • summary of The Ancestral Dwelling;
  • central theme;
  • idea of the verse;
  • history of its creation;
  • critical appreciation.

Good luck in your poetry interpretation practice!

More information about poems by Henry Van Dyke