Analysis of Who occupies this House?

Emily Dickinson 1830 (Amherst) – 1886 (Amherst)



Who occupies this House?
A Stranger I must judge
Since No one know His Circumstance—
'Tis well the name and age

Are writ upon the Door
Or I should fear to pause
Where not so much as Honest Dog
Approach encourages.

It seems a curious Town—
Some Houses very old,
Some—newly raised this Afternoon,
Were I compelled to build

It should not be among
Inhabitants so still
But where the Birds assemble
And Boys were possible.

Before Myself was born
'Twas settled, so they say,
A Territory for the Ghosts—
And Squirrels, formerly.

Until a Pioneer, as
Settlers often do
Liking the quiet of the Place
Attracted more unto—

And from a Settlement
A Capital has grown
Distinguished for the gravity
Of every Citizen.

The Owner of this House
A Stranger He must be—
Eternity's Acquaintances
Are mostly so—to me.


Scheme AXXX XXXB XXXX XXCC XXXD XEXE XXDX ADBD
Poetic Form Quatrain  (25%)
Metre 11011 010111 1111110 110101 110101 111111 11111101 010100 1101001 110101 1101101 010111 111101 010011 1101010 010100 01111 110111 0100101 010100 010011 10101 10010101 010110 010100 010011 01010100 1100100 010111 010111 10100 110111
Closest metre Iambic trimeter
Characters 784
Words 142
Sentences 7
Stanzas 8
Stanza Lengths 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4
Lines Amount 32
Letters per line (avg) 20
Words per line (avg) 4
Letters per stanza (avg) 79
Words per stanza (avg) 18
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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 07, 2023

42 sec read
150

Emily Dickinson

Emily Elizabeth Dickinson was an American poet. more…

All Emily Dickinson poems | Emily Dickinson Books

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