Homes of England by Felecia Hemans... Patriotism!!

In “The Homes of England”, Hemans pays homage to her beloved country, England. She wants her reader to feel like every home in England contributes to the beauty of the nation. She observes different households as she describes the different levels of classes. At the beginning of the poem, she focuses on the homes of upper classes people, the nobility. We can affirm that by paying close attention to her word choice such as “how beautiful they stand” (2) and “tall ancestral trees” (3). It gives an impression of grandiosity if you try picturing such a surrounding.

The second stanza describes a somewhat “inferior” kind of home, probably belonging to well educated people for when she states: “childhood’s tale is told” (14); however it is not as prestigious as the homes described in the previous stanza. Also, Hemans tries to envision that a woman's function does not automatically vary through social classes. Even though these homes may not be like those of the aristocracy, the “woman’s voice flows forth in song” (13) still. The third stanza portrays “the blessed homes of England” (17) such as houses in which religion is all around. These buildings house the people that believe in God and the people that will do everything the way it should be done in order to get to “heaven”, including not showing a particular interest for the materialistic part of life (beautiful houses, cars, etc...). You can imagine those people rejoice in simplicity: “how softly on their bowers is laid the holy quietness” (18-19).

Finally, the fourth stanza describes the churls’ homes or the average man’s home. You can easily contrast the images of “all the pleasant land” (4) in which “the swan” that “glides past them with the sound of some rejoicing stream” that describes the “rich people” homes (7-8) and “by thousands on her plains, they are smiling o’er the silvery brooks” describing much more modest households (26-27). You will not see a swan on a “silvery brooks.” At that time period, most people were peasant living off of what their land had to offer them. They cultivated it with passion and love, as it was the most valuable thing they had. However, even though we can notice a difference in living standard, Hemans beautifully attempts to depict all the houses as a part of the charm of England. This is a hymn to patriotism. Women in all lifestyles still share the same domestic role, which Hemans is illustrating in this poem. She demonstrates everlasting love for her home country, England. She sets all levels of homes as equal because they are the starting points for English people to grow and love their country. Hemans says that English people can learn about loyalty to their motherland, starting at home. These homes are supposed to be the foundations for English lives as represented by the last verse of the poem: “Where first the child’s glad spirit loves/ Its country and its God!” (39-40).

Hemans gives a very loving feel (which definitely qualifies her as one of the best Romantic writers of her time) to this work as she depicts each set of houses with its surrounding elements of nature. Through her descriptions she wants to “loose” her reader into the English landscape that she values so intensely. She gives a vibrant picture of the land, making the houses sound enchanting, especially when she describes “the cottage homes of England” (25) with the houses being subject of the sentence: “They are smiling o'er the silvery brooks”.
The last point I wanted to stress was the fact that she used an uppercase letter for the “h” of “Homes” at the beginning of every stanza. That is not random; it gives her writing a more intense and powerful meaning. The word “Homes” is used this way to add more value to the English households in general.