Final answer:
The central object of Holmes's emotional appeal in the first stanza of "Old Ironsides" is the ship's tattered flag, which represents the storied history and honor of the USS Constitution in battle.
Step-by-step explanation:
The object that is central to Holmes's emotional appeal in the first stanza of "Old Ironsides" and to which "many an eye has danced to see" is A) The ship's tattered flag. The poem reflects on the glory and the eventual fate of the USS Constitution, a famous American naval vessel which earned the nickname "Old Ironsides" during the War of 1812.
This is because cannonballs were seen bouncing off its sturdy hull. The act of "striking the colors," which refers to bringing down the ship's flag, is associated with surrender, and the stanza evokes an emotional response by highlighting the significance of the flag and its symbolic representation of the ship's storied history and honor in battle.