On the evening of April 18, 1775, Paul Revere was sent for by Dr. Joseph Warren and instructed to ride to Lexington, Massachusetts, to warn Samuel Adams and John Hancock that British troops were marching to arrest them. After being rowed across the Charles River to Charlestown by two associates, Paul Revere borrowed a horse from his friend Deacon John Larkin. While in Charlestown, he verified that the local "Sons of Liberty" committee had seen his pre-arranged signals. (Two lanterns had been hung briefly in the bell-tower of Christ Church in Boston, indicating that troops would row "by sea" across the Charles River to Cambridge, rather than marching "by land" out Boston Neck. Revere had arranged for these signals the previous weekend, as he was afraid that he might be prevented from leaving Boston).

On the way to Lexington, Revere "alarmed" the country-side, stopping at each house, and arrived in Lexington about midnight. As he approached the house where Adams and Hancock were staying, a sentry asked that he not make so much noise. "Noise!" cried Revere, "You'll have noise enough before long. The regulars are coming out!" After delivering his message, Revere was joined by a second rider, William Dawes, who had been sent on the same errand by a different route. Deciding on their own to continue on to Concord, Massachusetts, where weapons and supplies were hidden, Revere and Dawes were joined by a third rider, Dr. Samuel Prescott. Soon after, all three were arrested by a British patrol. Prescott escaped almost immediately, and Dawes soon after. Revere was held for some time and then released. Left without a horse, Revere returned to Lexington in time to witness part of the battle on the Lexington Green.

‘Paul Revere’s Ride’ is probably only famous because Longfellow wrote about it in his epic poem. His poem is an epic since it is a long poem in story form about a national hero performing brave actions. It is told in formal and poetic language with exaggerated imagery. The original poem is longer than your selection. Revere crossed the Boston bay then rode to Concord to warn two of the leaders of the American Revolution (War of Independence) that the British Army were coming to arrest them, warned the farmers of the approaching British army and was then arrested himself. He then escaped after tricking the British officers who arrested him. The poem contains rather formal diction (words) like "you shall hear", poetic and exaggerated diction like "a spark struck out by a steed", and especially in the last lines of your selection.

The poem is carried along at a steady pace by the rhythm and rhyme. The rhythm alternates between anapest (a fast rhythm that suggests Revere’s midnight dash) and iambic (a conversational rhythm that suits a story being told to listeners). The end rhyme couplets carry the poem along, imitating the galloping feet of Revere’s horse.

Longfellow’s often uses assonance (repeated vowel sounds), for example with the long ‘oo’ ‘aw’ sounds create a ghostly effect as he describes the British war-ship anchored at night in the bay, "silently rowed to the Charlestown shore, / the moon rose over the bay, / where swinging wide at her moorings lay / the Somerset, British man-of-war; …"

Look at the alliteration (repeated consonants) ‘s’ and ‘f’ sounds that suggest fast movement in the lines "a spark / struck out by a steed flying fearless and fleet"

There is a very suggestive metaphor in the description of the British war ship: "The Somerset, British man-of-War, a phantom ship." The phantom could suggest the ghosts of men who will die in the later battles of the American Revolution, or it could suggest the ghostly (frightening) British rule in the colonies.

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Last modified: Friday September 13, 2002.