Paul Revere's Ride Longfellow Summary

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How would you like to be delivering information on a horse that is critical to your country? This is what Paul Revere did as he was riding to alert Samuel Adams and John Hancock that the redcoats were coming to arrest them. The problem with the poem “Paul Revere’s Ride” by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow was that he had some historical events incorrect. The article “Paul Revere and the American Revolution” by Ethel Ames which tells us about the true historical events and what actually happened on the night of April 18, 1775. Then we read “How Accurate Was Longfellow’s Poem?” by Franklin Johnson which tells us what historical events that the poem got wrong. These events in the poem that are historically inaccurate include the purpose of Paul Revere’s ride, what the lantern signals were used for, and how many other riders there were other than Paul Revere. The first event that they …show more content…

“ Paul Revere’s Ride” states,” So through the night rode Paul Revere.” Johnson’s article states,” Longfellow didn’t mention Dawes and Prescott-two other riders on the same mission that night in 1775.” This proves that it is historically inaccurate. It does because Longfellow said that the only rider that night was Paul Revere but actually there was Dawes and Prescott on the same mission that night. The poem “Paul Revere’s Ride” has historically inaccurate events that include the point of Paul Revere’s ride, why they used the lantern signals, and that they did not mention the other riders on that same mission that night. The significance of all of these is the propaganda of the poem. Most people would think that this poem is to tell how great Paul Revere is but when you look closer at it you could recognize things he got wrong like the events above. Paul Revere delivered information critical to his country but in a different way than the poem “Paul Revere’s Ride”

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