Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

1
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

• Paul Reveres Ride

2
Paul Reveres Ride

• So why did Longfellow leave so much out?
• Why are there so many historical inaccuracies?

3
The Poem was published in 1861.

• Longfellow was living in New England.
• America was on the brink of Civil War.

4
Longfellow...

• Was an abolitionist
• Wanted to awaken the Northerners to a sense of
  urgency and give them a call to action.

5
The Poem...

• Warns of a coming hour of darkness and peril and
  need.
• Suggests that people will waken and listen and
  hear to the message again.
• Was an argument using Paul Reveres example--
  that one man alone could make a difference-- by
  his service to a great and noble cause.

6
Paul Reveres obituary never even mentioned the
ride. It focused on his business sense and his
many friends.

• When the poem was published, it instantly
  transformed a regional folk hero to a national
  symbol of bravery and patriotism.