Paul Revere's Ride

Paul Revere’s Ride Compare and Contrast “The British are coming! The British are coming!” This is what most people believe Paul Revere said. However, this is not true. The historical account and poem, “The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere,” have many similarities and differences. One such similarity is that both the poem and the historical account had two lanterns hung in the old North Church. However, two different messengers warned the people of Concord. Longfellow used history to write a poem about a certain person, yet he did not get all of the facts right.
The poem “The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere,” had two lanterns in it, just like in the historical account. One lantern hung in the church meant movement by land, while two meant movement by sea. According to the historical account, “… one lantern signaled troop movement by land, while two lanterns meant by sea” (130). This is important because the lanterns signaled how the British were coming, so the colonists had time to prepare. Longfellow states, “One if by land, and two if by sea…” (130). This proves that in both the poem and historical account the lanterns had the same meaning. Longfellow used the meanings of the lanterns to provide more …show more content…
In the historical account, Prescott warned the people of Concord, while in the poem Paul Revere warned the people of Concord. The author of the historical account states, “Prescott made his way to Concord in time to alert the citizens that the Regulars were coming”(132). This shows that Prescott warned the people of Concord instead of Paul Revere. In contrast, Revere warned the people of Concord in the poem, “The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere”. Longfellow states, “It was two by the village clock, / When he came to the bridge in Concord town” (132). This means that Paul Revere made it to Concord in time to warn the colonists. Longfellow altered history to make Revere seem more like a hero than he really

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Summary Of Paul Revere's Ride

The Myth Of Paul Revere's Ride Summary