Poem is a piece of writing which express feelings, emotions and ideas using descriptive figurative languages. However, poems are not dependable as a secondary source and if it is written about 100 years later than when the event actually happened. Likewise, the poem cannot be trustworthy if it contains different facts from the primary source written by the person who experienced that moment and who was actually there. Furthermore, as poems use figurative languages that exaggerate things, it is not a good resource. These lead up to the poem “Paul Revere’s Ride” by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, which is a secondary source written as a third person point of view. Therefore, the poem “Paul Revere’s Ride” by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow is unreliable
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The poem uses figurative languages which could exaggerate the story by the descriptive words. For example, “A phantom ship, with each mast and spar Across the moon like a prison bar,” is a simile in the poem and, “And the spark struck out by that steed, in his flight, Kindled the land into flame with its heat.” is an example of metaphor in the poem. As the poem uses these figurative languages, it describes the details, but the poem is using words that exaggerate the situation. Also, Paul Revere in the poem is like a hero, he is the main and he stands out which is biased. An evidence from the poem is, “And beneath him, tranquil and broad and deep, Is the Mystic, meeting the ocean tides; And under the alders that skirt its edge, Now soft on the sand, now loud on the ledge, Is heard the tramp of his steed as he rides.” Even though Henry Wadsworth Longfellow was not there at that moment, he used those words to describe the setting behind Paul Revere when he was riding his horse, referring to other primary sources. This kind of descriptive setting made Paul Revere standing out like the main character, as if he was stunning. Consequently, the poem is not a reliable source since it is a biased source and a poem that uses descriptive figurative languages.
In conclusion, primary source is more reliable to use than the secondary source for information. As the poem “Paul Revere’s Ride” by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow is a secondary source that has time and fact difference with the primary source, letter written by Paul Revere, and a descriptive poem that can exaggerate and distort the facts, it is not a reliable source to use when compared to the writing of the man who was actually
The poem uses figurative languages which could exaggerate the story by the descriptive words. For example, “A phantom ship, with each mast and spar Across the moon like a prison bar,” is a simile in the poem and, “And the spark struck out by that steed, in his flight, Kindled the land into flame with its heat.” is an example of metaphor in the poem. As the poem uses these figurative languages, it describes the details, but the poem is using words that exaggerate the situation. Also, Paul Revere in the poem is like a hero, he is the main and he stands out which is biased. An evidence from the poem is, “And beneath him, tranquil and broad and deep, Is the Mystic, meeting the ocean tides; And under the alders that skirt its edge, Now soft on the sand, now loud on the ledge, Is heard the tramp of his steed as he rides.” Even though Henry Wadsworth Longfellow was not there at that moment, he used those words to describe the setting behind Paul Revere when he was riding his horse, referring to other primary sources. This kind of descriptive setting made Paul Revere standing out like the main character, as if he was stunning. Consequently, the poem is not a reliable source since it is a biased source and a poem that uses descriptive figurative languages.
In conclusion, primary source is more reliable to use than the secondary source for information. As the poem “Paul Revere’s Ride” by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow is a secondary source that has time and fact difference with the primary source, letter written by Paul Revere, and a descriptive poem that can exaggerate and distort the facts, it is not a reliable source to use when compared to the writing of the man who was actually