单选题 The legend of Paul Revere"s midnight ride through the Massachusetts countryside in 1775 is known to most Americans, young and old. As the story goes, Paul Revere was a silversmith in Boston at the time of the American Revolution. When he learned that the British army planned to attack the towns and villages of Middlesex County, farmhouse and village hall, to warn the local revolutionary soldiers of the planned attack. Because of his warning (according to legend) the struggling American colonies were able to defeat the British in an important battle.
One reason for the popularity of the legend may be the publicity it has received through Henry Wadsworth Longfellow"s commemorative poem, Paul Revere"s Ride. Longfellow wrote the poem in 1861 and it has since then become one of the most well-known and well-loved poems in the country. The poem certainly captures the sense of danger and excitement, met with courage and ingenuity which many Americans associate with the American Revolution. It is easy to understand why the poem evokes such a large audience.
However, Longfellow"s poem contains a number of historical errors. According to Longfellow"s poem, Paul Revere instructed a friend to watch the movement of the British troops and determine whether they marched inland or towards their boats. The friend was then to hang lanterns in the tower of the Old Church in Boston: one lantern if the British marched by land and two lanterns if they marched by sea. The expression "one if by land and two if by sea," taken from Longfellow"s poem, has become very popular and is often quoted. But this idea contains two inaccuracies. First, the lanterns were hung in the tower of the Old Christ Church, not the Old North Church, which is in a completely different part of Boston and would not have been visible from Paul Revere"s lookout point. Second, Longfellow confused the meaning of the number of lanterns to be hung: the actual arrangement was "two if by land and one if by sea. "
Not all of Longfellow"s historical mistakes are so minor. It seems as though Longfellow chose to emphasize the idea of one lone hero struggling against many opposing forces, with only his own abilities to rely on. But actually, Paul Revere was only one of three riders delegated to warn the Revolutionary soldiers about the coming attack.
Some people feel that Longfellow"s errors are insignificant, and that the ideals of courage and cunning are the important features of both the poem and the historical events which inspired it. But others feel that, while it probably makes little difference how many lanterns were hung from which church tower, the poem"s emphasis on the solitary hero runs counter to the most valuable idea in the poem: the idea of unity and cooperation in the face of danger. Critics of the poem raise an important question: Longfellow"s poem tells a famous story, and tells it powerfully—but is it the right story?