Who Was This Man essays

Who Was This Man essays Fischer, David Hackett. Paul Reveres Ride. New York, NY: Oxford University Press, 1994. Listen my children and you shall hear, of the Midnight ride of Paul Revere, on the eighteenth of April, in Seventy-five; hardly a man is now alive who remembers that famous day and year. This poem will forever reign in our "American Legacy." As children, we learned that the ride of Paul Revere was a heroic accomplishment by an ordinary citizen. However, while reading Fischers novel Paul Reveres Ride, one's whole opinion changed, and my knowledge increased. After reading this novel, the reader will come to learn that Paul Revere was not just the simple artisan and messenger that he has been portrayed to be throughout our history. First of all, Fischer draws his readers attention by not starting out in the traditional fashion. He went into detail, and gave tremendous insight on who Paul Revere really was. Fischer started by giving Reveres perception of American lifestyle at this time, and ended with the battle of Lexington and Concord. The subject matter of Fischers novel is not the Revolution itself, but Paul Revere. Ambiguity is an important part of the legend of Paul Revere. Fischer starts in his novel by refuting old myths of Paul Revere. The common perception of Paul Revere was that he was just a town crier. In response, Fischer wrote, " The historical Paul Revere was much more than merely a midnight messenger. He was also an organizer of collective effort in the American Revolution" (Fischer, 115). One purpose that can be inferred by Fischer's writing is the fact that it is to study the series of events as portrayed by Revere. He analyzed choices that were made, their effects, and the larger picture, which was the outcome of the war of 1875. In his novel, Fischer followed Paul Revere, and gave commentary during the period of the powder alarms, all ...