Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow is American poet who wrote throughout 1873 to 1880, primarily influenced by the Romantic era. Born to the daughter of a Revolutionary War hero and an established lawyer, Longfellow was expected to attend college and follow his father’s footsteps. However he was more fascinated by the coastal culture of his town in Maine, fascinated by the stories of the sailors who detailed their exotic travels. Accordingly, Longfellow pursued his intrigue, studying language and history in his academics. This prompted him to pursue explorations of his own, in which Henry would write lyrical poems about the natural scenes and history of the places he occupied. His works were also cultivated from his emotions, …show more content…
In reminiscing on his passed mother, the blacksmith was noted that “with his hard, rough hand he wipes/A tear out of his eyes.” The mentioning of his “hard, rough hand” provides evidence for his hardwork and dedication to his job, which is juxtaposed with the tear falling from his eye, which represents the soft, sentimental side of his persona. This helps to support the idea that the blacksmith is more than just his career, and has a deeper meaning to his life. Longfellow advances on the blacksmith’s role as a key member of the community: “Thus at the flaming forge of life/Our fortunes must be wrought;/Thus on its sounding anvil shaped/Each burning deed and thought.” Imaging the blacksmith a the edge of a burning flame, working his anvil on each “deed and thought” or “fortune”, allows the reader to understand the passion and dedication that the blacksmith carries through his professional and personal life.
Longfellow’s “Paul Revere’s Ride” is written as an epic poem, however it is written far shorter than what is traditionally seen in such a structure. The author keeps a relatively steady ABAB rhyme throughout the poem, occasionally switching the lines that rhyme. He also plays with the meter, varying it from stanza to stanza, which adds a “jumping” feel the the words, simulating the galloping of Paul Revere’s horse. Furthermore, the exclamatory sentences add to the excitement of …show more content…
Longfellow, Henry Wadsworth. “HENRY WADSWORTH LONGFELLOWA Maine Historical Society Website.” Longfellow: The Village Blacksmith, Ballads and Other Poems, 30 May 2017, www.hwlongfellow.org/poems_poem.php?pid=38.
Longfellow, Henry Wadsworth. “Paul Revere's Ride.” Poets.org, Academy of American Poets, 9 June 2017, www.poets.org/poetsorg/poem/paul-reveres-ride.
Longfellow, Henry Wordsworth. “HENRY WADSWORTH LONGFELLOWA Maine Historical Society Website.” Longfellow: The Village Blacksmith, Ballads and Other Poems, 30 May 2017, www.hwlongfellow.org/poems_poem.php?pid=38.
Longfellow, Henry Wordsworth. “HENRY WADSWORTH LONGFELLOWA Maine Historical Society Website.” Longfellow: The Village Blacksmith, Ballads and Other Poems, 30 May 2017, www.hwlongfellow.org/poems_poem.php?pid=38.
Longfellow, Henry Wordsworth. “HENRY WADSWORTH LONGFELLOWA Maine Historical Society Website.” Longfellow: The Village Blacksmith, Ballads and Other Poems, 30 May 2017, www.hwlongfellow.org/poems_poem.php?pid=38.
Longfellow, Henry Wordsworth. “HENRY WADSWORTH LONGFELLOWA Maine Historical Society Website.” Longfellow: The Village Blacksmith, Ballads and Other Poems, 30 May 2017,
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow is American poet who wrote throughout 1873 to 1880, primarily influenced by the Romantic era. Born to the daughter of a Revolutionary War hero and an established lawyer, Longfellow was expected to attend college and follow his father’s footsteps. However he was more fascinated by the coastal culture of his town in Maine, fascinated by the stories of the sailors who detailed their exotic travels. Accordingly, Longfellow pursued his intrigue, studying language and history in his academics. This prompted him to pursue explorations of his own, in which Henry would write lyrical poems about the natural scenes and history of the places he occupied. His works were also cultivated from his emotions, …show more content…
In reminiscing on his passed mother, the blacksmith was noted that “with his hard, rough hand he wipes/A tear out of his eyes.” The mentioning of his “hard, rough hand” provides evidence for his hardwork and dedication to his job, which is juxtaposed with the tear falling from his eye, which represents the soft, sentimental side of his persona. This helps to support the idea that the blacksmith is more than just his career, and has a deeper meaning to his life. Longfellow advances on the blacksmith’s role as a key member of the community: “Thus at the flaming forge of life/Our fortunes must be wrought;/Thus on its sounding anvil shaped/Each burning deed and thought.” Imaging the blacksmith a the edge of a burning flame, working his anvil on each “deed and thought” or “fortune”, allows the reader to understand the passion and dedication that the blacksmith carries through his professional and personal life.
Longfellow’s “Paul Revere’s Ride” is written as an epic poem, however it is written far shorter than what is traditionally seen in such a structure. The author keeps a relatively steady ABAB rhyme throughout the poem, occasionally switching the lines that rhyme. He also plays with the meter, varying it from stanza to stanza, which adds a “jumping” feel the the words, simulating the galloping of Paul Revere’s horse. Furthermore, the exclamatory sentences add to the excitement of …show more content…
Longfellow, Henry Wadsworth. “HENRY WADSWORTH LONGFELLOWA Maine Historical Society Website.” Longfellow: The Village Blacksmith, Ballads and Other Poems, 30 May 2017, www.hwlongfellow.org/poems_poem.php?pid=38.
Longfellow, Henry Wadsworth. “Paul Revere's Ride.” Poets.org, Academy of American Poets, 9 June 2017, www.poets.org/poetsorg/poem/paul-reveres-ride.
Longfellow, Henry Wordsworth. “HENRY WADSWORTH LONGFELLOWA Maine Historical Society Website.” Longfellow: The Village Blacksmith, Ballads and Other Poems, 30 May 2017, www.hwlongfellow.org/poems_poem.php?pid=38.
Longfellow, Henry Wordsworth. “HENRY WADSWORTH LONGFELLOWA Maine Historical Society Website.” Longfellow: The Village Blacksmith, Ballads and Other Poems, 30 May 2017, www.hwlongfellow.org/poems_poem.php?pid=38.
Longfellow, Henry Wordsworth. “HENRY WADSWORTH LONGFELLOWA Maine Historical Society Website.” Longfellow: The Village Blacksmith, Ballads and Other Poems, 30 May 2017, www.hwlongfellow.org/poems_poem.php?pid=38.
Longfellow, Henry Wordsworth. “HENRY WADSWORTH LONGFELLOWA Maine Historical Society Website.” Longfellow: The Village Blacksmith, Ballads and Other Poems, 30 May 2017,