Question

Read the first stanza of “Paul Revere’s Ride.”

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.

What rhythmic pattern do these lines use?

Paul Revere’s Ride

Responses

twelve syllables per line, with five stressed and seven unstressed
twelve syllables per line, with five stressed and seven unstressed - no response given

five stressed syllables alternating with five unstressed syllables per line
five stressed syllables alternating with five unstressed syllables per line - incorrect

six unstressed syllables per line, alternating with three stressed syllables
six unstressed syllables per line, alternating with three stressed syllables - no response given

four stressed syllables per line, alternating with unstressed syllables
four stressed syllables per line, alternating with unstressed syllables - no response given

Answer 1

The first stanza of "Paul Revere's Ride" by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow primarily uses a rhythm pattern of **five stressed syllables alternating with five unstressed syllables per line**. This is characteristic of iambic pentameter, which typically consists of five iambs, where each iamb is made up of one unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable.

So, the correct response would be:
- **five stressed syllables alternating with five unstressed syllables per line.**