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8TH GRADE READING

WEEK 5

BENCHMARK III-B 5M & 6M

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Strand: LITERATURE AND MEDIA

Benchmark III - B: IDENTIFY IDEAS AND MAKE CONNECTIONS AMONG LITERARY WORKS

Skill: 5M. Analyze the inferences and conclusions from fictional and non-fictional contexts, events, characters, settings, and themes. DESCRIPTION: An author doesn’t always state information directly in text. Many times you must infer or conclude things to fully understand the text. This is called “reading between the lines”. When asked an inference or conclusion question, the answer will not be found directly in the passage. It is not something the student will be able to find. Clue words from the passage must be used to make inferences or draw conclusions. In this standard, students need to be able to use inductive and deductive reasoning. Inductive usually means going from specific to general, while deductive means going from general to specific. For example, if I throw a ball up, it comes down. Inductive reasoning tells me that, based on observation, it will happen every time. One who is reasoning deductively would refer to the law of gravity.

Introduction to Drawing Conclusions

Tell students that you will be learning about the reading strategy of drawing conclusions. Assure them that they actually use this reading strategy every day. Ask them to imagine that they’re walking down the street and come across a house with overgrown grass that reaches waist-height, no lights in the windows, and paint that is peeling off the siding. Ask students what conclusion they might draw about the house. (They will probably answer that the house is deserted, and has been for a long time.)

Point out to students that they had reasons to support their conclusions. Emphasize that having support for your conclusions is an important aspect of drawing conclusions. Give students an example of a conclusion that doesn’t have enough support, such as “The house is haunted” or “The owner of the house lived centuries ago.”

Using a Graphic Organizer to Draw Conclusions

Draw a graphic organizer on the board consisting of several squares connected with arrows to a larger rectangle. (You may want to place the rectangle above the squares to show that the information in the squares “support” the conclusion.) Explain to students that in order to draw a conclusion (point to the rectangle), you need to make sure to have plenty of support (point to the squares). Fill in the graphic organizer based on the example in the previous section, with “The house is deserted” in the rectangle and the supporting ideas in the squares.

Conclusions From Texts

Of course, the purpose of all of these activities is to teach students how to draw conclusions from texts. Choose a text that you’ve already discussed to make this process easier for students the first time. Help them to use the graphic organizers to draw conclusions from the text. When they are successful, encourage them to use the same process to draw conclusions from an unfamiliar text.

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Now that you know how to teach drawing conclusions, it’s important to make sure to give your students plenty of opportunities to practice their newly learned skill. As you read new texts in class, ask students to use their graphic organizers to draw conclusions about what they have read.

Guess the Emotion

Divide the class into groups and give each group an index card with an emotion written on it. Instruct each group to come up with several “hints” that would describe a person who is feeling that emotion. For example, the group that has the emotion “angry” might list “red-faced” and “fists clenched” as two of the hints. Then have groups pair up and trade hints to see whether they can draw conclusions about how the person feels based on the given hints. This is a great drawing conclusion activity to teach students how to draw conclusions about characters in texts they are reading.

Pictures

For students who are having trouble drawing conclusions from texts, it can be helpful to give them a different medium with which to practice this skill. Find some interesting pictures, either online or in some old photo albums, and ask students to draw conclusions based on what is happening in the pictures. They might draw conclusions about the relationships of the people in the pictures, the emotions that each person in the picture feels, or the setting in which the picture takes place. Then explain that reading a story is like seeing a snapshot in time, and that drawing conclusions about the picture the author presents us in the story can help us to better understand the story, just like drawing conclusions about the picture helped us better understand what was happening in the picture.

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PRACTICE

Read “Graduation Day” and answer the following questions:

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Strand: LITERATURE AND MEDIA Benchmark III - B: IDENTIFY IDEAS AND MAKE CONNECTIONS

AMONG LITERARY WORKS Skill: 6M. Analyze and evaluate themes and central ideas in literary and other texts in relation to personal and societal issues This benchmark differs from Benchmark I-Ba part 2 in that 6M deals with literature instead of non-fiction. The same teaching strategies might apply for both.

What is the main idea or controlling theme of the work of literature? What does the work "mean"? Does it say something about life, death, love, happiness..? Are there repeating patterns and symbols? A theme is a recurrent idea with a certain amount of universality. We study the main ideas of stories, and compare them to other works through history to discover what writers have to say about life, death, loneliness, sadness, hope, and other themes related to society, human nature, and beyond.

Theme is another prime element of literature, which contains the central idea of all literary forms such as a novel, drama and short story. It reflects innocence, experience, life, death, reality, fate, madness, sanity, love, society, individual, etc. Thus, it reflects the society as a whole, for example, the theme of Hardy’s novel "The Mayor of Casterbridge" reflects the role of fate in our life. Likewise, in a drama, theme represents the brief idea of the drama.

What exactly is this elusive thing called theme?

The theme of a fable is its moral. The theme of a parable is its teaching. The theme of a piece of fiction is its view about life and how people behave.

In fiction, the theme is not intended to teach or preach. In fact, it is not presented directly at all. You extract it from the characters, action, and setting that make up the story. In other words, you must figure out the theme yourself.

The writer's task is to communicate on a common ground with the reader. Although the particulars of your experience may be different from the details of the story, the general underlying truths behind the story may be just the connection that both you and the writer are seeking.

The theme of a literary work is the message the author is trying to impart. It is not usually expressly stated, but is implied. When students go through the process of identifying recurring themes, they are learning and practicing strategies for evaluating the content of a text. Recognizing that a theme recurs in multiple texts indicates students are able to comprehend and critically analyze texts.

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Throughout history, stories have always had similar themes. Familiar examples from literature underscore the themes of the individual as hero, and the conflict between the individual and self, another person, family, society, nature, and the cosmos. Excerpts from poetry, drama, novels, essays, and others emphasize these. The theme is revealed by the way characters change in a story, conflicts in the story, and statements made by the narrator or characters. Understanding theme involves understanding plot, characters, and setting.

Theme may be thought of as the central ideas, values, thesis, message, or meaning presented in a work of literature. The theme reveals the connection between the literary work (the world created by the author's imagination) and the outside world. Thus literature can be both fictional and "true" when it expresses real human emotions or makes valid comments on human experience, even if on the surface the characters, plots, and settings are not realistic ones.

Analyzing theme always involves generalizations and abstractions. There are universal themes that can be found in countless works of literature, such as love and hate, good and evil, innocence and experience, communication and isolation, life and death, society and the individual. A story or poem may be about a specific love affair, for example; it is easy to say the general subject is love, but interpreting the theme involves explaining what the work says about love.

Great, complex works of literature have more than one theme and we can never pin down their meanings with absolute certainty. Some works are deliberately vague or ambiguous (suggesting more than one alternate meaning). Our interpretations of theme must always be supported by evidence from the text. Themes may be revealed in a number of ways:

1. Does the title indicate theme? 2. Are themes revealed in direct statements by the author?

Nonfiction usually states its ideas and arguments explicitly. In the Declaration of Independence, for example, Jefferson asserts the beliefs and intentions of the American colonies directly.

Most imaginative literature presents theme indirectly and dramatically, although in some works the theme is quite obvious and in others it is more difficult to detect.

3. Are themes revealed in direct statements by a narrator in the work? Remember that the speaker's voice (or persona) in a story or poem usually should not be equated with the author's voice. The narrator may be unreliable or may express ideas quite different from the author's own values.

4. Are themes revealed through actions, dramatic statements or personalities of characters? If characters convey conflicting values, which values does the whole work seem to be defending? Sometimes a character's main function is to symbolize an abstract quality, such as greed or honesty or laziness. Remember that names are sometimes symbolic, in obvious or subtle ways.

5. Are there other symbols, images, and descriptive details in the work that suggest themes? Look for repeated words and images as clues to theme.

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6. Are there characters or events or other details that seem to have no importance in the plot of a story? In good literature, these details are there for a reason; they probably have a special thematic significance.

7. What ideas are implied by the total impression of the whole work? Sometimes theme is revealed only when the work is viewed as a whole.

STRATEGIES

STRATEGY 1

Begin by giving the students a few definitions. The first one is "subject": a broad topic or category for a piece of literature. Usually it is expressed in a single word or short phrase. Also give them an example: This is a story about tradition.

Next, give them the definition for "theme": a central idea, concern, or purpose in a literary work. Explain how a theme is a "big" statement that a piece of literature makes about a particular subject or subjects. Works can have many subjects and many themes and both are open to interpretation. One student may see what another will not. For example, one student might think that the work is saying how tradition is a damaging and distorting force, while on the other hand, another might believe that the work speaks of tradition's positive role in society. Lastly, explain how a theme must be expressed in a full sentence to help the students see the difference between subject and theme.

Once they all have the definitions written down, do an example together that they all know - "The Tortoise and the Hare" If they don't know it, briefly explain it, but usually they all know it. Begin by asking them the subject of the story. Usually, they'll say something like "races" or "animals," but push them to think about the ideas in the story. After some prompting and leading, they arrive at some of the more abstract ideas in the story such as "ego," "persistence," and "boasting." Once we have a list of such ideas, ask them what the story is saying about, say for example, "persistence." Some of them might still miss the point, but usually, they arrive at the thematic statement that persistent effort will always pay off in the end.

You may use one more story, but after it seems like they all understand the concept, break them into 10 groups of three and place 10 children's books on the front table. Have each group come up and grab a book, read the book, discuss, and write down what they consider

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to be the subject and theme of the book. Once they have finished with a book, they place it back on the front table and grab another as other groups finish. Have each group read a total of three or four books depending on how well they are grasping the concepts.

Once each group has finished, go over the subjects and themes to a few of the books as a group. Try to choose books so that each group has a chance to respond. This is a great time to have a discussion about how the books suggested the theme.

STRATEGY 2

Give students a short passage to read. When finished, ask them to do the following:

1. What happened? Take a few moments to write down the main literary elements: plot, characterization, etc. What were the conflicts in the work? What was the most important moment in the work? Does the author resolve the conflict? How did the work end?

2. What is the subject? If you were to tell a friend what the work of literature was "about," how would you describe it? What is the topic?

3. What about the protagonist (the main character)? How does he/she change? Does the protagonist affect other characters? How does this character relate to others?

STRATEGY 3

The act of analysis is literally the act of separating a whole into parts in order to understand that whole.

For your assignment you are essentially being asked to analyze some aspect of one or more short stories.

Any analysis of a literary work requires that the writer understand the intention (i.e., the theme) of the work and how that theme is revealed in the course of the work.

Remember that the theme of a work of literature is the comment that the author makes about his subject matter, a revelation about the behavior of human beings or the conduct of society; an insight into the human condition.

Remember that the theme is the insight we gain from thinking about what we have read.

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To determine the theme of a work of literature, first identify and be able to thoroughly describe the major elements of that work:

• plot • characterizations • point of view • setting • patterns, symbols, any recurring images

1 Ask the students what they know about Paul Revere. Read with the class a brief biography of Paul Revere, such as the one available on the website of the Paul Revere House, a link from the EDSITEment resource Internet Public Library, skipping (for now) any sections specifically about the ride.

Ask students to identify any facts about Revere heard in the biography that they did not previously know, and keep a class list of these new facts on the chalkboard or elsewhere. Do the students believe Revere would have been remembered for other achievements even if he had never been on that famous ride?

If desired, review with the class the political/military circumstances surrounding Paul Revere's ride. The EDSITEment resource Learner.org features a pertinent timeline as part of its Biography of America. To help students understand the political situation in 1775, access additional information about events on the timeline by clicking on the "T" in the right-hand column. Share with the class these two opposing accounts of events surrounding the Battle of Lexington, written at the time the events occurred. Both are from the EDSITEment-reviewed website American Memory:

• An account told from the British point of view: A circumstantial account of an attack that happened on the 19th of April 1775, on his Majesty's troops

• A Bloody Butchery, by the British troops

Discuss the similarities and differences between the accounts. Do they help answer the question, "Who fired the 'shot heard 'round the world'?" Or, do they add to the confusion?

2 Divide the class into as many as eight groups (six, if you choose not to use the online presentation below), assigning each of the following accounts to one or two groups:

• Chapter III, "The Midnight Ride of April 18, 1775," from Charles Gettemy's The True Story of Paul Revere, published in 1906 from Archiving Early America, a link from American Studies at the University of Virginia. (See the note in the section "Background for the Teacher" above.)

• An account of the ride attributed to Paul Revere, available via a link from the EDSITEment resource Internet Public Library.

• The Midnight Ride, available via a link from Internet Public Library (includes a map with times for each stage).

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• Paul Revere: Messenger of the Revolution, an online multimedia presentation featuring archival drawings and audio narration from Archiving Early America, a link from American Studies at the University of Virginia.

Encourage students to make note of the details of their account's version of the ride. If desired, you can use or adapt the PDF handout, Keeping Track of Paul Revere. Then, work together as a class to construct the best possible version of what really happened on the ride.

3 Read Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's famous poem "Paul Revere's Ride" aloud to the group without the students looking at the text; the poem is available from the EDSITEment resource The Academy of American Poets. After one reading, ask students what stands out for them and what they recall about the poem. Then pass out copies of the text and assign sections to volunteers to read aloud as the class follows along. Further class discussion at this point should focus on literary elements and not historical detail, as that will be covered later.

After the poem has been read aloud, and before the discussion to follow, give students the opportunity to review the poem on their own. Ask them to make notations in the text such as:

• Circle memorable place names (North Church, Lexington, Concord) • Underline lines indicating the historical importance Longfellow attributes to Revere's ride • Underline twice lines indicating the personal qualities with which Longfellow imbues

Revere and the Patriots at Lexington • Make stars beside lines indicating Longfellow's attitude toward the event.

Ask students to think about the following:

• Longfellow published his poem in 1861, when the country was in a state of turmoil-the start of the Civil War. Do the students think he was trying to renew national unity?

• What does the class think is the "word that shall echo forevermore!"? • Pay special attention to any details in the poem they recall from the other accounts of

Revere's ride

4 Download and distribute copies of a Venn diagram for students to use to note differences and similarities between the poet's account and the class summary of the details of the actual event. If desired, when the groups are done, use student input to build a composite diagram on the chalkboard. Prepare the class for a discussion of why we remember Revere's ride the way we do. Download a copy of the handout Why Do We Remember Revere's Ride the Way We Do? Pass out copies to the class and have students complete the questionnaire. Discuss students' ratings, as well as any additional hypotheses offered by students, and attempt to come up with a unified theory about the iconic status of the ride � Read the piece of literature. Take notes. Pay attention to recurring elements, such as repetitive phrases, symbols, metaphors, etc. For instance, if a white dove appears throughout the text, jot that down in a notebook or underline passages. Also take note of the context in which the dove appears.

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Look over your notes or underlined passages. What stands out the most? Check off certain elements that have been highlighted the most. What are these elements? Determine how these elements work within the entire context of the piece. For instance, how does the white dove relate to the character or the plot?

Look at the characters. What type of characters are they? What do they want? Love? Money? Power? Why do the characters want what they want? For instance, the girl who wants money might have grown up poor. Or the character who wants power might be an egomaniac. Determine what the author's intent is in creating such characters and what she wants to say about them through the context of the piece.

Look at the plot. What obstacles do the characters encounter in the plot? For instance, if the main character is a poor young man who wants to buy a gift for his girlfriend, how does he go about getting it? What obstacles he faces are due to his flaws? What are the obstacles that are beyond his control? Societal? Generational? Political? How does the character confront these obstacles?

Determine how all these elements work in the piece. What is the author's intent? For instance, in the story of the young kid who wants to buy his girlfriend a gift, the author might be writing about how consumerism has defined every element of human life. Or, the author also might be making a statement about crime and poverty

Paul Revere's Ride

by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

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. He said to his friend, "If the British march By land or sea from the town to-night, Hang a lantern aloft in the belfry-arch Of the North-Church-tower, as a signal-light,-- One if by land, and two if by sea; And I on the opposite shore will be, Ready to ride and spread the alarm Through every Middlesex village and farm, For the country-folk to be up and to arm." Then he said "Good night!" and with muffled oar Silently rowed to the Charlestown shore, Just as the moon rose over the bay,

 

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Where swinging wide at her moorings lay The Somerset, British man-of-war: A phantom ship, with each mast and spar Across the moon, like a prison-bar, And a huge black hulk, that was magnified By its own reflection in the tide. Meanwhile, his friend, through alley and street Wanders and watches with eager ears, Till in the silence around him he hears The muster of men at the barrack door, The sound of arms, and the tramp of feet, And the measured tread of the grenadiers Marching down to their boats on the shore. Then he climbed to the tower of the church, Up the wooden stairs, with stealthy tread, To the belfry-chamber overhead, And startled the pigeons from their perch On the sombre rafters, that round him made Masses and moving shapes of shade,-- By the trembling ladder, steep and tall, To the highest window in the wall, Where he paused to listen and look down A moment on the roofs of the town, And the moonlight flowing over all. Beneath, in the churchyard, lay the dead, In their night-encampment on the hill, Wrapped in silence so deep and still That he could hear, like a sentinel's tread, The watchful night-wind, as it went Creeping along from tent to tent, And seeming to whisper, "All is well!" A moment only he feels the spell Of the place and the hour, and the secret dread Of the lonely belfry and the dead; For suddenly all his thoughts are bent On a shadowy something far away, Where the river widens to meet the bay, -- A line of black, that bends and floats On the rising tide, like a bridge of boats. Meanwhile, impatient to mount and ride, Booted and spurred, with a heavy stride, On the opposite shore walked Paul Revere.

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Now he patted his horse's side, Now gazed on the landscape far and near, Then impetuous stamped the earth, And turned and tightened his saddle-girth; But mostly he watched with eager search The belfry-tower of the old North Church, As it rose above the graves on the hill, Lonely and spectral and sombre and still. And lo! as he looks, on the belfry's height, A glimmer, and then a gleam of light! He springs to the saddle, the bridle he turns, But lingers and gazes, till full on his sight A second lamp in the belfry burns! A hurry of hoofs in a village-street, A shape in the moonlight, a bulk in the dark, And beneath from the pebbles, in passing, a spark Struck out by a steed that flies fearless and fleet: That was all! And yet, through the gloom and the light, The fate of a nation was riding that night; And the spark struck out by that steed, in his flight, Kindled the land into flame with its heat. He has left the village and mounted the steep, 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 load on the ledge, Is heard the tramp of his steed as he rides. It was twelve by the village clock When he crossed the bridge into Medford town. He heard the crowing of the cock, And the barking of the farmer's dog, And felt the damp of the river-fog, That rises when the sun goes down. It was one by the village clock, When he galloped into Lexington. He saw the gilded weathercock Swim in the moonlight as he passed, And the meeting-house windows, blank and bare, Gaze at him with a spectral glare, As if they already stood aghast At the bloody work they would look upon.

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It was two by the village clock, When be came to the bridge in Concord town. He heard the bleating of the flock, And the twitter of birds among the trees, And felt the breath of the morning breeze Blowing over the meadows brown. And one was safe and asleep in his bed Who at the bridge would be first to fall, Who that day would be lying dead, Pierced by a British musket-ball. You know the rest. In the books you have read, How the British Regulars fired and fled,-- How the farmers gave them ball for ball, From behind each fence and farmyard-wall, Chasing the red-coats down the lane, Then crossing the fields to emerge again Under the trees at the turn of the road, And only pausing to fire and load. So through the night rode Paul Revere; And so through the night went his cry of alarm To every Middlesex village and farm,-- A cry of defiance, and not of fear, A voice in the darkness, a knock at the door, And a word that shall echo forevermore! For, borne on the night-wind of the Past, Through all our history, to the last, In the hour of darkness and peril and need, The people will waken and listen to hear The hurrying hoof-beats of that steed, And the midnight message of Paul Revere.

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The True Story of Paul Revere

Chapter 3: The Midnight Ride of April 18, 1775

by Charles Gettemy

BOSTON was in a ferment during the winter of 1774-1775. The long series of grievances endured from the mother country had led to the adoption of the Suffolk Resolves in September.

In October the provincial congress was organized, with Hancock as president; a protest was sent to the royal governor remonstrating against his hostile attitude, and a committee of public safety was provided for. In February this committee was named, delegates were selected for the next continental congress, and provision was made for the establishment of the militia. Efforts made by the patriots and to disband the militia had proved futile, and the fire of opposition to the indignities heaped upon the people by the crown was kept alive by secret organizations. " Sons of Liberty" met in clubs and caucuses, the group which gathered at the Green Dragon Tavern being the most famous. They were composed chiefly of young artisans and mechanics from ranks of people, who, in rapid succession of events, were becoming more and more restive under the British yoke.

None of these patriots chafed more impatiently or was more active in taking advantage of each opportunity that offered to antagonize the plans of the royal emissaries than Paul Revere, now aged forty. In the early months of 1775 he was one of a band of thirty who had formed themselves into a committee to watch the movements of the British soldiers and the Tories in Boston. In parties of two and two, taking turns, they patrolled the streets all night.

Finally, at midnight of Saturday, the 15th of April, the vigilance of these self appointed patrolmen was rewarded. It became apparent then that something unusual was suddenly occurring in the British camp. One of the English officers wrote in his diary:

"General Orders." The Grenadiers and Light Infantry in order to learn Grenadiers. Exercise and new evolutions are to be off all duties till further orders' This I suppose is by way of a blind. I dare say they have some thing for them to do."

But the movement did not serve to blind the vigilant and suspicious patriots. "The boats belonging to the transports were all launched," says Revere in his narrative, "and carried under the sterns of the men-of-war." (They had been previously hauled up and repaired.) We likewise found that the grenadiers and light infantry were all taken off duty. From these movements we expected something was to be transacted." The following day, Sunday, the 16th, Dr. Warren dispatched Revere to Lexington with a message to John Hancock and Samuel Adams.

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This ride of the 16th has never received much attention. It is not famed in song and story, and Revere himself alludes to it only incidentally. He probably made the journey out and back in the daytime jogging along unnoticed and not anxious to advertise the purpose of his errand. Yet there can be no doubt that, in its relation to the portentous events which followed three days later, it was at least of as great importance as the more spectacular "midnight ride" of the 18th.

The movement of the British on the night of the 15th aroused the suspicion of the patriots, of whom Warren was chief , who had remained in Boston. They meant to him one thing,- an intention to send forth soon an expedition of some sort. The most plausible conjecture as to its object, even had there been no direct information on the subject, suggested the capture of Hancock and Adams at Lexington, or the seizure of the military stores at Concord, or both.

The two patriot leaders, upon whose heads a price had been fixed by King George, were in daily attendance upon the sessions of the Provincial Congress at Concord; but they lodged nightly in the neighboring town of Lexington, at the house of Rev. Jonas Clarke, whose wife was a niece of Hancock.

It was of the utmost importance that they and the congress be kept fully informed of what was transpiring in Boston. But when Revere called upon Hancock and Adams in Lexington on Sunday, he found that congress had adjourned the day before to the 15th of May, in ignorance, of course, of the immediate plans of the British. It had not done so, however, without recognizing "the great uncertainty of the present times, and that important unforeseen events may take place, from this congress should meet sooner than the day aforesaid."

The delegates indeed had scarcely dispersed before the news brought by Revere aroused such apprehension that the committee which had been authorized to call the convention together again met, and on Tuesday, the 18th, ordered the delegates to reassemble on the 22d at Watertown. Meantime, the committees of safety and supplies had continued their sessions at Concord. Friday, the 14th, it had been voted:

"That the cannon now in the town of Concord be immediately disposed of within said town, and the committee of supplies may direct." (doug 2)

But on Monday, the 17th, with John Hancock, to whom on Sunday Revere had brought information of the preparations being made in Boston for the expedition of the British, the Committees of safety and Supplies, sitting jointly, voted:

"That two four pounders, now at Concord, be mounted by the committee of supplies, and that Col. Barrett be desired to raise an artillery company, to join the army when raised, they to have to pay until they join the army; and also that an instructor fot the use of the cannon be appointed, to be put directly in pay."

It was also voted:

"That the four six pounders be transported to Groton, and put under care of Col. Prescott.

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"That two seven inch brass mortars be transported to Action."(doug 1)

On the 18th the committees continued their preparations in anticipation of the descent of the British upon the stores. Numerous votes were passed, providing for a thorough distribution of the stock of provisions and ammunition on hand.

The transporting of the six pounders to Groton and the brass mortars to Action carried an inference and a message of its own. It helps to account for the presence at the fight at Concord Bridge, on the 19th, of the minute men from these and other towns who could not readily have covered the distance within so short a time, had their information been due solely to Revere's alarm of the night before. But that the blow might be expected at almost any moment, Revere's tidings, brought on Sunday, made quickly apparent to the committees in session at Concord on Monday, two days before it fell.

Many interesting stories have been handed down in tradition and some of them have been treated by local historians with far more seriousness than they deserve, seeking to explain how it happened that the patriots should know so well the plans of the British on the night of the 18th of April. One of these tales runs to the effect that a groom at the Province House, who happened to drop into a stable near by on milk street, was told by the stable-boy that he had overheard a conversation between Gage and other officers; "There will be hell to pay to-morrow," the jockey ventured to predict.

It is alleged that this significant conversation was speedily repeated and carried to Paul Revere, who enjoined silence, and remarked to his informant: "You are the third person who has brought me the same information." (doug 1)

Another story has it that the great secret was revealed by an incautious sergeantmajor in Gage's army quartered in the family of an Englishman, Jasper by name, who was secretly sympathetic toward the rebel cause, and who kept a gunsmith's shop in Hatter's square, where he worked for the British. Jasper is said to have repeated what he had gathered from the British officer to Colonel Josiah Waters, one of the patriot leaders, who promptly made the facts known to the Committee of Safety.

Stedman, the British historian of the Revolution, who was one of General Gage's commissioners in Boston, says:

"Gen. Gage on the evening of the 18th of April told Lord Percy the he intended to send a detachment to seize the stores at Concord, and to give the command to Col. Smith who knew that he was to go but not where. He meant it to be a secret expedition, and begged of Lord Percy to keep it a profound secret. As this nobleman was passing from general's quarters home to his own, perceiving eight or ten men conversing together on the common, he made up to them, when one of the men said:

" The British have marched; but will miss their aim.'

'What aim?' said Lord Percy.

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'Why,' the man replied, 'the cannon at Concord.'

"Lord Percy immediately returned on his steps, and acquainted Gen. Gage, not without marks of surprise and disapprobation of what he had just heard. The general said that his confidence had been betrayed, for that he had communicated his design to one person only beside his lordship."

It is really of no importance whether these stories are true or not. If they prove anything they reflect upon the intelligence and common-sense of the citizens of Boston by creating an assumption that the patriots must have had some direct and specific information from inside the British camp in order to be forewarned of the expedition , and that without such information the country between Boston and Concord could not have been properly alarmed.

But Warren and his lieutenants, the members of the Committee of Safety, and the patrolmen of the Sons of Liberty were not a set of blockheads. Every move of the British military was watched with hawk-eyed vigilance. The somerset, man-of-war, was moved from the position she had been occupying out into the Charles River, so as to be able to cover with her guns the ferry-ways. There could be but one interpretation on this, - that it was intended to guard against the very thing which happened , namely, successful communication between the Boston patriots and their colleagues in the country. It was, in short, impossible for the British to make an unusual stir such as was involved in the preparations for moving eight hundred troops out of Boston without that fact becoming instantly noised all over town. It is equally absurd to suppose that any one could have thought under the circumstances that the most likely destination of the troops was not Lexington and Concord.

No one can familiarize himself with the temper of the Boston populace on that April night, and with the character and personality of Paul Revere, and not appreciate that in the whole town none was in a better position than he to know what the plans of the British were. He was in the thick of everything that was taking place. "On Tuesday evening the 18th," he writes, "it was observed that a number of soldiers were marching toward the bottom of the common," which meant that they were to be transported across the river to Charlestown or Cambridge, instead of making the long march around by way of Boston Neck. No need of any lanterns being hung out in a church spire to inform him whether the red-coats were going by land or by sea! He knew all about this long before he got into his row-boat that night.

But let him tell his own story:

" About ten o'clock, Dr. Warren sent in great haste for me, and begged that I would immediately set off for Lexington, where Messrs. Hancock and Adams were, and acquaint them of the movement, and that it was thought they were the objects. When I got to Dr. Warren's house, I found he had sent an express by land to Lexington ± a Mr. William Dawes.

The Sunday before by desire of Dr. Warren, I had been to Lexington, to Messrs. Hancock and Adams, who were at the Rev. Mr. Clark's. I returned at night through Charlestown: there I agreed with a Colonel Conant and some other gentlemen, that if the British went out by the water, he would show two lanterns in the North Church steeple and if by land, one as a signal; for we were apprehensive it would be difficult to cross the Charles River, or get over Boston Neck.

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I left Dr. Warren, called upon a friend, and desired him to make the signals. I then went home, took my boots and surtout, went to the north part of the town, where I kept a boat; two friends rowed me across Charles River a little to the eastward where the somerset man-of-war lay. It was then young flood, the ship was winding, and the moon rising. They landed me on the Charlestown side. When I got into town, I met Colonel Conant and several others; they said they had seen our signals. I told them what was acting, and went to get me a horse; I got a horse of Deacon Larkin."

Revere has thus made it quite plain that the signals were agreed upon for the benefit, not of himself, who could have no possible need for them, but of the waiting patriots on the Charlestown shore, who, when they should see the light or lights, might be trusted to carry the news to Lexington and Concord in the event of no one being able to cross the river or get through the British lines by the land route over Boston Neck.

From the spot where Revere landed on the Charlestown shore the steeple of Christ Church was plainly visible, yet he does not mention seeing the signals, though taking pains to record that others had seen them. Certainly curiosity could have been his only motive for looking for the lights, and the fact that he makes no minute of seeing them may well be taken as evidence that the lanterns had already been displayed and withdrawn ere he reached the Charlestown shore. The arrangement, he says, was that "we would show" the lanterns, not that they would be hung out and left for an indefinite length of time; moreover, his friends, when he jumped out of his boat, said that they "had seen" the signal. If they were still visible, what more natural than that Revere's attention should be called to them as a matter of curiosity, and that in that event he should have mentioned it in his very circumspect narrative?

We know that the lights were not displayed for Revere's benefit, and, when we take into consideration all the circumstances and the language of Revere's narrative, it is scarcely reasonable to suppose that Revere himself ever saw the signals.

In view of all these facts, for which Revere himself is our chief authority, we perceive that Longfellow drew liberally from his imagination when he penned the lines:

Meanwhile, inpatient to mount and ride, Booted and spurred, with heavy stride On the opposite side walked Paul Revere Now he patted his horse's side, Now gazed at the landscape far and near, Then, impetuous, stamped the erth, And turned and tightened his saddle-girth; But mostly he watched with eager search The belfry-tower of the Old North Church, As it rose above the graves on the hill, Lonely and spectral and sombre and still, And lo! as he looks, on the belfry's height A glimmer, and then a gleam of light! He springs to the saddle, the bridle he turns, But lingers and gazes, till full on his sight A second lamp in the belfry burns!

Revere's story is to the effect that as soon as he could procure a horse he started upon his journey with out further delay. "While the horse was preparing," he says, "Richard Devens, Esq., who was on of the Committee of Safety, came to me, and told me that he came down the road from Lexington, after sundown, that evening; that he met ten British officers, all well mounted and armed, going up the road. I set off upon a very good horse; it was then about 11 o'clock, and very pleasant." Devens himself left a memorandum of his experiences on that evening. Says he:

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"On the 18th of April, '75, Tuesday, the Committee of Safety, of which I was then a member, and the Committee of Supplies, sat at Newell's tavern, [the records of the committee say Wetherby's] at Menotomy. A great number of British officers dined at Cambridge. After we had finished the business of the day, we adjourned to meet at Woburn on the morrow, - left to lodge at Newell's, Gerry, Orne and Lee. Mr. Watson and myself came off in my chaise at sunset. On the road we met a great number of B.O. [British officers] and their servants on horseback, who had dined that day at Cambridge. We rode some way after we met them, and then turned back and rode through them, went and informed our friends at Newell's. We stopped there till they came up and rode by. We then left our friends, and I came home, after leaving Mr. Watson at his house.

I soon received intelligence from Boston, that the enemy were all in motion, and were certainly preparing to come out into the country. Soon afterwards, the signal agreed upon was given; this was a lanthorn hung out in the upper window of the tower of the North Church towards Charlestown. I then sent off an express to inform Messrs Gerry &c., and Messrs Hancock and Adams who I knew were at the Rev. Mr. Clark's at Lexington, that the enemy were certainly coming out. I kept watch at the ferry to watch for the boats till about eleven o'clock, when Paul Revere came over and informed that the troops were actually in the boats. I then took a horse from Mr. Larkin's barn, and sent him. I procured a horse and sent off P. Revere to give intelligence at Menotomy and Lexington. He was taken by the British officers before mentioned, before he got to Concord.

Thus we have seen that Dr. Warren sent two messengers out to Lexington that night,-Revere and Dawes,-and that for fear both of them might be captured, an arrangement had been made to notify other patriots in Charlestown by displaying lanterns from the North Church spire. Had misfortune therefore befell the specially commissioned messengers, there can be no doubt that others would have carried the tidings out through the Middlesex villages, arousing the inhabitants, and warning Hancock and Adams at Lexington.

To say this in the interest of the sober truth of history is no disparagement of the services rendered the cause of liberty by Revere on that famous night. To him probably belongs the credit for possessing the foresight which suggested and arranged for the display of the signal lights, while Dr. Warren's prescience is seen in his dispatching of Dawes with the important news to Lexington and his subsequent sending of Revere on the same errand by a different route, thus providing against the contingency of Dawes' capture.

All these safeguards together proved in the event to have been unnecessary; yet all served their purpose, though any one without the others would have sufficed. Each of the actors in this little curtain-raising performance, preceding the first act in the great drama of the Revolution to be played next day on Lexington Green and at Concord Bridge, executed his part well, with courage, skill, intelligence, and patriotism.

To return to the story of Revere's ride. Mounted on Deacon Larkin's horse, he set off to alarm the country, but had not gone far on the road through Charlestown when he discerned just ahead of

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him two British officers. He turned quickly, and, though pursued, made good his escape, passing through Medford and up to Menotomy (now Arlington). "In Medford," he records, "I awaked the captain of the minute men; and after that, I alarmed every house, till I got to Lexington." This quite agrees with the stirring lines of the poet:

A hurry of hoofs in a village street,

A shape in the moonlight, a bulk in the dark,

And beneath, from the pebbles, in passing, a spark

Stuck out by a steed flying fearless, and fleet:

That was all! And yet, through the gloom and the light,

The fate of a nation was riding that night.

The incidents in connection with the alarming of Hancock and Adams at the Rev. Mr. Clark's house, and the other episodes of that night and the early dawn which brought bloodshed with it, have been preserved for posterity by the narratives of three contemporary witnesses and participants,-the Rev. Jonas Clark (at whose house Hancock and Adams were lodging), the reminiscences of Dorothy Quincy, who was also staying at Mr. Clark's, and Revere's own account.

Besides these there is a collection of depositions of the survivors of the battle of Lexington, taken some years after that event. One of the most interesting of these depositions was that of William Monroe, an orderly sergeant in Captain parker's company of minute-men. (doug 1) He says he learned early in the evening of the 18th that British soldiers had been seen on the road from Boston, and continues:

"I supposed they had some design upon Hancock and Adams, who were at the house of the Rev. Mr. Clark, and immediately assembled a guard of eight men, with their arms, to guard the house. About midnight, Col. Paul Revere rode up and requested admittance. I told him the family had just retired, and had requested that they might not be disturbed "by any noise about the house.

" Noise!' said he, you'll have noise enough before long. The regulars are coming out.'

"We then permitted him to pass"

A year after the battle the Rev. Mr. Clark preached a sermon commemorative of the event, and prepared for publication in connection therewith "a brief narrative of the principal transactions of that day." He told the story in this fervid fashion:

"On the evening of the eighteenth of April, 1775, we received two messages, the first verbal, the other by express in writing from the Committee of Safety, who were then sitting in the westerly part of Cambridge, directed to the Honorable John Hancock, Esq; (who, with the Honorable

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Samuel Adams, Esq; was then providentially with us) informing, that eight or nine officers of the king's troops were seen, just before night, passing the road towards Lexington, in a musing, contemplative posture; and it was suspected they were upon some evil design.'

"As both gentlemen had been frequently and even publicly threatened, by the enemies of this people, both in England and America, with the vengeance of the British administration:-And as Mr. Hancock in particular had been, more than once, personally insulted, by some officers of the troops, in Boston, it was not without some just grounds supposed, that under cover of the darkness, sudden arrest, if not assassination might be attempted by these instruments of tyrrany!

"To prevent anything of this kind, ten or twelve men were immediately collected, in arms, to guard my house, through the night.

"In the meantime, said officers passed through this town, on the road toward Concord: It was therefore thought expedient to watch their motions, and if possible make some discovery of their intentions. Accordingly about 10 o'clock in the evening, three men, on horses, were dispatched for this purpose. As they were peaceably passing the road towards Concord, in the borders of Lincoln, they were suddenly stopped by said officers, who rode up to them, and putting pistols to their breasts and seizing their horses bridles, swore, if they stirred another step, they should be all dead men! The officers detained them several hours, as prisoners, examined, searched, abused and insulted them; and in their hasty return (supposing themselves discovered) they left them in Lexington.

Said officers also took into custody, abused and threatened with their lives several other persons; some of whom they met peaceably passing on the road, others even at the doors of their dwellings, without the least provocation, on the part of the inhabitants, or so much as a question asked by them.

"Between the hours of twelve and one, on the morning of the 19th of April, we received intelligence by express from the Honorable Joseph Warren Esq; at Boston, that a large body of the king's troops (supposed to be a brigade of about 12 or 1500) were embarked in boats from Boston, and gone over to land on Lechmere's-Point (so-called) in Cambridge: And that it was shrewdly suspected, that they were ordered to seize and destroy the stores, belonging to the colony, then deposited at Concord, in consequence of General Gage's unjustifiable seizure of the magazine of powder at Medford, and other Colony stores in several other places –"

But let us follow Revere's adventures after his rousing of Hancock and Adams at the Clark house in his own language:

"After I had been there about half an hour Mr. Dawes arrived, who came from Boston, over the neck: we set off for Concord, & were overtaken by a young gentlemen named Prescot, who belonged to Concord, & was going home; when we had got about half way from Lexington to Concord, the other two, stopped at a house to awake the man, I kept along, when I had got about 200 yards of them; I saw two officers as before, I called to my company to come up, saying here was two of them (for I had told them what Mr. Devens told me, and of my being stoped) in an instant, I saw four of them, who rode up to me, with their pistols in their hands, said

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G____dd____n you stop if you go an inch further, you are a dead Man,' immeaditly Mr. Prescot came up we attempted to git thro them, but they kept before us, and swore if we did not turn into that pasture, they would blow our brains out, (they had placed themselves opposite to a pair of Barrs, and had taken the Barrs down) they forced us in, when we had got in, Mr. Precot said put on, He took to the left, I to the right towards a wood, at the bottom of the Pasture intending, when I gained that, to jump my Horse & run afoot.

Just as I reached it, out started six officers, seized my bridle, put their pistols to my Breast, ordered me to dismount, which I did: One of them, who appeared to have the command there, and much of a Gentleman, asked me where I came from; I told him, he asked what time I left it, I told him, he seemed surprised said Sr. may I have your name, I answered my name is Revere, what said he, Paul Revere; I answered yes; the others abused much, but he told me not to be afraid, no one should hurt me; I told him they would miss their aim. He said they should not, they were only awaiting for some deserters they expected down the Road.

I told him I knew better, I knew what they were after; that I had alarmed the country all the way up, that their Boats were catch'd aground, and I should have 500 men there soon; one of them said they had 1,500 coming: he seemed surprised and rode off into the road, and informed them who took me, they came down immeaditly on a full gallop, one of them (whom I since learned was Major Mitchell of the 5th Reg.) Clap (doug d) his pistol to my head, and said he was going to ask me some questions, if I did not tell him the truth, he would blow my brains out.

I told him I esteemed myself a Man of truth, that he had stopped me on the highway, & made me a prisoner, I knew not by what right; I would tell him the truth; I was not afraid; He then asked me, the same questions that the other did, and many more, but was more particular; I gave him much the same answers; he then Ordered me to mount my horse, they first searched me for pistols.

When I was mounted the Major took the reins out of my hand, and said by G___d Sr. you are not to ride with reins I assure you; and gave them to an officer on my right, to lead me, he then Ordered 4 men out of the Bushes, &to mount their horses; they were countrymen whom they had stopped, who were going home; then ordered us to march. He said to me We are now going towards your friends, and if you attempt to run, or we are insulted, we will blow your Brains out.'

When we had got into the Road they formed a circle, and ordered the prisoners in the center, & to lead me in the front. We rid towards Lexington, a quick pace; They very often insulted me calling me Rebel &c. &c. after we had got about a mile, I was given to the Serjant to lead, he was Ordered to take out his pistol, (he rode with a hanger,) and if I ran, to execute the major's sentence; When we got within about half a mile of the meeting house, we heard a gun fired; the major asked me what it was for, I told him to alarm the country; he ordered the four prisoners to dismount, they did, then one of the officers dismounted and cutt the bridles, and saddles, off the Horses, & drove them away, and told the men they might go about their business; I asked the Major to dismiss me, he said he would carry me, lett the consequence be what it will.

He then Ordered us to march, when we got within sight of the meeting House, we heard a Volley of guns fired, as I supposed at the tavern, as an alarm; the major ordered us to halt, he asked me

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how for it was to Cambridge, and many more questions, which I answered: he then asked the Serjant, if his horse was tired, he said yes; he Ordered him to take my horse; I dismounted, the Serjant mounted my horse; they cutt the Bridles & Saddle & of the Serjants horse, & rode off, down the road.

I then went to the house where I left Adams and Hancock, and told them what had happined, their friends advised them to go out of the way; I went with them, about two miles across road: after resting myself I sett off with another man to go back to the Tavern; to enquire the News; when we go there, we were told the troops were, within two miles. We went into the Tavern to git a Trunk of papers, belonging to Col. Hancock, before we left the House, I saw the ministerial Troops from the Chamber window, we made haste, & had to pass thro' our Militia, who were on a green behind the meeting house, to the number as I supposed, about 50 or 60. I went thro them; as I passed I heard the commanding officer speake to his men to this purpose, lett the troops pass by, & don't molest them, without They begin first.'

I had to go a cross Road, but had not got half Gun shot off, when the Ministeral Troops appeared in sight. behinde the Meeting House; they made a short halt, when one gun was fired, I heard the report, turned my head, and saw the smoake in front of the Troops, they imeaditly gave a great shout, ran a few paces, and then the whole fired. I could first distinguish Iregular fireing, which I supposed was the advance guard, and then platoons. At this time I could not see our Militia for they were covered from me, by a house at the bottom of the street."

This was the "battle" of Lexington,-fifty provincials exchanging a few shots with eight hundred of the King's troops, who then marched on to Concord, only to find, after a bloody encounter, that the most valuable of the stores they had come to seize or destroy had, thanks to the timely warning of Paul Revere three days before, been already removed to place of safety.

On the day following these events Revere was permanently engaged by Dr. Warren, president of the Committee of Safety, "as a messenger to do the outdoors business for that committee." We have no record up to this time of Revere having rendered other than gratuitous service in the long journeys he took in behalf of the patriot cause, being content with the satisfaction of having performed a duty to his country. Whether he had now reached the conclusion, as we are well aware some of the other men whom history has written sown as heroes did, that even patriotic service has a commercial value that the state should recognize, it may be unbecoming to pass judgment; but this we know, that henceforth he proposed to charge for his messenger service.

He appears to have been prospering in his business at this period, and, no doubt, he felt that he was not called upon to neglect it, with the large family he had to support, for the public service without some financial recompense. From the promptness with which his bill was audited, we may assume that his employers did not quarrel with this point of view. But that the thought he was disposed to value his labors too highly is also evident, for they reduced his charge for riding as a messenger from the amount asked, five shillings, to four shillings, a day. This bill, one of many such documents preserved in the archives at the State House in Boston, is faded by time, but the handwriting of Revere and the endorsement on the back, with the signatures of James Otis, Samuel and John Adams, and the other members of Council in approval, stands out clear and distinct.

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The comments of the Council upon the original bill as made out by Revere show the care with which the expenditures were guarded. Revere evidently did not, when he first submitted this bill, indicate the purpose for which the "impressions" printed by him and charged up to the colony was intended, so a memorandum was made at the bottom of the bill calling attention to the fact that only the printing of money for the use of the army would be paid for. Doubtless inquiry developed that Revere's charge was in accordance with this understanding, through he had neglected to so itemize it; and the explanatory words, " Soldiers Notes," were added afterward. The record of the appropriation made to cover the bill, after the total had been reduced to ten pounds, four shillings is inscribed on the back of the original, and is to this effect:

"In the House of Representatives, August 22nd, 1775. Resolved that Mr. Paul Revere be allowed & paid out of the publick Treasury of this Colony ten pound four shillings in full discharge of the within account."

This document was promptly sent up to the Council for concurrence, being signed by James Warren, Speaker, and Samuel Adams, Secretary.

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AMERICANREVOLUTION.ORG

Paul Revere by John Singleton Copley

I, PAUL REVERE, of Boston, in the colony of the Massachusetts Bay in New England; of lawful age, do testify and say; that I was sent for by Dr. Joseph Warren, of said Boston, on the evening of the 18th of April, about 10 o'clock; when he desired me, ''to go to Lexington, and inform Mr. Samuel Adams, and the Hon. John Hancock Esq. that there was a number of soldiers, composed of light troops, and grenadiers, marching to the bottom of the common, where there was a number of boats to receive them; it was supposed that they were going to Lexington, by the way of Cambridge River, to take them, or go to Concord, to destroy the colony stores.''

I proceeded immediately, and was put across Charles River and landed near Charlestown Battery; went in town, and there got a horse. While in Charlestown, I was informed by Richard Devens Esq. that he met that evening, after sunset, nine officers of the ministerial army, mounted on good horses, and armed, going towards Concord.

I set off, it was then about 11 o'clock, the moon shone bright. I had got almost over Charlestown Common, towards Cambridge, when I saw two officers on horse-back, standing under the shade of a tree, in a narrow part of the road. I was near enough to see their holsters and cockades. One of them started his horse towards me, the other up the road, as I supposed, to head me, should I escape the first. I turned my horse short about, and rode upon a full gallop for Mistick Road. He followed me about 300 yards, and finding he could not catch me, returned. I proceeded to Lexington, through Mistick, and alarmed Mr. Adams and Col. Hancock.

After I had been there about half an hour Mr. Daws arrived, who came from Boston, over the Neck.

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We set off for Concord, and were overtaken by a young gentleman named Prescot, who belonged to Concord, and was going home. When we had got about half way from Lexington to Concord, the other two stopped at a house to awake the men, I kept along. When I had got about 200 yards ahead of them, I saw two officers as before. I called to my company to come up, saying here was two of them, (for I had told them what Mr. Devens told me, and of my being stopped). In an instant I saw four of them, who rode up to me with their pistols in their bands, said ''G---d d---n you, stop. If you go an inch further, you are a dead man.'' Immediately Mr. Prescot came up. We attempted to get through them, but they kept before us, and swore if we did not turn in to that pasture, they would blow our brains out, (they had placed themselves opposite to a pair of bars, and had taken the bars down). They forced us in. When we had got in, Mr. Prescot said ''Put on!'' He took to the left, I to the right towards a wood at the bottom of the pasture, intending, when I gained that, to jump my horse and run afoot. Just as I reached it, out started six officers, seized my bridle, put their pistols to my breast, ordered me to dismount, which I did. One of them, who appeared to have the command there, and much of a gentleman, asked me where I came from; I told him. He asked what time I left . I told him, he seemed surprised, said ''Sir, may I crave your name?'' I answered ''My name is Revere. ''What'' said he, ''Paul Revere''? I answered ''Yes.'' The others abused much; but he told me not to be afraid, no one should hurt me. I told him they would miss their aim. He said they should not, they were only waiting for some deserters they expected down the road. I told him I knew better, I knew what they were after; that I had alarmed the country all the way up, that their boats were caught aground, and I should have 500 men there soon. One of them said they had 1500 coming; he seemed surprised and rode off into the road, and informed them who took me, they came down immediately on a full gallop. One of them (whom I since learned was Major Mitchel of the 5th Reg.) clapped his pistol to my head, and said he was going to ask me some questions, and if I did not tell the truth, he would blow my brains out. I told him I esteemed myself a man of truth, that he had stopped me on the highway, and made me a prisoner, I knew not by what right; I would tell him the truth; I was not afraid. He then asked me the same questions that the other did, and many more, but was more particular; I gave him much the same answers. He then ordered me to mount my horse, they first searched me for pistols. When I was mounted, the Major took the reins out of my hand, and said ''By G---d Sir, you are not to ride with reins I assure you''; and gave them to an officer on my right, to lead me. He then ordered 4 men out of the bushes, and to mount their horses; they were country men which they had stopped who were going home; then ordered us to march. He said to me, ''We are now going towards your friends, and if you attempt to run, or we are insulted, we will blow your brains out.'' When we had got into the road they formed a circle, and ordered the prisoners in the center, and to lead me in the front. We rode towards Lexington at a quick pace; they very often insulted me calling me rebel, etc., etc. After we had got about a mile, I was given to the sergeant to lead, he was ordered to take out his pistol, (he rode with a hanger,) and if I ran, to execute the major's sentence.

When we got within about half a mile of the Meeting House we heard a gun fired. The Major asked me what it was for, I told him to alarm the country; he ordered the four prisoners to dismount, they did, then one of the officers dismounted and cut the bridles and saddles off the horses, and drove them away, and told the men they might go about their business. I asked the Major to dismiss me, he said he would carry me, let the consequence be what it will. He then ordered us to march.

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When we got within sight of the Meeting House, we heard a volley of guns fired, as I supposed at the tavern, as an alarm; the Major ordered us to halt, he asked me how far it was to Cambridge, and many more questions, which I answered. He then asked the sergeant, if his horse was tired, he said yes; he ordered him to take my horse. I dismounted, and the sergeant mounted my horse; they cut the bridle and saddle of the sergeant's horse, and rode off down the road. I then went to the house were I left Messrs. Adams and Hancock, and told them what had happened; their friends advised them to go out of the way; I went with them, about two miles across road.

After resting myself, I set off with another man to go back to the tavern, to inquire the news; when we got there, we were told the troops were within two miles. We went into the tavern to get a trunk of papers belonging to Col. Hancock. Before we left the house, I saw the ministerial troops from the chamber window. We made haste, and had to pass through our militia, who were on a green behind the Meeting House, to the number as I supposed, about 50 or 60, I went through them; as I passed I heard the commanding officer speak to his men to this purpose; ''Let the troops pass by, and don't molest them, without they begin first.'' I had to go across road; but had not got half gunshot off, when the ministerial troops appeared in sight, behind the Meeting House. They made a short halt, when one gun was fired. I heard the report, turned my head, and saw the smoke in front of the troops. They immediately gave a great shout, ran a few paces, and then the whole fired. I could first distinguish irregular firing, which I supposed was the advance guard, and then platoons; at this time I could not see our militia, for they were covered from me by a house at the bottom of the street.

s/PAUL REVERE.

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STRATEGY 4

Here are some ways to uncover the theme in a story: Check out the title. Sometimes it tells you a lot about the theme.

Notice repeating patterns and symbols. Sometimes these lead you to the theme.

What allusions are made throughout the story?

What are the details and particulars in the story? What greater meaning may they have?

Remember that theme, plot, and structure are inseparable, all helping to inform and reflect back on each other. Also, be aware that a theme we determine from a story never completely explains the story. It is simply one of the elements that make up the whole.

The play version of Susan Glaspell's "A Jury of Her Peers" is called Trifles. What do both titles suggest about the theme?

PRACTICE

 

Read the following two exerpts: The Young Storekeeper

retold by Horatio Alger

As a clerk he proved honest and efficient, and my readers will be interested in some illustrations of the former trait which I find in Dr. Holland’s interesting volume. One day a woman came into the store and purchased sundry articles. They footed up1 two dollars and six and a quarter cents, or the young clerk thought they did. We do not hear nowadays of six and a quarter cents, but this was a coin borrowed from the Spanish currency, and was well known in my own boyhood. The bill was paid, and the woman was entirely satisfied. But the young storekeeper, not feeling quite sure as to the accuracy of his calculation, added up the items once more. To his dismay he found that the sum total should have been but two dollars. “I’ve made her pay six and a quarter cents too much,” said Abe, disturbed. It was a trifle, and many clerks would have dismissed it as such, but Abe was too conscientious for that.

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“The money must be paid back,” he decided. This would have been easy enough had the woman lived “just round the corner,” but, as the young man knew, she lived between two and three miles away. This, however, did not alter the matter. It was night, but he closed and locked the store, and walked to the residence of his customer. Arrived there, he explained the matter, paid over the six and a quarter cents, and returned satisfied. If I were a capitalist, I would be willing to lend money to such a young man without security. Here is another illustration of young Lincoln’s strict honesty: A woman entered the store and asked for half a pound of tea. The young clerk weighed it out, and handed it to her in a parcel. This was the last sale of the day. The next morning, when commencing his duties, Abe discovered a four-ounce weight on the scales. It flashed upon him at once that he had used this in the sale of the night previous, and so, of course, given his customer short weight. I am afraid that there are many country merchants who would not have been much worried by this discovery. Not so the young clerk in whom we are interested. He weighed out the balance of the half pound, shut up the store, and carried it to the defrauded customer. I think my young readers will begin to see that the name so often given, in later times to President Lincoln, of “Honest Old Abe,” was well deserved. A man who begins by strict honesty in his youth is not likely to change as he grows older, and mercantile honesty is some guarantee of political honesty. [PUBLIC DOMAIN]

Working Out a Book retold by Horatio Alger

All the information we can obtain about this early time is interesting, for it was then that Abe was laying the foundation of his future eminence. His mind and character were slowly developing, and shaping themselves for the future.

From Mr. Lamon’s Life I quote a paragraph which will throw light upon his habits and tastes at the age of seventeen:

“Abe loved to lie under a shade tree, or up in the loft of the cabin, and read, cipher, and scribble. At night he sat by the chimney jamb, and ciphered by the light of the fire, on the wooden fire shovel. When the shovel was fairly covered, he would shave it off and begin again. In the daytime he used boards for the same purpose, out of doors, and went through the shaving process everlastingly. His stepmother repeats often that ‘he read every book he could lay his hands on.’ She says, ‘Abe read diligently. He read every book he could lay his hands on, and when he came across a passage that struck him, he would write it down on boards if he had no paper, and keep it there until he did get paper. Then he would rewrite it, look at it, repeat it. He had a copybook, a kind of scrapbook, in which he put down all things, and thus preserved them.’ ”

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I am tempted also to quote a reminiscence of John Hanks, who lived with the Lincolns from the time Abe was fourteen to the time he became eighteen years of age: “When Lincoln—Abe—and I returned to the house from work, he would go to the cupboard, snatch a piece of cornbread, take down a book, sit down on a chair, cock his legs up as high as his head, and read. He and I worked barefooted, grubbed it, plowed, mowed, and cradled together; plowed corn, gathered it, and shucked corn. Abraham read constantly when he had opportunity.”

It may well be supposed, however, that the books upon which Abe could lay hands were few in number. There were no libraries, either public or private, in the neighborhood, and he was obliged to read what he could get rather than those which he would have chosen, had he been able to select from a large collection. . . . The last book Abe borrowed from a neighbor, old Josiah Crawford. When not reading it, he laid it away in a part of the cabin where he thought it would be free from harm, but it so happened that just behind the shelf on which he placed it was a great crack between the logs of the wall. One night a storm came up suddenly, the rain beat in through the crevice, and soaked the borrowed book through and through. The book was almost utterly spoiled. Abe felt very uneasy, for a book was valuable in his eyes, as well as in the eyes of its owner.

He took the damaged volume and trudged over to Mr. Crawford’s in some perplexity and mortification.

“Well, Abe, what brings you over so early?” said Mr. Crawford.

“I’ve got some bad news for you,” answered Abe, with lengthened face.

“Bad news! What is it?” “You know the book you lent me—the Life of Washington?” “Yes, yes.” 12 “Well, the rain last night spoiled it.” And Abe showed the book, wet to a pulp inside, at the same time explaining how it had been injured. “It’s too bad, I vum!2 You’d ought to pay for it, Abe. You must have been dreadful careless!” “I’d pay for it if I had any money, Mr. Crawford.” 15 “If you’ve got no money, you can work it out,” said Crawford. 16 “I’ll do whatever you think right.” So it was arranged that Abe should work three days for Crawford, “pulling fodder,” the value of his labor being rated at twenty-five cents a day. As the book had cost seventy-five cents this would be regarded as satisfactory. So Abe worked his three days, and discharged the debt. Mr. Lamon is disposed to find fault with Crawford for exacting this penalty, but it appears to me only equitable, and I am glad to think that Abe was willing to act honorably in the matter.  [PUBLIC DOMAIN] 

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QUESTIONS:

1. In paragraph 2, a sentence says:”We do not hear nowadays of six and a quarter cents, but this was a coin borrowed from the Spanish currency, and was well known in my own boyhood.” How does this sentence impact the passage?

2. Which theme is implied in both “The Young Storekeeper” and “Working Out a Book”?

A. Members of a society are expected to act honorably B. Knowledge is often more valuable than formal education C. Nature has the power to interfere with even our most carefully made plans. D. Penalties that seem harsh at first may be beneficial in the end.

Read “Order Up” and answer the following questions:

Order Up “Tessa, it’s time. You’ve been working here for two weeks now. I told you, we don’t serve beverages in glass containers on the deck, and we don’t give people water in the fancy plastic cups. Those cups cost money, you know,” Mariana snapped. I stared hard at my feet as I listened to Mariana’s latest round of criticism. She hadn’t bothered to commend me for covering all of Jesse’s tables during a busy lunch rush. I was beginning to regret my decision to accept this job instead of the one at my dentist’s office filing papers and maintaining the computer database three days a week. The night before, Jesse had been hinting around that he’d found another job. Even though I had only worked at the Cozy Comfort Café for ten days, I had already seen three employees come and go. Waiting tables wasn’t what I had anticipated. I dropped a check off at a booth as I made my way to a table that needed clearing. The last time I had seen the busgirl, she was chatting away with the line cook in the kitchen. I found my tip—two crumpled dollars—wedged under a plate smeared with ketchup and dill pickle juice. To my surprise, the busgirl approached the table just as I started to stack the plates. “I’ll take care of it,” she said airily. I nodded my head and made my way to another table that needed to be cleaned off. After the rush, the dining room looked like a war zone; every table was littered with empty plates, broken crayons, wadded napkins, and half-empty glasses. The room seemed to ooze grease and steam like a hot spring. I resolved to have all of my tables cleared by two o’clock, with or without help from the busgirl. “Miss! Miss!” I became vaguely aware that someone was trying to get my attention. It was table 16, a group of four seated at the corner booth on the deck. Quickly, I made my way toward the table. “There’s a problem with our bill,” began the man as his wire-rimmed glasses slid down to the tip of his nose. “We ordered three soft drinks, not four. I had water, so you owe us $1.25.” I accepted the bill from his outstretched hand, and unfortunately, he was right.

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“I’m sorry, you’re right. I made a mistake. I’ll have this taken care of immediately,” I said, smiling politely as I walked away. “See, you really have to watch these places. They try to sneak in extra charges wherever they can,” I heard him whisper smugly to his friend. The thought of asking Mariana to change the bill was about as appealing as having my tonsils removed, but I had no other option. To my surprise, she was too busy poring over some supply sheets to scold me harshly. She handed me the corrected check without a word, barely acknowledging that I was alive. Table 16 paid their check and promptly left, and I began the task of clearing once again. I hesitated when I saw a newspaper folded up in the corner of the booth, the heading “Help Wanted” screaming at me in thirty-point black type. I casually folded and slipped the newspaper section into my apron pocket and resumed my task, feeling more energized now that I had selected my reading material for the evening. QUESTIONS:

List two feelings that describe how Tessa was feeling at work that day. Be sure to write your response in your answer document.

Name two lessons that Tessa learned about working in a restaurant. Be sure to write your response in your answer document.