Read the poem.
excerpt from "Paul Revere's Ride"
by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Paul Revere was an express rider who, on April 18, 1775, was charged with delivering a message and alerting communities about the approaching British troops.
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 tonight,
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 an arm.

How does the content of these stanzas advance the story in this narrative poem?

It details the architecture of the North Church.

It details the British march toward Middlesex County.

It describes the geography of Middlesex County.

It introduces Paul Revere and his mission.

This excerpt from Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's "Paul Revere's Ride" introduces the character of Paul Revere and, most importantly, the mission he carried out.

In this passage, the author explains in the form of a poem, the actions that were taken by Paul Revere. It explains how Revere indicated his friends to hang lanterns in the North Church tower if the British started marching towards their territory. Then, if Revere saw the signal, he would ride to spread the alarm through Middlesex so that the villagers would be ready to defend themselves.