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Because “Paul Revere’s Ride” recounts a well-documented historical event, the poem is set in a very specific time and place. The speaker clarifies the date in the opening stanza, declaring that the event they’re about to recount occurred “on the eighteenth of April, in Seventy-Five” (line 3)—that is, April 18, 1775. The speaker is less upfront about the poem’s geographical location, though over the course of their narrative it becomes clear that it’s set in the greater Boston area in Massachusetts. Of course, anyone who is already familiar with the story of Paul Revere will know the location in advance. But for those readers who are new to the story, the location becomes clear through the various place names mentioned in the poem. The first indication of where the story is set comes in line 13, when Revere describes his plan to ride “through every Middlesex village.” Middlesex is the name of the county that lies to the immediate northwest of Boston. Later in the poem, as Revere makes this journey through Middlesex, he passes through several named towns, including “Medford” (line 88), “Lexington” (94), and “Concord” (102). The latter two towns would soon become the sites of famous battles that sparked the American Revolutionary War.

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