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. what is the effect of the poetic structure used in this stanza from the poem? its use of blank verse highlights the seriousness of the events. its use of rhyming couplets make it engaging and easy to remember. its use of rhythm creates a militaristic and fighting tone. its use of rhyme creates an eerie, suspenseful mood.