Symbol Analysis
Another slightly sad, slightly creepy image that shows up in the poem. It's maybe the most haunting and lasting disagreement with the reality of war and death that we see anywhere in "Paul Revere's Ride." Even though it only flashes by, it leaves a big impression.
- Lines 97-8: These few lines about the meeting-house windows give us a preview of the violence that is coming the next day. Longfellow turns them into a character in the poem, with human-like faces that "glare" at Paul (line 98). When a poet gives a thing like a window human attributes, that's called personification.