“ The Life of Henry David Thoreau”

For Two Years Henry David Thoreau spent his life in seclusion living in the woods with nothing more then a shack for shelter. You would think he was forced to live like this, but he did in his own free will. He was sick of society’s ways. Do you think someone that graduated from Harvard University would chose to live in the woods like a barbarian? It was not until later in the 20th century that he came to be known as one of America’s major literary thinkers

Henry David Thoreau was born in Concord, Massachusetts on July 12,1817 (“Thoreau #1”) . By Age 16, Henry David Thoreau enrolled at Havard University, during his Havard years he met philosopher Ralph Waldo Emerson who later became his chief mentor and friend. After Henry graduated Havard University he moved back with his Father and worked in his pencil shop. He worked for a short period of time there. After realizing that kind of work was not for him, Henry Thoreau and his older brother John Thoreau opened a private school in Concord in 1838 and taught there. On March 11, 1842 John died, and Henry's life long friend and companion was gone (“Thoreau”#2). Henry decided to close the school down because it was a reminder of his now deceased brother and he couldn’t han

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One Day while Henry David took a walk to a nearby town to get his shoe repaired and was arrested for not paying the annual Poll tax.

After a couple years at the Emerson household ,he left. After Henry found out he was outraged and still remained in jail just because he wasn’t the one that paid for it. He lived out his final years and died in 1862 from tuberculosis. (“Thoreau #2”) Henry served as handyman and assistant to Ralph Emerson and also contributing poetry and writing to the transcendentalist magazine, The Dial. After leaving Walden he moved back with the Emerson’s in 1847 and in 1849 he moved back to his family’s home where he spent the rest of his life (“Biography.

During his stay there he hoped to live his life free of materialistic things, while he was there he survived on the vegetables he grew and working odd jobs by a nearby village. He didn't see why he should have to pay the tax, he had never voted, and he knew that such a tax had to be affiliated with the funding of the Mexican War and Slavery. This journal later became a Masterpiece, “Walden: Life in the Woods”. Man Flows at once to god when the channel of purity is open. He later taught and tutored the children of Emerson’s brother, William Emerson. Just look at what happen in 1992 when the African American community in Los Angeles rioted causing some fatalities and millions of dollars in damages after the decision of the Rodney King case. For example back then in the 1800’s if you got arrested for no good reason you really couldn’t do anything about it. Now in 2002 you can rebel against the authorities by suing them. At the time most Harvard graduates were expected to be Lawyers, Doctors, businessmen, but Henry knew what he wanted.

Approximate Word count = 1028
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)

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