David Henry Thoreau ( ) I believe, That government is best which governs not at all Henry Thoreau (Resistance to Civil Government, p145)

Transcription

1 David Henry Thoreau ( ) I believe, That government is best which governs not at all Henry Thoreau (Resistance to Civil Government, p145) By Fabiola Spinks. ENGL 2327

2 Henry David Thoreau was born on July 12 th, 1817 in Concord, Massachussetts, where he lived most of his life. He was an American writer, lecturer, naturalist, student of Native American artifacts and life, active opponent of slavery, social critic, philosopher, pencil maker, land surveyor, inspector of snow storms, and famous Trascendentalist. He died of tuberculosis on May 6 th, 1862 in the same town.

3 Thoreau was one of four children born to store keeper and pencilmaker John Thoreau and his wife, Cynthia Dunbar Thoreau.

4 Some of Thoreau s Works

5 Thoreau graduated from Harvard in 1837 in the top half of his class. Thoreau became a teacher and he briefly worked at the Concord public school. However, he resigned due to a disagreement regarding discipline practices geared toward children. Thanks to Thoreau s extensive research on German pencil-making, his family s pencils were known as the best American pencils. Eventually, Thoreau and his brother John started their own school in Concord, but later on, Thoreau would close it due to his brother s health issues.

6 Trascendentalism Ralph Waldo Emerson ( ) While Thoreau studied at Harvard, he read a small book by his Concord neighbor Emerson Nature. Thoreau became a pretégé, apprentice and friend of Emerson and continued to develop his own ideals. During a time when he stayed at Emerson s, Thoreau decided to become a writer and got help from him to publish some poems and essays in the Trascendental journal, The Dial. Thoreau later received permission from Emerson to build a house and live in Emerson s property by the Walden pond for a couple of years. This would prove fruitful to Thoreau as he wrote several of his works during the time he lived there.

7 Interesting Facts Thoreau was born David Henry Thoreau, but he changed his name to Henry David Thoreau shortly after he graduated from Harvard. Neither Thoreau nor any of his siblings ever married. Both, Thoreau and his brother John fell in love and proposed marriage to the same woman, Ellen Sewall, but she refused both proposals due to her father s objections to the Thoreau s liberal religious beliefs. Thoreau s brother, John, died paralyzed of Tetanus in Thoreau s arms when Thoreau was 25 years old. Thoreau s mother, sisters, and aunts were fervent abolitionists. Thoreau worked for Emerson as a handyman to sustain himself and to be able to focus more on his writings. In 1846, Thoreau spent one night in jail. This experience became the inspiration for his essay Resistance to Civil Government also known as Civil Disobedience.

8 What is the use of a house if you haven't got a tolerable planet to put it on? H.D. Thoreau, Familiar Letters

9 The Thoreau Society was founded in 1941 as an effort from scholars and enthusiasts to preserve the legacy of Thoreau. The Thoreau Society The society is the oldest and largest single-author society in the United States. The society currently has two periodicals, The Thoreau Society Bulletin and The Concord Saunterer. The society has published several pamphlets and books written by its members on both periodicals

10 Nor is it every apple I desire, Nor that which pleases every palate best; Tis not the lasting Deuzan I require, Not yet the red-checked Queening I request, Nor that which first beshrewed the name of wife, Nor that whose beauty caused the golden strife: No, no! bring me an apple from the tree of life! Henry Thoreau (Wild Apples, p. 337)

11 Quiz 1. How was Ralph Waldo Emerson related to Thoreau? 2. What inspired Thoreau to write Resistance to Civil Government? 3. How many siblings did Thoreau have? 4. What was Thoreau s family s business? 5. What was Thoreau s wife s name?

12 Works Cited Thoreau, Henry D. Resistance to Civil Government. Essays: A Fully Annotated Edition. Ed. Jefrey S. Cramer. New Haven: Yale University Press, Print.. Wild Apples. Essays: A fully Annotated Edition. Ed. Jefrey S. Cramer. New Haven: Yale University Press, Print. Thoreau Family Collection. Concord Public Library. accessed on March Web. Thoreau Society. accessed on 20 March Web. Witherell, Elizabeth and Elizabeth Dubrulle. Life and Times of Henry David Thoreau. The Writings of Henry D. Thoreau. University of California, Santa Barbara. accessed on March Web. Woodlief, Ann. Henry David Thoreau. American Transcendentalism Web. Texas A&M University. accessed on 20 March Web. Woodlief, Ann. Ralph Waldo Emerson. American Transcendentalism Web. Texas A&M University. legacy.tamu.edu/authors/emerson/ accessed on 20 March Web.