Henry thoreau
Henry thoreauHenry David Thoreau was born in Concord, Massachusetts, on July 12, 1817. He was
born to parents that were very intelligent, yet poor and undistinguished. Despite their struggle
with poverty, "their home was a center of affection and vivacity." Thoreau was the third of four children
and he showed an early love of nature and was the "scholar" of the family, going on to learn many
languages. Because Henry showed so much promise as a student, his parents sent him to Concord
Academy. He later went on to attend Harvard College. With the help of his aunts, and by doing odd
jobs and tutoring, he managed to afford the tuition. Interestingly enough, he graduated from Harvard in
1837 as an honor student and a speaker at commencement, yet he was still unknown.
During his lifetime, Thoreau tried his hand at an assortment of odd jobs. His first
experiment was with teaching. He, along with his older brother John, opened a private school,
but the school was forced to close down after John became ill in 1841. He lived with his friend
and fellow scholar Ralph Waldo Emerson, keeping house and doing chores in exchange for rent
and board. In 1843, he journeyed to the home of Emerson�s brother William to tutor. Soon after
the death of John in 1842, Thoreau went to live at Walden Pond, partially as a tribute to his
beloved brother. When he returned from Walden in September of 1847, he again performed an
assortment of jobs. He hired himself out as a painter, carpenter, mason, or a day-laborer
believing "the occupation of a day-laborer to be the most independent of any," he also became
interested in surveying land and went on to become one of the best surveyors in Concord. He even
made time to contribute to the family pencil-making business by inventing a graphite flotation process
which made Thoreau pencils superior to those of competitors.
During his travels, Thoreau also lectured on issues such as slavery. He was an effective
speaker, but lacked Emerson�s skill of fully communicating with his audience. His last excursion was
made to Minnesota in 1861. He left, hoping that the trip would improve his health, which had been
severely damaged by bronchitis several years earlier. The Minnesota trip weakened him further causing
him to die shortly afterwards to tuberculosis on May 6,1862. Despite his short life, he suffered many
grievances. He was engaged to be married to Ellen Seawall young in life, but she...
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