Henry David Thoreau born in Massachusetts on July 12, 1817, was unlike other people to have graced this world at the time. His father owned a pencil company that was affected by the economic constraints whereas his mother was the founder of the Concord Female Anti-Slavery Society (Egerton, 2011). His brilliance was demonstrated by his admission in Harvard and the success of graduating among the top half students although he missed most of the classes due to financial issues.
Thoreau would become one of the greatest American writers, philosophers, and naturalist. Having learned to write journals during his Harvard days, he would become obsessed with nature and wrote about the beauty of nature and the evils of humans in their obsession with wealth. He lived a simple life in Emerson’s land, his friend (The Biography.com, 2017). His believes and determination to live a simple life in nature was a phenomenon, but his articles and essays such as Walden would become some of the most influential essays in America. Thoreau can be termed as a person who did not live or desire wealth as he believed that people should not concentrate on exploiting nature but enjoying the beauty of nature by living free.
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These beliefs are depicted in his different writings which demonstrate that he was a firm believer of humanity but believed that the true greatness of an individual was gained through self-awareness and ability to integrate with nature the value of life (Schulz, 2015). Thoreau is among the most famous transcendentalists due to his focus on individualism and self-reliance (Ushistory.org, 2018). His life and essays demonstrate that he believed in his abilities and admired his ability to learn by engaging with nature. The individualism and self-reliance is a foundation of American’s mindset. His belief on the value of nature and the destruction by humans may have also contributed to setting forest reserve and have influenced most environmentalists in their fight against the human destruction of the natural resources. Lastly, the call for living free and wild in the “Resistance to Civil Government” (Newman, 2017) has influenced the American society to oppose injustices at all costs. The radical manner of condemning evils, injustice, and destruction of nature are some of the influences Thoreau has had on the American society.
References
Egerton, F. (2011). History of Ecological Sciences, Part 39: Henry David Thoreau, Ecologist. Bulletin Of The Ecological Society Of America , 92 (3), 251-275.
Newman, A. (2017). Henry David Thoreau: Ahead of His Time? Vision . Retrieved June 8, 2018, from http://www.vision.org/henry-david-thoreau-biography-5887
Schulz, K. (2015, October 19). Henry David Thoreau, Hypocrite. The New Yorker . Retrieved June 8, 2018, from https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2015/10/19/pond-scum
The Biography.com. (2017). Henry David Thoreau Biography. The Biography.com . Retrieved June 8, 2018, from https://www.biography.com/people/henry-david-thoreau-9506784
Ushistory.org. (2018). Transcendentalism%2C An American Philosophy. U.S. Hiatory Online Textbook . Retrieved June 8, 2018, from http://www.ushistory.org/us/26f.asp
