Born on July 12 in 1817, in Concord, Massachusetts, Henry David Thoreau was a third Child to John Thoreau and his wife Cynthia Dunbar. At the age of 18, Thoreau enrolled at Harvard University where he established a reputation of being a student who followed his own will. Following his graduation in 1837, Thoreau became occupied as a school teacher and tutor. His love for nature made him take a canoe trip during which he reflected on his life and was convinced that he did not want to pursue a school teacher’s career. He settled on to become a poet of nature but at that time America was not supportive of his poetry. After spending some time with Emerson, Thoreau considered to spend time alone and establish himself as a writer. Thoreau’s writings were influenced by the political atmosphere in the country, his love for nature, and fellow philosophers and scientists.
As a social reformer, Thoreau’s writings were influenced by the principles on which the United States is founded; that it is a person’s duty to resist injustice where it is found. One of his best works Civil Disobedience was authored following an incident with the government. In 1846 a non-poll tax had been assigned against every voter on an annual basis. Thoreau had not paid the tax because he felt that was unjust. While in town repairing shoes, Thoreau was arrested but released the following day after a relative paid the debt. Through Civil Disobedience, he attacked the government for deciding what is morally right and wrong for its people with the motive of acquiring more from them. Thoreau writes “Can there not be a government in which the majority do not virtually decide right and wrong, but conscience?. Must the citizen ever for a moment, or in the least degree, resign his conscience to the legislator? Why has every man a conscience, then?” (Thoreau, 1993).
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Thoreau’s love for nature led him to spend approximately two years in the wild alone where he authored one of his iconic books Walden, also termed Life in the Woods. As a transcendentalist, Thoreau loved nature and treated it as some sort of deity or God. At the time American transcendentalism was based on Unitarianism that seeks to understand the divine nature of God as a single identity. Thoreau felt that something was amiss. The calm, sobriety, and mildness rationalism that defined Unitarianism was not satisfactory to Thoreau (Gale, 2018). In addition, he realized that seeking God is not dependent on societal obligations and exercise of virtues that have been defined by people. Instead, it was an individual’s strife to have a relationship with God. In practice Thoreau became a transcendentalist where he sought God in the calm nature away from society and wrote some of the best books and essays.
If Thoreau were to replicate his time in the woods, books, and essays it would have been different. For instance, his love for nature at that time was due to the fewer effects of climate change. Back then spring arrived in the first week of May, while nowadays it arrives in late Aprils. This is a revelation of how fast climate change is approaching. However, in regards to the political atmosphere, his writings would have been the same. To date the government continues to dictate the morals of society we live in. Only that this time, there would be much more to cover other than the war.
Social reformer, transcendentalist, and philosopher as some of the terms by which the writings of Henry Thoreau are categorized. As revealed in the essay, his writings were influenced by the political atmosphere and nature of the time. His prose style of writing was unequaled and would have changed were they covered at different times.
References
Gale, C. L. (2018). A Study Guide for Henry David Thoreau's" Walden" . Gale, Cengage Learning.
Thoreau, H. D. (1993). Civil disobedience, and other essays . Courier Corporation.
