Henry David Thoreau Research Paper

Jun Yoon

Dr. Hyatt

American Literature

January 23, 2018

Research Paper: Henry David Thoreau Henry David Thoreau, American essayist, philosopher, and poet, renowned for his great writing skills impact on American Literature. He was an accomplished American essayist and writer, as well as an outstanding transcendentalist, a writer who looks for to rise above ordinary thought or ideas. His essays, books, and writings have been represented countless time over century, both in English and many different languages. His writing skills, and ideas had great impact on American Literature history. Henry David Thoreau, one of the greatest American writer in history, was born on July 12, 1817 in Concord, Massachusetts, to Cynthia Dunbar and John Thoreau. Henry was the third of four children. His mother, Cynthia Dunbar, spent her time raising his three siblings and Henry. John Thoreau, his father, was a businessman and active in the Concord Fire Society.

Ralph Waldo Emerson introduced him to the other writers and transcendentalist of the era. In 1840, Thoreau fell in love with Ellen Sewall. However, she turned down his marriage proposal. Emerson acted as a mentor to Thoreau and helped him to publish nature writing and essays such as ‘A Winter Walk’(1843) and ‘Natural History of Massachusetts’(1841). In 1845, he believed that he needed time to think and apply himself as a transcendentalist and writer. So he moved into a small self-built house in Walden Pond, and later this experience led him to write a book called “Walden”(1854), which is considered to be one of the greatest literary works of American Literature history. In July 1846, Henry David Thoreau was arrested because he refused to pay a poll tax that is meant to support America's war in Mexico. Therefore, he spent a night in jail, and his most famous essay, “Civil Disobedience” (1849), was the result of his experience in