Henry David Thoreau

July 12, 1817- May 6, 1862

                          "I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life,

and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived."

-Henry David Thoreau, Walden, 1854

 

Henry David Thoreau was a complex man and environmentalist who had great thoughts about the environment which he publicly displayed through his creative writing skills .

He was born on July 12 1817 on what is today known as the Thoreau farm Trust in Concord, Massachusetss. He grew up with his parents Cythia and John Thoreau. His father had a small buisness in pencil making. Thoreau was the youngest of only three, and he was especially close with his older brother, Johnathan. At young age, Henry became fasinated by nature and enthusiastic about writing for the enviroment.

Henry David Thoreau attended Harvard University from 1833 to 1837. He took courses in rhetorics, classics, mathematics, philosophy and science. Thoreau was very interested in the conservation of both the environment, and whatever it contained. He did not agree with his father's tree wasting, pencil making business, and legend has it that Thoreau refused to pay the five dollar fee for his Harvard diploma, due to fact of the diplomas being made out of velum, a paper made from sheepskin. His comment was "Let every sheep keep its own skin".

In 1845, Thoreau embarked on a "simple living" experiment when he moved in to a self-built house in a forrest around the shores of Walden Pond. At Walden Pond he completed his final draft of "A Week on the Concord and Merrimack Rivers", a novel describing his 1839 trip to the White Mountains with his brother, Jonathon (Jonathon Thoreau died of lock-jaw in 1842). Henry David Thoreau spent two years, two months and two days at Walden Pond. It was when he returned home that he recollected all of his environmental experiences and created many pieces of literature and essays which creatively spoke about the importance of conserving the environment.

Henry David Thoreau's Environmental Works:

Novels:

Walden or Life in the Woods, 1854: About the time that he spent at Walden Pond. Critics regard it as a classic American book that explores nature simplicity, harmony, and beauty

The Maine Woods, 1864: Describes his three excursions to Maine in the 1840s and 1850s.

Cape Cod, 1865: The 4 trips Thoreau took to Cape Cod between the years 1849 and 1857

Essays:

"Civil Disobedience", 1849

"Life without Principal", 1854

"Slavery in Massachusettes", 1854

"Succession of Forrest Trees", 1860.

(Quote from "Succession of Forrest Trees": "Convince me that you have a seed there, and I'm prepared to expect wonders.")

"Walking",1962

(Describes wilderness as a "treasure to be preserved, rather than a resource to be plundered."-Henry David Thoreau, "Walking".)

Henry David Thoreau created over 20 volumes of books, articles, and essays that promoted the goodness of nature as he attempted to inform others of this sometimes unrealized beauty.

Henry David Thoreau first contracted tuburculosis in 1835. It effected him his entire life up until 1859 when he also became infected with bronchitis. His health continued to decline over three years, and he wrote letters and journals until he eventually became too weak to continue. Henry David Thoreau died on May 6, 1862, with his last words being "moose.. Indian."

Today, Henry David Thoreau's environmentalist ideas and concerns can be applied to the constant depletion of our environment (ex. deforestation, global warming, conservation of nature in general). His literary works mainly spoke of forrests and mountain ranges and how it's crucial that they are respected and not abused. Specifically referring to Thoreau's essay, "Walking", he described "wilderness as a treasure.. [something] to be preserved, rather than a resource to be plundered." If everyone had this mentality and followed the philosophy of this environmentalist, we would no longer have as many extreme environmental issues and concerns.