Henry Thoreau

Books that changed America

Introduction and Thesis

In over two centuries there have only been a few titles of books or articles that have truly touched the heart of their readers. There have been even fewer that have reached their minds for those that reached both are awarded the unofficial title of, the “Books That Changed the World”. Many works have been extremely famous and unfinished for the author Henry David Thoreau such as “Aulus Persius Flaccus (1840) The Service (1840) A Walk to Wachusett (1842) Paradise (to be) Regained (1843) The Landlord (1843) Sir Walter Raleigh”. There is one in particular known as one of his most famous works “Walden”, this is the title in particular that will be discussed in this article. Thoreau depicts the ideas of happiness and the idea of it and what it truly means to the person.” With Walden and his other nature writings, Thoreau advocated environmental awareness; as a Transcendentalist, he urged all individuals to develop their fullest potential; as a social critic, he challenged materialism and conformity and formulated the doctrine of civil disobedience.” (Morsberger) In addition to this he discusses the idea of true self-reliance and the meaning of valuing the simple things in life.

About the author

Henry David Thoreau was a great American writer and was known to be, “Born in the nick of time” as many have called it. He was born and raised in Concord, Massachusetts 1817, it was a very nice place growing up and was in close vicinity to Boston Massachusetts. David started his early life in education at a public school in his hometown. He continued further education at a very well-known school Harvard university, while it wasn’t the prestigious school that it is now but still a great school. Hennery was an exemplary scholar and did very well in college but he had to drop out due to health reasons. After graduation, Henry found that it was much harder for him to find a job than he had the lead to be. This in combination with poor economic conditions made for a hard time all around. Due to these conditions, Henry was forced to work at his family business reluctantly. “He worked in the pencil factory of his father after graduation and started lecturing at the Concord Lyceum. He and his brother, John Thoreau, reopened the Concord Academy in 1838 where he was an innovative teacher who immersed his students in natural and human history.” (Morsberger). After this Henry was convinced to become a writer and chase his dreams, he used a piece of land from a friend to perform his studies and give some perspective.

About the book

“Walden” was a great piece of literary excellence; this being said it is a part of many masterpieces written by Henry David Thoreau. This piece was published in 1854, this was one of his most well-known pieces. His work was a simple yet meaningful summary of his simple life living just off Walden Pond. This was a summary of his time of around 2 years and 2 months of living off the grid by growing his vegetables and all of his means of food and survival. However, this was was all by design and this was his purpose for living at Walden Pond, Henry wanted to enjoy nature and all the things with it. Most of his time consisted of writing and reading, but he did write about most of the experiences that he had while living in complete loneliness. “Walden” gained popularity in the 20th century and was known as a very well-known literary classic. This was all because of Hennery’s “to the point” writing style.

The legacy

David Henry Thoreau was a very different person for his time with the thoughts he had. Thoreau was not fond of modern-day society; this was all in addition to finding life sad as it was in most people’s minds that materialistic items were truly less important than thigs Henry found important. He was a very outward-spoken person and was extremely direct. “Fools stand on their island of opportunities and look toward another land. There is no other. land; there is no other life but this” (Thoreau) This explains how Thoreau believed life was meaning-less unless it was acted upon. Henry David Thoreau was an excellent American writer, inanition to changing the minds of thousands of Americans forever.

Works Cited

Hutchins, Robert M., et al. “Chapter 59: Henry David Thoreau.” Volume 6: Man & Society I, 1 Oct. 2008, pp. 691–694, web.s.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail/detail?vid=19&sid=b086e9c6–31d2–4407–9a4d-ed93e6accf5c%40redis&bdata=JkF1dGhUeXBlPXNoaWImc2l0ZT1laG9zdC1saXZl#AN=43960151&db=lkh. Accessed 17 Nov. 2022.

Morsberger, Robert E. “Henry David Thoreau.” Critical Survey of American Literature, 1 Jan. 2016, pp. 2958–2966, web.s.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail/detail?vid=23&sid=b086e9c6–31d2–4407–9a4d-ed93e6accf5c%40redis&bdata=JkF1dGhUeXBlPXNoaWImc2l0ZT1laG9zdC1saXZl#AN=127951052&db=lkh. Accessed 17 Nov. 2022.

“Henry David Thoreau Quotes.” BrainyQuote, www.brainyquote.com/quotes/henry_david_thoreau_122587#:~:text=Henry%20David%20Thoreau%20Quotes%20Any%20fool%20can%20make. Accessed 17 Nov. 2022.