Henry David Thoreau: Philosopher Poet And Journalist

The Philosopher, Poet, and Journalist: Henry David Thoreau “The world is but a canvas to our imagination.” Henry David Thoreau was an American writer known for his naturalist and philosophical writings. Most people remember Henry for his book Walden, where he spent two years at Ralph Waldo Emerson’s pond, Walden Pond. “He also became known for his beliefs in Transcendentalism and civil disobedience, and was a dedicated abolitionist” (Biography.com). Without writers like Thoreau, our literature would lack a sense of nature, the thinking’s of reality and existence. Henry David Thoreau was born in Concord, Massachusetts and was surrounded by his older siblings Helen and John, and their younger sister Sophia. Their father ran …show more content…
His publication, Civil Disobedience, was inspired by his encounter with the law. Henry had to spend the night at a jail for refusing to pay poll tax. Civil Disobedience is Thoreau’s most-known and most influencing essays. The essays were published in 1849 and, all around the world, have inspired many leaders of protest movements. Martin Luther King Jr. and Mohandas Gandhi were inspired by the essay Civil Disobedience. “If a plant cannot live according to its nature, it dies; and so a man” Civil Disobedience. (Later …show more content…
Thoreau’s poems, books, and essays brought together two themes: nature and life. Henry is mainly remembered today for his writings on nature and his essays on political thought. Many people still read Walden and Civil Disobedience; both books still inspire people hundreds of years later. People read Henry’s books and essays for the inspiration they hold because Thoreau stood up for what he believed in and showed admiration towards what he wrote