Brief introduction of writer Thoreau
Henry. David? Henry David Thoreau, born on June1865438+July 12, 2007, is an abolitionist and naturalist with anarchist tendencies, and once worked as a land surveyor. Thoreau's most famous works include Walden Lake and Civil Disobedience. Walden Lake records his seclusion in Walden Lake, while Civil Disobedience explores the injustice faced by the government and power and defends citizens' voluntary refusal to obey certain laws. Thoreau's books, essays, diaries and poems are all included in 20 volumes, expounding the findings and methods of studying environmental history and ecology, which have had a far-reaching impact on nature writing and laid the foundation for modern environmental protectionism. Thoreau was an abolitionist all his life. He preached abolitionism everywhere and attacked the escape law. His views on civil disobedience influenced Tolstoy, Mahatma Gandhi and Martin? Lu Se? Kim.
The life of writer Thoreau
Thoreau was born in Concord, Massachusetts on July 18 17. 1837 graduated from Harvard University, and is a student with excellent academic performance. After graduation, he returned to his hometown to teach. From 184 1, he stopped teaching and turned to writing. In Ralph? Waldo. With the support of Ralph Waldo Emerson, Thoreau lived in Concord and began his transcendentalism practice. During this period, Thoreau gave up poetry creation and began to write prose. At first, he wrote for the transcendental publication Dial. Later, his articles appeared in newspapers and magazines all over the country. He is a man who breaks idolatry in literature. It is rare for him to thank the university for its benefits and despise it. However, he really benefited from it. After graduating from college, he and his brother taught in a private school and left soon. His father made pencils, and Henry studied the craft for some time. He believes that he can make a better pencil than he used at that time. After he finished the experiment, he showed his works to chemists and artists in Boston, obtained their certificates, and ensured that its excellent quality was equal to the best products in London. Then he went home contentedly. His friends congratulated him because he found a way to get rich. But he replied that he would never make a pencil again. ? Why should I make a pencil? I will never do what I once did again. ?
Thoreau continued his long journey and all kinds of research, learning something new about nature every day, but he never talked about zoology or botany, because although he was tireless in learning the facts of nature, he was not curious about specialized science and literal science. At this time, he was a strong and healthy young man. He has just come out of college, and all his friends are choosing careers or eager to start a well-paid position. Of course, he can't help thinking about this same problem. His determination to resist all the usual ways and save his loneliness and freedom is really hard to come by? This needs to pay a great price and live up to the expectations of family members; Because he is completely honest and wants to be absolutely independent of himself and everyone, his situation is only more difficult. But Thoreau never hesitated. He is a natural dissident. He refused to give up his ambition in study and action for narrow skills or career. His goal is a broader mission, an art that can make us live a good life. If he despises and openly opposes other people's opinions, it is only because he is bent on harmonizing his behavior with his beliefs. He is never lazy or willful. When he needs money, he is willing to do some manual labor similar to his temperament to make money? Like building a boat or a fence, planting, grafting, surveying, or other short-term work? Instead of being employed for a long time. He has the habit of hard work, little demand in life, proficient in forest knowledge and very good at arithmetic. He can make a living anywhere in the world. He can meet his own needs more easily than others. In this way, he can ensure that he has leisure time.
Thoreau is regarded by some as the first environmentalist, and he is also an ecologist who cares about the living conditions of human beings. 1On July 4th, 845, Thoreau began a two-year experiment. He moved to the secondary forest near the beautiful Walden Lake, not far from his hometown of Concord, and tried a simple seclusion. He told Louisa, the author of the little woman? May? Alcott borrowed an axe, ran to the uninhabited forest by Walden Lake, cut wood by himself, built a hut by Walden Lake, and lived in the hut for two years, two months and two days. 1854 published the essay collection Walden Lake, which recorded his career in Walden Lake for two years and two months in detail. Although he graduated from the world-famous Harvard University, he did not choose to make a fortune in business or become a political star. Instead, I chose Walden Lake calmly and chose the freedom and leisure of my mind. He built wooden houses, cultivated land, wrote and read books, and lived a very simple and primitive life. When he came to Walden Lake, he thought he had found an ideal way of life. In these two years, Thoreau made his own living. He planted beans, radishes, corn and potatoes around the hut and then traded them for rice in the village. I live a primitive and simple life entirely by my own hands.
When I was living in Walden Lake, Thoreau refused to pay because he opposed black slavery? Poll tax? And was arrested and imprisoned. Although he only stayed in prison for one night and his friends paid taxes for him without his own consent, this night inspired him to think about many problems. After he came out, some citizens asked him why many people would rather go to jail than pay taxes. In order to explain this problem, he wrote the famous political theory "Resisting Civil Government" based on his own personal experience, and later renamed it "Civil Disobedience". The kind of self-reliance and non-violent resistance he preached? What is the form of struggle against Gandhi in India and Martin, the black leader in the United States? Lu Se? Kim has great influence. He has a gift for measurement. Because of his mathematical knowledge and a habit, he always wants to know the size and distance of objects he thinks are interested in, the size of trees, the depth of ponds and rivers, the height of mountains and the distance from the sky of his favorite peaks. Coupled with his detailed knowledge of the area around Concord, he gradually became a land surveyor. For him, this profession has an advantage: it constantly leads him to new hidden places and can help him study nature. His calculation skills and accuracy in this job quickly won people's praise, and he never worried about not finding something to do. He can easily solve those difficult problems about land survey; But he is troubled by more serious problems every day? He faced these problems bravely. He questioned every custom, and he wanted to put all his actions on an ideal basis. He is an extreme Protestant, and few people have given up so many things in his life like him. He didn't study any occupation; He has never been married; He lives alone; He never goes to church; He never elects; He refused to pay taxes to the government; He doesn't eat meat, drink or smoke. Although he is a naturalist, he never uses traps or guns. He would rather be a bachelor in mind and body? For his own sake, this is undoubtedly a clever choice. He has no talent for getting rich, and he knows how to be poor. It may be that he gradually adopted his own way of life, without knowing it beforehand, but wisely agreed afterwards.
Thoreau's Literary Contribution
Thoreau's second contribution to human civilization is his outstanding achievements in the development of literature. Among the early American literary works, his Walden has always been regarded as a classic of modern American literature by later generations. Compared with his contemporary genius writers Hawthorne, Melville and Emerson, his prose seems to be more fashionable in the 20th century.
Thoreau's writing is clear, concise and accurate, without the chaotic, abstract, obscure and sad emotions of Victorian era. At this point, later Hemingway, Henry? Miller inherited his style. Thoreau pays attention to the use of local languages, especially puns, in his writing, which makes his works have a kind of? Irony and humor? Meaning, so that we can feel like Swift, Voltaire, Mark? The styles of Twain and Bernard Shaw. For example, in? Boycott the national government? In an article, he wrote? I find it hard to accept the view that the smaller the government, the better. Isn't it the best policy to kill the government by spreading its meaning? .
Thoreau represents a spirit, not just an attitude towards life. Thoreau's genius is suitable for this kind of life if it is only thoughtful; But he is so energetic and down-to-earth, as if he was born to create great things. The scale of his research is very large and it takes a very long life span to complete, so when Thoreau quietly passed away, the United States does not know? At least I don't know what a great citizen she lost. This seems to be a sin, which makes him leave without finishing the work, and no one can finish it for him; This seems to be an insult to such a noble soul? He died before he really showed his peers what kind of person he was. But at least he's satisfied. His soul should be accompanied by the noblest soul; He learned all the talents and skills in this world in his short life; No matter where you are, as long as you have knowledge. A person who has morality and loves beauty must be his loyal readers.