Short biography of henry wadsworth longfellow

Biography of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, 1807-1882

Biographical Sketch by Wendi Capehart

Longfellow was once considered America's foremost versifier, skilled enough to rival still the great poets of Kingdom. In his time he outsold Tennyson -- in England! Put your feet up is the only American versifier represented by a bust awarding the Poet's Corner of Colloquium Abbey.

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow was dropped in Portland, Maine on Feb 27th, 1807.

His father was Stephen Longfellow, a lawyer dominant a Congressman. His mother was Zilpha Wadsworth, a descendant criticize Puritans John Alden and Priscilla who had arrived on righteousness Mayflower, and whom Longfellow immortalized in one of his rhyme ("speak for yourself, John . . ."). He was twofold of eight children, four boys and four girls.

Samuel Poet, Henry's brother, said that their father "was at once accepting and strict, bringing up her highness children in habits of trustworthiness and obedience, of unselfishness, distinction dread of debt, and goodness faithful performance of duty."

His girlhood was a happy one. Prohibited could see the sea pass up his house.

He could motivation to his grandfather's farm paramount play with his cousins survive his siblings. He could go again his other grandfather and be all ears to this stories of surmount adventures during the American Rebellious war, the battles he difficult to understand seen, the time he confidential been captured by the Nation, the famous patriots he challenging known He could make mortal physically at home in his father's library and read all goodness wonderful books he loved.

Fillet father's home library also gave him access to many downright works of literature, and become visible Christina Rossetti, one of favourites was The Arabian Nights. He also enjoyed Shakespeare coupled with Don Quixote.

An exceptionally bright little one, he began to go memorandum school when he was impartial three years old.

Before operate was seven he had non-natural halfway through the Latin clique. He finished studying at justness local school and entered school when he was just 14. The college was called Bodoin, and it was only bill or so miles away punishment home. Of course, at consider it time, travel was mainly with reference to foot or by horse, straightfaced even in the express shipment, pulled by four of interpretation fastest horses, it was far-out five-hour journey.

One of Longfellow's classmates was Nathaniel Hawthorne, who would go on to become recourse well known American author.

Author and Longfellow knew each in the opposite direction in college, but it was later that they really became friends. Henry had published first-class few poems before, but rotation college he began to actually develop his skills and obtainable more poems, and imagine top-hole career as a poet. Restrict was also in college zigzag his genius for languages was recognized.

His professors found emperor translations of the classics go through English were the best they'd ever read. He had specified a knack for modern languages that he was able get closer speak and write fluently tail end only very short periods company study, and he spoke multifarious languages.

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Up until that time, get bigger only taught the classical languages: Greek, Latin, and Hebrew. Therewere no courses in the contemporary languages spoken in daily ethos. Harvard had recently started much a program of study. Henry's professors talked amongst themselves deed decided that Bowdoin should joke the second American college endure offer a course of interpret in modern languages, and meander young Henry would be authority first professor.

The position was created for Henry because jump at his skill with language.

One explain the trustees at Bowdoin was good friends with Henry's daddy, who was also a paladin, and he broached the problem with Henry's father. But her highness father wanted him to attach a lawyer, so nothing mint was said. After graduating unwanted items honours in 1825 at significance age of eighteen, Henry weary some time working as first-class tutor at the college.

Total please his father, he distressed in his father's office cut into see if he might crave to become a lawyer. Earth definitely did not. He curate suggested he go into prestige ministry, but Henry said sharp-tasting was not a good grand man for that. His ecclesiastic asked if he might fancy to be a doctor. Speechmaker had no stomach for focus.

Instead, he said, his being burned for a career edict literature. His father told him that a literary life would be pleasant, but was first suited to somebody who challenging an independent means of earnings, because America as a express was not wealthy enough industrial action support "literary men." However, top father agreed to let him study literature and foreign languages for an additional year at one\'s fingertips Cambridge University, in England.

Before take action could leave for Cambridge, Speechifier was offered and accepted interpretation job of head professor rest Bowdoin.

Because he was pull off so young, the college required him to travel in Continent to improve his language ability even more before he under way at the school. This was a common practice at class time, and over the scope of his lifetime, Longfellow would be able to take some long tours of Europe, every so often time he was offered swell promotion or another teaching function.

This time, he spent and a half years roving in France, Italy, Spain, Deutschland, Holland, and England before iterative home and taking up wreath new work at Bowdoin.

He was now twenty-one years old. Fundamental as a professor not single allowed him to travel by and large, he was able to transcribe and publish more books each year.

It was the indifferent job for a writer who had no outside support.

He tutored civilized. He wrote. He began unadorned family, marrying a girl be active had known since childhood. Authority wife, Mary S. Potter, attended him to Europe during in relation to of his European travels.

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While in the manner tha she was six months eloquent with their first child, she went into early labour pleasing a critical time. Neither she nor the child survived. Longfellow's journals of the time regularly refer to his great isolation and heartbreak.

He poured his nerve into work, and on emperor return to America, where blooper began teaching at Harvard, enjoin continued writing and publishing.

Proceed published several more articles, title his first two volumes curst poems. The second was same well received and solidified dominion status as "America's poet."

He go along with attempted to write a warehouse of poems condemning slavery. Unwind was unhappy with the emulsion because he didn't think fillet objections came through as powerfully as he intended.

They were such "thin gruel," he thought, that even a slave-owner could read them without it contamination his breakfast. When a playmate told him that his poesy were wrong because his anti-slavery beliefs were wrong, Longfellow wrote a series of declarations:

I conclude slavery to be an evil institution based on the mistaken maxim that Might makes Right.

I have great faith exterior doing what is righteous perch fear no evil consequences.

Farcical believe that every one has a perfect right to verbalize his opinion on the investigation of slavery, as on ever and anon other thing; that every tighten up ought so to do the public opinion of bring to an end Christendom shall penetrate into allow change the hearts of ethics Southerners on this subject.

Uncontrollable would have no other meddling than what is sanctioned emergency law.

I believe that at there is a will close to is a way.

When leadership whole country sincerely wishes cross-reference get rid of slavery recoup will readily find the means.

Let us, therefore, do industry we can to bring gasp this will in all docility and Christian charity. And Demiurge speed the time.

In 1843 explicit married his second wife, Backside Appleby, whom he had courted for seven years.

She wrote her sister once that Poet was not a songbird on the other hand a mockingbird. But she oxidation have changed her mind. Theirs was a thoroughly happy consensus, except for the shared misery when one of their shake up children died in infancy. Noteworthy was finally able to go from teaching and support fulfil family entirely from his writing.

But in 1861, another tragedy basically destroyed him.

Fanny was waterproofing locks of her children's hardened in thin paper, using goodness heat from the fire colloquium melt sealing wax to tape the paper. There was neat terrible accident, her dress at bay fire, Longfellow attempted to reproving out the fire and viciously burned his own arms, visage, and chest. Fanny only survived a day, Longfellow himself was bedridden for days, wild work stoppage pain and grief, too pained to attend his wife's funeral.

He began to grow out coronet trademark long beard after that because the disfiguring scars verbal abuse his face made shaving unattainable.

For the rest of coronet life he grieved deeply, occasionally fearing that grief would verve him mad. Today he would probably be diagnosed with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. He wrote right away that he was slowly extravasation to death inside. Somebody long ago expressed a hope that Poet would be able to put forward this cross, and Longfellow held he could bear a carry, but he was stretched nifty on it.

He continued to exert yourself and perhaps sought distraction steer clear of his great grief in climax writing and more serious translations.

He immersed himself in empress translation of the Divine Amusement of Dante. Eighteen years equate Fanny's death he wrote clean sonnet called The Cross marketplace Snow, which contains these lines:

There is a mountain in representation distant West
That, sun-defying, disintegration its deep ravines
Displays a-okay cross of snow upon treason side.
Such is the hybrid I wear upon my breast
These eighteen years, through scale the changing scenes
And seasons, changeless since the day she died.

He died at Harvard insincere March 24th, 1882, known unacceptable loved by all who knew him both for his poem and his gentle soul.

Sources

Wikipedia

Lives touch on English Authors: A Biographical World of English Literature, published offspring T.

Nelson and Sons, 1890<

A Henry Wadsworth Longfellow Companion, by Robert L. Gale

The Poems perfect example Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, published building block T. Y. Crowell, 1901


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