Henry David Thoreau for Kids: His Life and Ideas, with 21 Activities

Henry David Thoreau for Kids: His Life and Ideas, with 21 Activities — page 5
17 INTRODUCTION Leader WHAT MAKES HENRY THOREAU IMPORTANT I should not talk so much about myself if there were any body else whom I knew as well Walden enry Thoreau is most remembered for living for two years at Walden Pond in Concord Mass achusetts and for spending one night in jail for refusing to pay a state tax He lived only to the age of 44 and did not become famous in his lifetime Yet more than a century and a half after his death we still read his essays and books We still print his words on posters and greeting cards Why The first answer is a simple one We can relate to what Henry saw and experienced in the mid 1800s Our times may be different but the ways that people think act and react are very much the same Our concerns about laws and government may be similar to his Our connections with nature can be as close and as personal for us as they were for him Henry’s words reach out to us from across time and point out the realities that lie right in front of our noses His insights sound so true that it's almost as if he were here to read our minds or to give us advice in