... perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music which he hears, however measured or far away." (Thoreau, Walden.) Thoreau's belief in the importance of individualism is evident several times during his life. One time he shows this is in 1845, when he moves ... Walden Pond. Another time Thoreau's nonconformist beliefs are revealed is when, in protest to the Mexican-American War and slavery (government in general), he refused to pay his poll taxes and he is locked up for night. From this experience comes the essay Civil Disobedience, in which he ... much as fo...

• Word Count: 436
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: High School

... Concord, Massachusetts and barely ever followed the rules. Henry had a pretty darn good education. He went to Harvard, they required him to wear black, so Thoreau wore green. He had several different jobs at the start of his life, like most of us do. He was a school teacher, lecturer, even Emerson's ... handyman. Now onto the good part, in 1845 Thoreau lived alone at Walden Pond in a cabin that he built himself. He crammed all his experiences into one year and wrote a book about it, Walden. ... to pay the taxes that would support the Mexican War. After his experience in jail, he wrote "...

• Word Count: 853
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School