Biography of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow essays

Biography of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow essays Henry Wadsworth Longfellow was born February 27, 1807, in Portland, Maine. He was the son of Stephen Longfellow and Zilpah Wadsworth Longfellow. The lives of the harbor workers and fisherman surrounding him as a boy in the Portland Seaport made him very curious about what exactly goes on. Henry was sent to start his education at the age of three. At the age of 6, his family received a letter from the school concerning Henrys academic ability, it stated, "Master Henry Longfellow is one of the best boys we have in school. He spells and reads very well. He can also add and multiply numbers. His conduct last quarter was very correct and amiable." It was pretty obvious at the start of his education Henry had an unusual talent for recognizing sounds and words. A lot of that is thought to be achieved on behalf of Henrys mother, who read to his brothers and sisters and him, the high romance of Ossian, the heroic Gaelic. Washington Irving's 'Sketch Book' has said to have influenced Henry the most. A quote from Henry later on in life states, "Every reader has his first book. I mean to say, one book among all others which in early youth first fascinates his imagination, and at once excites and satisfies the desires of his mind. To me, the first book was the 'Sketch Book' of Washington Irving." After graduating from Bowdoin College at the age of 19, Longfellow set out on a trip to study and travel around the world. He had been asked by the college to become the first professor of modern languages and was given time to travel. He returned to the US in 1829. At age 22, he became a college professor. In 1831, he married Mary Storer Potter, a peer of his he had known throughout his school career. He was asked by Harvard to come teach there and set out for Europe to study. His wife came along with him but died in Rotterdam. He moved to Cambridge and started his new job at Harvard alone. He worked diligently after his wife&a...