Herman Melville: A Biography And Analysis
Throughout American history, very few authors have earned the right to
be called “great.” Herman Melville is one of these few. His novels and poems
have been enjoyed world wide for over a century, and he has earned his
reputation as one of the finest American writers of all time. A man of towering
talent, with intellectual and artistic brilliance, and a mind of deep insight
into human motives and behavior, it is certainly a disgrace that his true
greatness was not recognized until nearly a generation after his death.
Born in the city of New York on August 1, 1819, Melville was the third
child and second son of Allan Melvill(it wasn't until Allan's death in 1832 that
the “e” at the end ...
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mother's, was equally
distinguished. Major Thomas Melvill, his grandfather, was one of the “Indians”
in the Boston Tea Party during the events leading to the war and who had then
served his country creditably throughout the hostilities. The Melvill family
kept on their mantelpiece a bottle of tea drained out of Major Melvill's clothes
after the Tea Party as a momento of this occasion.
Herman attended the New York Male High School from about the age of
seven until 1830. By that time, Allan Melvill's business had begun to fail, due
to his credit being overextended. After futile attempts to re-establish himself,
he eventually found it necessary to accept the management of a New York fur
company back in Albany. The family moved there in the autumn of 1830, and during
that time Herman attended, along with his brothers Gansevoort and Allan, the
Albany Academy. Just as luck seemed to again be favoring the Melvills, Allan's
business affairs again suffered a setback. Excessive worry and ...
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at the Albany Classical School, he
had become qualified as a school teacher. He left his brothers at the now
failing fur company and became a teacher at a one-room schoolhouse outside of
Pittsfiesd. On his first day of the new job, the inexperienced teacher was
confronted with thirty students of all ages and levels of skill. Some were his
age, and a few utterly illiterate. In such extreme conditions Herman found it
hard to maintain discipline, let alone teach. After six weeks, he gave up and
returned to Albany.
For a few months, Herman looked for work without success. His leisure
hours, though, were filled with excitement. Early in 1838 he organized a
debating club and promptly got ...
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Herman Melville: A Biography And Analysis. (2007, January 15). Retrieved April 16, 2024, from http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Herman-Melville-A-Biography-And-Analysis/58731
"Herman Melville: A Biography And Analysis." Essayworld.com. Essayworld.com, 15 Jan. 2007. Web. 16 Apr. 2024. <http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Herman-Melville-A-Biography-And-Analysis/58731>
"Herman Melville: A Biography And Analysis." Essayworld.com. January 15, 2007. Accessed April 16, 2024. http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Herman-Melville-A-Biography-And-Analysis/58731.
"Herman Melville: A Biography And Analysis." Essayworld.com. January 15, 2007. Accessed April 16, 2024. http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Herman-Melville-A-Biography-And-Analysis/58731.
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