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806718226_3584-4558 | James Russell Lowell was born February 22 , 1819 . He was a member of the eighth generation of the Lowell family , the descendants of Percival Lowle who settled in Newbury , Massachusetts , in 1639 . His parents were the Reverend Charles Russell Lowell Sr. ( 1782 -- 1861 ) , a minister at a Unitarian church in Boston who had previously studied theology at Edinburgh , and Harriett Brackett Spence Lowell . By the time that James Russell Lowell was born , the family owned a large estate in Cambridge called Elmwood . He was the youngest of six children ; his siblings were Charles , Rebecca , Mary , William , and Robert . Lowell 's mother built in him an appreciation for literature at an early age , especially in poetry , ballads , and tales from her native Orkney . He attended school under Sophia Dana , who later married George Ripley ; he later studied at a school run by a particularly harsh disciplinarian , where one of his classmates was Richard Henry Dana Jr . | James Russell Lowell |
806718226_4559-5386 | Lowell attended Harvard College beginning at age 15 in 1834 , though he was not a good student and often got into trouble . In his sophomore year , he was absent from required chapel attendance 14 times and from classes 56 times . In his last year there , he wrote , `` During Freshman year , I did nothing , during Sophomore year I did nothing , during Junior year I did nothing , and during Senior year I have thus far done nothing in the way of college studies . '' In his senior year , he became one of the editors of Harvardiana literary magazine , to which he contributed prose and poetry that he admitted was of low quality . As he said later , `` I was as great an ass as ever brayed & thought it singing . '' During his undergraduate years , Lowell was a member of Hasty Pudding and served both as Secretary and Poet . | James Russell Lowell |
806718226_5387-6154 | Lowell was elected the poet of the class of 1838 and , as was tradition , was asked to recite an original poem on Class Day , the day before Commencement on July 17 , 1838 . He was suspended , however , and not allowed to participate . Instead , his poem was printed and made available thanks to subscriptions paid by his classmates . He had composed the poem in Concord , where he had been exiled by the Harvard faculty to the care of the Rev. Barzallai Frost because of his neglect of his studies . During his stay in Concord , he became friends with Ralph Waldo Emerson and got to know the other Transcendentalists . His Class Day poem satirized the social movements of the day ; abolitionists , Thomas Carlyle , Emerson , and the Transcendentalists were treated . | James Russell Lowell |
806718226_6155-6686 | Lowell did not know what vocation to choose after graduating , and he vacillated among business , the ministry , medicine , and law . He ultimately enrolled at Harvard Law School in 1840 and was admitted to the bar two years later . While studying law , however , he contributed poems and prose articles to various magazines . During this time , he was admittedly depressed and often had suicidal thoughts . He once confided to a friend that he held a cocked pistol to his forehead and considered killing himself at the age of 20 . | James Russell Lowell |
806718226_6716-7594 | In late 1839 , Lowell met Maria White through her brother William , a classmate at Harvard , and the two became engaged in the autumn of 1840 . Maria 's father Abijah White , a wealthy merchant from Watertown , insisted that their wedding be postponed until Lowell had gainful employment . They were finally married on December 26 , 1844 , shortly after the groom published Conversations on the Old Poets , a collection of his previously published essays . A friend described their relationship as `` the very picture of a True Marriage '' . Lowell himself believed that she was made up `` half of earth and more than half of Heaven '' . She , too , wrote poetry , and the next twelve years of Lowell 's life were deeply affected by her influence . He said that his first book of poetry A Year 's Life ( 1841 ) `` owes all its beauty to her '' , though it only sold 300 copies . | James Russell Lowell |
806718226_7595-8070 | Maria 's character and beliefs led her to become involved in the movements directed against intemperance and slavery . She was a member of the Boston Female Anti-Slavery Society and persuaded her husband to become an abolitionist . James had previously expressed antislavery sentiments , but Maria urged him towards more active expression and involvement . His second volume of poems Miscellaneous Poems expressed these antislavery thoughts , and its 1,500 copies sold well . | James Russell Lowell |
806718226_8071-9034 | Maria was in poor health , and the couple moved to Philadelphia shortly after their marriage , thinking that her lungs could heal there . In Philadelphia , he became a contributing editor for the Pennsylvania Freeman , an abolitionist newspaper . In the spring of 1845 , the Lowells returned to Cambridge to make their home at Elmwood . They had four children , though only one ( Mabel , born 1847 ) survived past infancy . Blanche was born December 31 , 1845 , but lived only fifteen months ; Rose , born in 1849 , survived only a few months as well ; their only son Walter was born in 1850 but died in 1852 . Lowell was very affected by the loss of almost all of his children . His grief over the death of his first daughter in particular was expressed in his poem `` The First Snowfall '' ( 1847 ) . He again considered suicide , writing to a friend that he thought `` of my razors and my throat and that I am a fool and a coward not to end it all at once '' . | James Russell Lowell |
806718226_9060-10590 | Lowell 's earliest poems were published without remuneration in the Southern Literary Messenger in 1840 . He was inspired to new efforts towards self - support and joined with his friend Robert Carter in founding the literary journal The Pioneer . The periodical was distinguished by the fact that most of its content was new rather than material that had been previously published elsewhere , and by the inclusion of very serious criticism , which covered not only literature but also art and music . Lowell wrote that it would `` furnish the intelligent and reflecting portion of the Reading Public with a rational substitute for the enormous quantity of thrice - diluted trash , in the shape of namby - pamby love tales and sketches , which is monthly poured out to them by many of our popular Magazines . '' William Wetmore Story noted the journal 's higher taste , writing that `` it took some stand & appealled to a higher intellectual Standard than our puerile milk or watery namby - pamby Mags with which we are overrun '' . The first issue of the journal included the first appearance of `` The Tell - Tale Heart '' by Edgar Allan Poe . Lowell was treated for an eye disease in New York shortly after the first issue , and in his absence Carter did a poor job of managing the journal . The magazine ceased publication after three monthly numbers beginning in January 1843 , leaving Lowell $1,800 in debt . Poe mourned the journal 's demise , calling it `` a most severe blow to the cause -- the cause of a Pure Taste '' . | James Russell Lowell |
806718226_10591-11345 | Despite the failure of The Pioneer , Lowell continued his interest in the literary world . He wrote a series on `` Anti-Slavery in the United States '' for the Daily News , though his series was discontinued by the editors after four articles in May 1846 . He had published these articles anonymously , believing that they would have more impact if they were not known to be the work of a committed abolitionist . In the spring of 1848 , he formed a connection with the National Anti-Slavery Standard of New York , agreeing to contribute weekly either a poem or a prose article . After only one year , he was asked to contribute half as often to the Standard to make room for contributions from Edmund Quincy , another writer and reformer . Daguerreotype | James Russell Lowell |
806718226_11401-12180 | A Fable for Critics was one of Lowell 's most popular works , published anonymously in 1848 . It proved a popular satire , and the first 3,000 copies sold out quickly . In it , he took good - natured jabs at his contemporary poets and critics -- but not all the subjects were pleased . Edgar Allan Poe was referred to as part genius and `` two - fifths sheer fudge '' ; he reviewed the work in the Southern Literary Messenger and called it `` ' loose ' -- ill - conceived and feebly executed , as well in detail as in general ... we confess some surprise at his putting forth so unpolished a performance . '' Lowell offered his New York friend Charles Frederick Briggs all the profits from the book 's success ( which proved relatively small ) , despite his own financial needs . | James Russell Lowell |
806718226_12181-12752 | In 1848 , Lowell also published The Biglow Papers , later named by the Grolier Club as the most influential book of 1848 . The first 1,500 copies sold out within a week and a second edition was soon issued -- though Lowell made no profit , as he had to absorb the cost of stereotyping the book himself . The book presented three main characters , each representing different aspects of American life and using authentic American dialects in their dialogue . Under the surface , The Biglow Papers was also a denunciation of the Mexican -- American War and war in general . | James Russell Lowell |
806718226_12783-13850 | In 1850 , Lowell 's mother died unexpectedly , as did his third daughter , Rose . Her death left Lowell depressed and reclusive for six months , despite the birth of his son Walter by the end of the year . He wrote to a friend that death `` is a private tutor . We have no fellow - scholars , and must lay our lessons to heart alone . '' These personal troubles as well as the Compromise of 1850 inspired Lowell to accept an offer from William Wetmore Story to spend a winter in Italy . To pay for the trip , Lowell sold land around Elmwood , intending to sell off further acres of the estate over time to supplement his income , ultimately selling off 25 of the original 30 acres ( 120,000 m ) . Walter died suddenly in Rome of cholera , and Lowell and his wife , with their daughter Mabel , returned to the United States in October 1852 . Lowell published recollections of his journey in several magazines , many of which would be collected years later as Fireside Travels ( 1867 ) . He also edited volumes with biographical sketches for a series on British Poets . | James Russell Lowell |
806718226_13851-14977 | His wife Maria , who had been suffering from poor health for many years , became very ill in the spring of 1853 and died on October 27 of tuberculosis . Just before her burial , her coffin was opened so that her daughter Mabel could see her face while Lowell `` leaned for a long while against a tree weeping '' , according to Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and his wife , who were in attendance . In 1855 , Lowell oversaw the publication of a memorial volume of his wife 's poetry , with only fifty copies for private circulation . Despite his self - described `` naturally joyous '' nature , life for Lowell at Elmwood was further complicated by his father becoming deaf in his old age , and the deteriorating mental state of his sister Rebecca , who sometimes went a week without speaking . He again cut himself off from others , becoming reclusive at Elmwood , and his private diaries from this time period are riddled with the initials of his wife . On March 10 , 1854 , for example , he wrote : `` Dark without & within . M.L.M.L.M.L. '' Longfellow , a friend and neighbor , referred to Lowell as `` lonely and desolate '' . | James Russell Lowell |
806718226_15021-17160 | At the invitation of his cousin John Amory Lowell , James Russell Lowell was asked to deliver a lecture at the prestigious Lowell Institute . Some speculated the opportunity was because of the family connection , offered as an attempt to bring him out of his depression . Lowell chose to speak on `` The English Poets '' , telling his friend Briggs that he would take revenge on dead poets `` for the injuries received by one whom the public wo n't allow among the living '' . The first of the twelve - part lecture series was to be on January 9 , 1855 , though by December , Lowell had only completed writing five of them , hoping for last - minute inspiration . His first lecture was on John Milton and the auditorium was oversold ; Lowell had to give a repeat performance the next afternoon . Lowell , who had never spoken in public before , was praised for these lectures . Francis James Child said that Lowell , whom he deemed was typically `` perverse '' , was able to `` persist in being serious contrary to his impulses and his talents '' . While his series was still in progress , Lowell was offered the Smith Professorship of Modern Languages at Harvard , a post vacated by Longfellow , at an annual salary of $1,200 , though he never applied for it . The job description was changing after Longfellow ; instead of teaching languages directly , Lowell would supervise the department and deliver two lecture courses per year on topics of his own choosing . Lowell accepted the appointment , with the proviso that he should have a year of study abroad . He set sail on June 4 of that year , leaving his daughter Mabel in the care of a governess named Frances Dunlap . Abroad , he visited Le Havre , Paris , and London , spending time with friends including Story , Robert Browning and Elizabeth Barrett Browning , and Leigh Hunt . Primarily , however , Lowell spent his time abroad studying languages , particularly German , which he found difficult . He complained : `` The confounding genders ! If I die I shall have engraved on my tombstone that I died of der , die , das , not because I caught them but because I could n't . '' | James Russell Lowell |
806718226_17161-18069 | He returned to the United States in the summer of 1856 and began his college duties . Towards the end of his professorship , then - president of Harvard Charles William Eliot noted that Lowell seemed to have `` no natural inclination '' to teach ; Lowell agreed , but retained his position for twenty years . He focused on teaching literature , rather than etymology , hoping that his students would learn to enjoy the sound , rhythm , and flow of poetry rather than the technique of words . He summed up his method : `` True scholarship consists in knowing not what things exists , but what they mean ; it is not memory but judgment . '' Still grieving the loss of his wife , during this time Lowell avoided Elmwood and instead lived on Kirkland Street in Cambridge , an area known as Professors ' Row . He stayed there , along with his daughter Mabel and her governess Frances Dunlap , until January 1861 . | James Russell Lowell |
806718226_18070-18719 | Lowell had intended never to remarry after the death of his wife Maria White . However , in 1857 , surprising his friends , he became engaged to Frances Dunlap , who many described as simple and unattractive . Dunlap , niece of the former governor of Maine Robert P. Dunlap , was a friend of Lowell 's first wife and formerly wealthy , though she and her family had fallen into reduced circumstances . Lowell and Dunlap married on September 16 , 1857 , in a ceremony performed by his brother . Lowell wrote , `` My second marriage was the wisest act of my life , & as long as I am sure of it , I can afford to wait till my friends agree with me . '' | James Russell Lowell |
806718226_18778-20066 | In the autumn of 1857 , The Atlantic Monthly was established , and Lowell was its first editor . With its first issue in November of that year , he at once gave the magazine the stamp of high literature and of bold speech on public affairs . In January 1861 , Lowell 's father died of a heart attack , inspiring Lowell to move his family back to Elmwood . As he wrote to his friend Briggs , `` I am back again to the place I love best . I am sitting in my old garret , at my old desk , smoking my old pipe ... I begin to feel more like my old self than I have these ten years . '' Shortly thereafter , in May , he left The Atlantic Monthly when James Thomas Fields took over as editor ; the magazine had been purchased by Ticknor and Fields for $10,000 two years before . Lowell returned to Elmwood by January 1861 but maintained an amicable relationship with the new owners of the journal , continuing to submit his poetry and prose for the rest of his life . His prose , however , was more abundantly presented in the pages of the North American Review during the years 1862 -- 1872 . For the Review , he served as a coeditor along with Charles Eliot Norton . Lowell 's reviews for the journal covered a wide variety of literary releases of the day , though he was writing fewer poems . | James Russell Lowell |
806718226_20067-20919 | As early as 1845 , Lowell had predicted the debate over slavery would lead to war and , as the Civil War broke out in the 1860s , Lowell used his role at the Review to praise Abraham Lincoln and his attempts to maintain the Union . Lowell lost three nephews during the war , including Charles Russell Lowell Jr. , who became a Brigadier General and fell at the Battle of Cedar Creek . Lowell himself was generally a pacifist . Even so , he wrote , `` If the destruction of slavery is to be a consequence of the war , shall we regret it ? If it be needful to the successful prosecution of the war , shall anyone oppose it ? '' His interest in the Civil War inspired him to write a second series of The Biglow Papers , including one specifically dedicated to the preliminary Emancipation Proclamation called `` Sunthin ' in the Pastoral Line '' in 1862 . | James Russell Lowell |
806718226_20920-21850 | Shortly after Lincoln 's assassination , Lowell was asked to present a poem at Harvard in memory of graduates killed in the war . His poem , `` Commemoration Ode '' , cost him sleep and his appetite , but was delivered on July 21 , 1865 , after a 48 - hour writing binge . Lowell had high hopes for his performance but was overshadowed by the other notables presenting works that day , including Ralph Waldo Emerson and Oliver Wendell Holmes . `` I did not make the hit I expected '' , he wrote , `` and am ashamed at having been tempted again to think I could write poetry , a delusion from which I have been tolerably free these dozen years . '' Despite his personal assessment , friends and other poets sent many letters to Lowell congratulating him . Emerson referred to his poem 's `` high thought & sentiment '' and James Freeman Clarke noted its `` grandeur of tone '' . Lowell later expanded it with a strophe to Lincoln . | James Russell Lowell |
806718226_21851-22661 | In the 1860s , Lowell 's friend Longfellow spent several years translating Dante Alighieri 's Divine Comedy and regularly invited others to help him on Wednesday evenings . Lowell was one of the main members of the so - called `` Dante Club '' , along with William Dean Howells , Charles Eliot Norton and other occasional guests . Shortly after serving as a pallbearer at the funeral of friend and publisher Nathaniel Parker Willis on January 24 , 1867 , Lowell decided to produce another collection of his poetry . Under the Willows and Other Poems was released in 1869 , though Lowell originally wanted to title it The Voyage to the Vinland and Other Poems . The book , dedicated to Norton , collected poems Lowell had written within the previous twenty years and was his first poetry collection since 1848 . | James Russell Lowell |
806718226_22662-23334 | Lowell intended to take another trip to Europe . To finance it , he sold off more of Elmwood 's acres and rented the house to Thomas Bailey Aldrich ; Lowell 's daughter Mabel , by this time , had moved into a new home with her husband Edward Burnett , the son of a successful businessman - farmer from Southborough , Massachusetts . Lowell and his wife set sail on July 8 , 1872 , after he took a leave of absence from Harvard . They visited England , Paris , Switzerland , and Italy . While overseas , he received an honorary Doctorate of Law from the University of Oxford and another from Cambridge University . They returned to the United States in the summer of 1874 . | James Russell Lowell |
806718226_23407-25023 | Lowell resigned from his Harvard professorship in 1874 , though he was persuaded to continue teaching through 1877 . It was in 1876 that Lowell first stepped into the field of politics . That year , he served as a delegate to the Republican National Convention in Cincinnati , Ohio , speaking on behalf of presidential candidate Rutherford B. Hayes . Hayes won the nomination and , eventually , the presidency . In May 1877 , President Hayes , an admirer of The Biglow Papers , sent William Dean Howells to Lowell with a handwritten note proffering an ambassadorship to either Austria or Russia ; Lowell declined , but noted his interest in Spanish literature . Lowell was then offered and accepted the role of Minister to the court of Spain at an annual salary of $12,000 . Lowell sailed from Boston on July 14 , 1877 , and , though he expected he would be away for a year or two , did not return to the United States until 1885 , with the violinist Ole Bull renting Elmwood for a portion of that time . The Spanish media referred to him as `` José Bighlow '' . Lowell was well - prepared for his political role , having been trained in law , as well as being able to read in multiple languages . He had trouble socializing while in Spain , however , and amused himself by sending humorous dispatches to his political bosses in the United States , many of which were later collected and published posthumously in 1899 as Impressions of Spain . Lowell 's social life improved when the Spanish Academy elected him a corresponding member in late 1878 , allowing him contribute to the preparation of a new dictionary . | James Russell Lowell |
806718226_25024-26135 | In January 1880 , Lowell was informed of his appointment as Minister to England , his nomination made without his knowledge as far back as June 1879 . He was granted a salary of $17,500 with about $3,500 for expenses . While serving in this capacity , he addressed an importation of allegedly diseased cattle and made recommendations that predated the Pure Food and Drug Act . Queen Victoria commented that she had never seen an ambassador who `` created so much interest and won so much regard as Mr. Lowell '' . Lowell held this role until the close of Chester A. Arthur 's presidency in the spring of 1885 , despite his wife 's failing health . Lowell was already well known in England for his writing and , during his time there , befriended fellow author Henry James , who referred to him as `` conspicuously American '' . Lowell also befriended Leslie Stephen many years earlier and became the godfather to his daughter , future writer Virginia Woolf . Lowell was popular enough that he was offered a professorship at Oxford after his recall by President Grover Cleveland , though the offer was declined . | James Russell Lowell |
806718226_26136-26217 | His second wife , Frances , died on February 19 , 1885 , while still in England . | James Russell Lowell |
806718226_26333-27546 | He returned to the United States by June 1885 , living with his daughter and her husband in Southboro , Massachusetts . He then spent time in Boston with his sister before returning to Elmwood in November 1889 . By this time , most of his friends were dead , including Quincy , Longfellow , Dana , and Emerson , leaving him depressed and contemplating suicide again . Lowell spent part of the 1880s delivering various speeches , and his last published works were mostly collections of essays , including Political Essays , and a collection of his poems Heartsease and Rue in 1888 . His last few years he traveled back to England periodically and when he returned to the United States in the fall of 1889 , he moved back to Elmwood with Mabel , while her husband worked for clients in New York and New Jersey . That year , Lowell gave an address at the centenary of George Washington 's inauguration . Also that year , the Boston Critic dedicated a special issue to Lowell on his seventieth birthday to recollections and reminiscences by his friends , including former presidents Hayes and Benjamin Harrison and British Prime Minister William Ewart Gladstone as well as Alfred , Lord Tennyson and Francis Parkman . | James Russell Lowell |
806718226_27547-28107 | In the last few months of his life , Lowell struggled with gout , sciatica in his left leg , and chronic nausea ; by the summer of 1891 , doctors believed that Lowell had cancer in his kidneys , liver , and lungs . His last few months , he was administered opium for the pain and was rarely fully conscious . He died on August 12 , 1891 , at Elmwood . After services in the Appleton Chapel , he was buried in Mount Auburn Cemetery . After his death , Norton served as his literary executor and published several collections of Lowell 's works and his letters . | James Russell Lowell |
806718226_28199-29602 | Early in his career , James Russell Lowell 's writing was influenced by Swedenborgianism , a Spiritualism - infused form of Christianity founded by Emanuel Swedenborg , causing Frances Longfellow ( wife of the poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow ) to mention that `` he has been long in the habit of seeing spirits '' . He composed his poetry rapidly when inspired by an `` inner light '' but could not write to order . He subscribed to the common nineteenth - century belief that the poet was a prophet but went further , linking religion , nature , and poetry , as well as social reform . Evert Augustus Duyckinck and others welcomed Lowell as part of Young America , a New York - based movement . Though not officially affiliated with them , he shared some of their ideals , including the belief that writers have an inherent insight into the moral nature of humanity and have an obligation for literary action along with their aesthetic function . Unlike many of his contemporaries , including members of Young America , Lowell did not advocate for the creation of a new national literature . Instead , he called for a natural literature , regardless of country , caste , or race , and warned against provincialism which might `` put farther off the hope of one great brotherhood '' . He agreed with his neighbor Longfellow that `` whoever is most universal , is also most national '' . As Lowell said : | James Russell Lowell |
806718226_29603-30046 | I believe that no poet in this age can write much that is good unless he gives himself up to ( the radical ) tendency ... The proof of poetry is , in my mind , that it reduces to the essence of a single line the vague philosophy which is floating in all men 's minds , and so render it portable and useful , and ready to the hand ... At least , no poem ever makes me respect its author which does not in some way convey a truth of philosophy . | James Russell Lowell |
806718226_30047-30923 | A scholar of linguistics , Lowell was one of the founders of the American Dialect Society . He used this interest in his writing , particularly in The Biglow Papers , presenting a heavily ungrammatical phonetic spelling of the Yankee dialect , a method called eye dialect . In using this vernacular , Lowell intended to get closer to the common man 's experience and was rebelling against more formal and , as he thought , unnatural representations of Americans in literature . As he wrote in his introduction to The Biglow Papers , `` few American writers or speakers wield their native language with the directness , precision , and force that are common as the day in the mother country '' . Though intentionally humorous , this accurate presentation of the dialect was pioneering work in American literature . For example , Lowell 's character Hosea Biglow says in verse : | James Russell Lowell |
806718226_30924-31049 | Ef you take a sword an ' dror it , An go stick a feller thru , Guv'ment aint to answer to it , God 'll send the bill to you . | James Russell Lowell |
806718226_31050-31385 | Lowell is considered one of the Fireside Poets , a group of writers from New England in the 1840s who all had a substantial national following and whose work was often read aloud by the family fireplace . Besides Lowell , the main figures from this group were Longfellow , Holmes , John Greenleaf Whittier , and William Cullen Bryant . | James Russell Lowell |
806718226_31403-33255 | Lowell was an abolitionist , but his opinions wavered concerning African - Americans . He advocated suffrage for blacks , yet he noted that their ability to vote could be troublesome . Even so , he wrote , `` We believe the white race , by their intellectual and traditional superiority , will retain sufficient ascendancy to prevent any serious mischief from the new order of things . '' Freed slaves , he wrote , were `` dirty , lazy & lying '' . Even before his marriage to abolitionist Maria White , Lowell wrote : `` The abolitionists are the only ones with whom I sympathize of the present extant parties . '' After his marriage , Lowell at first did not share his wife 's enthusiasm for the cause , but he was eventually pulled in . The couple often gave money to fugitive slaves , even when their own financial situation was not strong , especially if they were asked to free a spouse or child . Even so , he did not always fully agree with the followers of the movement . The majority of these people , he said , `` treat ideas as ignorant persons do cherries . They think them unwholesome unless they are swallowed , stones and all . '' Lowell depicted Southerners very unfavorably in his second collection of The Biglow Papers but , by 1865 , admitted that Southerners were `` guilty only of weakness '' and , by 1868 , said that he sympathized with Southerners and their viewpoint on slavery . Enemies and friends of Lowell alike questioned his vacillating interest in the question of slavery . Abolitionist Samuel Joseph May accused him of trying to quit the movement because of his association with Harvard and the Boston Brahmin culture : `` Having got into the smooth , dignified , self - complacent , and change - hating society of the college and its Boston circles , Lowell has gone over to the world , and to ' respectability ' . '' | James Russell Lowell |
806718226_33256-34113 | Lowell was also involved in other reform movements . He urged better conditions for factory workings , opposed capital punishment , and supported the temperance movement . His friend Longfellow was especially concerned about his fanaticism for temperance , worrying that Lowell would ask him to destroy his wine cellar . There are many references to Lowell 's drinking during his college years , and part of his reputation in school was based on it . His friend Edward Everett Hale denied these allegations . Lowell considered joining the `` Anti-Wine '' club at Harvard , and he became a teetotaler during the early years of his first marriage . However , as he gained notoriety , he became popular in social circles and clubs and he drank rather heavily when away from his wife . When he drank , he had wild mood swings , ranging from euphoria to frenzy . | James Russell Lowell |
806718226_34194-35356 | In 1849 , Lowell said of himself , `` I am the first poet who has endeavored to express the American Idea , and I shall be popular by and by . '' Poet Walt Whitman said : `` Lowell was not a grower -- he was a builder . He built poems : he did n't put in the seed , and water the seed , and send down his sun -- letting the rest take care of itself : he measured his poems -- kept them within formula . '' Fellow Fireside Poet John Greenleaf Whittier praised Lowell by writing two poems in his honor and calling him `` our new Theocritus '' and `` one of the strongest and manliest of our writers -- a republican poet who dares to speak brave words of unpopular truth '' . British author Thomas Hughes referred to Lowell as one of the most important writers in the United States : `` Greece had her Aristophanes ; Rome her Juvenal ; Spain has had her Cervantes ; France her Rabelais , her Molière , her Voltaire ; Germany her Jean Paul , her Heine ; England her Swift , her Thackeray ; and America has her Lowell . '' Lowell 's satires and use of dialect were an inspiration for writers like Mark Twain , William Dean Howells , H.L. Mencken , and Ring Lardner . | James Russell Lowell |
806718226_35357-37084 | Contemporary critic and editor Margaret Fuller wrote , `` his verse is stereotyped ; his thought sounds no depth , and posterity will not remember him . '' Duyckinck thought Lowell was too similar to other poets like William Shakespeare and John Milton . Ralph Waldo Emerson noted that , though Lowell had significant technical skill , his poetry `` rather expresses his wish , his ambition , than the uncontrollable interior impulse which is the authentic mark of a new poem ... and which is felt in the pervading tone , rather than in brilliant parts or lines . '' Even his friend Richard Henry Dana Jr. questioned Lowell 's abilities , calling him `` very clever , entertaining & good humored ... but he is rather a trifler , after all . '' In the twentieth century , poet Richard Armour dismissed Lowell , writing : `` As a Harvard graduate and an editor for the Atlantic Monthly , it must have been difficult for Lowell to write like an illiterate oaf , but he succeeded . '' The poet Amy Lowell featured her relative James Russell Lowell in her poem A Critical Fable ( 1922 ) , the title mocking A Fable for Critics . Here , a fictional version of Lowell says he does not believe that women will ever be equal to men in the arts and `` the two sexes can not be ranked counterparts '' . Modern literary critic Van Wyck Brooks wrote that Lowell 's poetry was forgettable : `` one read them five times over and still forgot them , as if this excellent verse had been written in water . '' Nonetheless , in 1969 the Modern Language Association established a prize named after Lowell , awarded annually for `` an outstanding literary or linguistic study , a critical edition of an important work , or a critical biography . '' | James Russell Lowell |
806718226_37085-37542 | Lowell 's poem `` The Present Crisis '' , an early work that addressed the national crisis over slavery leading up to the Civil War , has had an impact in the modern civil rights movement . The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People named its newsletter The Crisis after the poem , and Martin Luther King Jr. frequently quoted the poem in his speeches and sermons . The poem was also the source of the hymn Once to Every Man and Nation . | James Russell Lowell |
806718226_37620-37856 | A Year 's Life ( 1841 ) Miscellaneous Poems ( 1843 ) The Biglow Papers ( 1848 ) A Fable for Critics ( 1848 ) Poems ( 1848 ) The Vision of Sir Launfal ( 1848 ) Under the Willows ( 1869 ) The Cathedral ( 1870 ) Heartsease and Rue ( 1888 ) | James Russell Lowell |
806718226_37875-38099 | Conversations on the Old Poets ( 1844 ) Fireside Travels ( 1864 ) Among My Books ( 1870 ) My Study Windows ( 1871 ) Among My Books ( second collection , 1876 ) Democracy and Other Addresses ( 1886 ) Political Essays ( 1888 ) | James Russell Lowell |
838183475_252-629 | The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night - Time Front cover of first edition ( quote from Ian McEwan ) Author Mark Haddon Country United Kingdom Language English Genre Mystery novel Publisher Jonathan Cape ( UK ) Doubleday ( US ) Anchor Canada ( Canada ) Publication date May 2003 Media type Print ( hardback and paperback ) Pages 226 ISBN 0 - 09 - 945025 - 9 OCLC 59267481 | The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time |
838183475_630-1165 | The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night - Time is a 2003 mystery novel by British writer Mark Haddon . Its title quotes the fictional detective Sherlock Holmes in Arthur Conan Doyle 's 1892 short story `` The Adventure of Silver Blaze '' . Haddon and The Curious Incident won the Whitbread Book Awards for Best Novel and Book of the Year , the Commonwealth Writers ' Prize for Best First Book , and the Guardian Children 's Fiction Prize . Unusually , it was published simultaneously in separate editions for adults and children . | The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time |
838183475_1166-1924 | The novel is narrated in the first - person perspective by Christopher John Francis Boone , a 15 - year - old boy who describes himself as `` a mathematician with some behavioural difficulties '' living in Swindon , Wiltshire . Although Christopher 's condition is not stated , the book 's blurb refers to Asperger syndrome , high - functioning autism , or savant syndrome . In July 2009 , Haddon wrote on his blog that `` Curious Incident is not a book about Asperger 's ... if anything it 's a novel about difference , about being an outsider , about seeing the world in a surprising and revealing way . The book is not specifically about any specific disorder , '' and that he , Haddon , is not an expert on autism spectrum disorder or Asperger syndrome . | The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time |
838183475_1925-2027 | The book uses prime numbers to number the chapters , rather than the conventional successive numbers . | The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time |
838183475_2289-3365 | Christopher , a fifteen - year - old boy with an autism spectrum condition , lives with his father , who has told him that his mother , Judy , died two years ago . The boy discovers the dead body of the neighbour 's dog , Wellington , speared by a garden fork . Mrs Shears , the dog 's owner , calls the police , and Christopher comes under suspicion . When a policeman touches him , he hits the policeman , and is arrested , then released with a police caution . He decides to investigate the dog 's death , despite his father 's orders to stay out of other people 's business . He is severely limited by his fears and difficulties when interpreting the world around him . Throughout his adventures , Christopher records his experiences in a book , which he calls a `` murder mystery novel '' . During his investigation , Christopher meets people whom he has never before encountered , even though they live on the same street , including the elderly Mrs Alexander , who informs Christopher that his mother had an affair with Mr Shears and had been with him for a long time . | The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time |
838183475_3366-4425 | Christopher 's father , Ed , discovers the book and confiscates it after a brief fight with the boy . While searching for the confiscated book , Christopher uncovers a trove of letters which his mother wrote to him , dated after her supposed death , which his father has also hidden . He is so shocked by his father lying about his mother 's death that he is unable to move , curls up on the bed , vomits and groans for several hours until his father returns home . Ed realizes that Christopher has read the letters and cleans him up . He then confesses that he had indeed lied about Judy 's death and also that it was he who killed Wellington , stating that it was a mistake resulting from his anger after a heated argument with Mrs Shears . Christopher , having lost all trust in his father and fearing that Ed might try to kill him since he had already killed the dog , decides to live with his mother and runs away . He remembers his mother 's address from the letters and embarks on an adventurous trip to London , where his mother lives with Mr Shears . | The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time |
838183475_4426-5544 | After a long and event - filled journey , evading policemen and feeling ill from the overwhelmingly large amount of information and stimuli from the trains and crowds around him , he finally finds his way to his mother and Mr Shears 's home , and waits outside until they arrive . Judy is delighted that Christopher has come to her ; she is upset that Ed told Christopher that she was dead . Mr Shears does not want Christopher living with them and never did . Very soon after arriving , Christopher wants to return to Swindon in order to take his mathematics A-level . His mother leaves Mr Shears , their relationship having broken down because of their conflict about Christopher and Mr Shears 's rejection of Christopher . Judy then moves into a rented room in Swindon . After an argument with Ed , she agrees to let Ed meet Christopher for daily brief visits . Christopher remains terrified of his father and makes repeated attempts to prevent him from talking . He hopes Ed will be imprisoned for killing Wellington , although his mother explains that for this to happen , Mrs Shears would have to press charges . | The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time |
838183475_5545-6308 | The story ends with Ed getting Christopher a Golden Retriever puppy , whom Christopher gets to name , and promising that he will rebuild trust with Christopher slowly , `` no matter how long it takes '' . Christopher asserts that he will take further A-level exams and attend university . He completes his mathematics A-level with top grades despite having eaten and slept very little . Earlier in the story he talks about wanting to become an astronaut , but at the end he declares that his goal is to become a scientist . The book ends with Christopher optimistic about his future , having solved the mystery of the murdered dog , gone to London on his own , found his mother , written a book about his adventures , and achieved an A in his A-level maths exam . | The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time |
838183475_6320-7532 | Christopher John Francis Boone The 15 - year - old protagonist and narrator of the novel , who investigates the murder of Mrs Shears ' large black poodle . Ed Boone Christopher 's father , a boiler engineer . Prior to the beginning of the story , he has been living with Christopher as a single parent for two years . Judy Boone Christopher 's mother . Early in the book , Christopher writes that she died of a heart attack two years before the book 's events . Siobhan Christopher 's paraprofessional and mentor at school . She teaches him how society works and how to behave within its complex guidelines . Roger Shears One of the neighbours who lived near the Boones , but who has left his wife before the story begins . Eileen Shears Mr Shears 's wife , who attempts to console Ed for a time after Christopher learns of his mother 's death . Mrs Alexander An old lady , who is one of Christopher 's neighbours , who offers information to help Christopher 's investigation regarding his parents and Mr and Mrs Shears . Rhodri Ed Boone 's employee . Toby Christopher 's pet rat . Wellington Mrs Shears ' large black poodle , which Christopher finds dead in her garden , with a garden fork sticking out of him . | The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time |
838183475_7558-8740 | In a June 2003 interview with NPR 's Terry Gross on her program Fresh Air , Haddon said about Christopher , `` If he were diagnosed , he would be diagnosed as having Asperger 's syndrome , which is a form of autism . I suppose you 'd call it high - function autism in that he can function on , you know , a day - to - day basis , in a kind of rudimentary way . But he has a serious difficulty with life in that he really does n't empathize with other human beings . He ca n't read their faces . He ca n't put himself in their shoes . And he ca n't understand anything more than the literal meaning of whatever 's said to him , although I 'm very careful in the book not to actually use the word ' Asperger 's ' or ' autism . ' ... Because I do n't want him to be labelled , and because , as with most people who have a disability , I do n't think it 's necessarily the most important thing about him ... And as a good friend of mine said after reading the book , a friend who is himself a mathematician , it 's not a novel about a boy who has Asperger 's syndrome ; it 's a novel about a young mathematician who has some strange behavioural problems . And I think that 's right . '' | The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time |
838183475_8741-9495 | Haddon added , in the conversation with Terry Gross , `` I have to say honestly that I did more research about the London Underground and the inside of Swindon Railway Station , where some of the novel takes place , than I did about Asperger 's syndrome . I gave him kind of nine or 10 rules that he would live his life by , and then I did n't read any more about Asperger 's because I think there is no typical person who has Asperger 's syndrome , and they 're as large and diverse a group of people as any other group in society . And the important thing is that I did a lot of imagining , that I did a lot of putting myself into his shoes in trying to make him come alive as a human being rather than getting him right , whatever that might mean . '' | The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time |
838183475_9496-10308 | Haddon states on his website that , although he had read `` a handful of newspaper and magazine articles about , or by , people with Asperger 's and autism '' in preparation for writing the book , he knows `` very little '' about Asperger 's syndrome and that Christopher Boone is inspired by two different people . According to Haddon , none of these people can be labelled as having a disability . Haddon added that he `` slightly regret ( s ) '' that the term Asperger 's syndrome appeared on the cover of his novel . In 2010 , in an interview with The Independent , he was described as `` now thoroughly irritated that the word Asperger 's appeared on subsequent editions of the novel , because now everyone imagines that he is an expert and he keeps getting phone calls asking him to appear at lectures . '' | The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time |
838183475_10309-11923 | In a critical essay on the novel , Vivienne Muller quotes some praise by experts on disability theory : `` In its presentation of Christopher 's everyday experiences of the society in which he lives , the narrative offers a rich canvas of experiences for an ethnographic study of this particular cognitive condition , and one which places a positive spin on the syndrome . The reader in this instance acts as ethnographer , invited to see what Mark Osteen claims is a ' quality in autistic lives that is valuable in and of itself ' ( cited in ( S . ) Adams 2005 , p. 1 ) . Along similar lines , ( Alex ) McClimens writes that Haddon 's novel is ' an ethnographic delight ' and that ' Haddon 's achievement is to have written a novel that turns on the central character 's difference without making that difference a stigmatising characteristic ' ( 2005 , p. 24 ) . '' Muller adds that the novel `` works with a strong sense of the disabled speaking subject , drawing readers into Christopher 's cognitive / corporeal space through an incremental layering of his perspectives and reactions ... The narrative also bristles with diagrams , maps , drawings , stories , texts that inform Christopher 's lexicon for mapping meaning in a world of bewildering signs and sounds . '' She also admires such elements as `` the digressive stream - of - connectedness - and - disconnectedness way in which Christopher writes and thinks ; the obsessive focus on minutiae ; his musings about why animals behave the way they do ; his quasi philosophizing on death and life and the afterlife ; his ambition to be an astronaut ... '' | The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time |
838183475_11924-12801 | In a survey of children 's books which `` teach about emotional life , '' Laura Jana wrote , `` On the one hand , this is a story of how an undeniably quirky teenage boy clings to order , deals with a family crisis , and tries to make sense of the world as he sees it . But it also provides profound insight into a disorder -- autism -- that leaves those who have it struggling to perceive even the most basic of human emotions . In so doing , The Curious Incident leaves its readers with a greater appreciation of their own ability to feel , express , and interpret emotions . This mainstream literary success made its way to the top of the New York Times bestseller list for fiction at the same time it was being touted by experts in Asperger 's syndrome and autism - spectrum disorder as an unrivaled fictional depiction of the inner workings of an autistic teenage boy . '' | The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time |
838183475_12811-13387 | Christopher often comments on his inability to appreciate some metaphors and similes . He gives as an example a quote that he found in `` a proper novel '' : `` I am veined with iron , with silver and with streaks of common mud . I can not contract into the firm fist which those clench who do not depend on stimulus . '' Haddon told Terry Gross , `` Funnily enough , it 's actually a quote from Virginia Woolf . It 's Virginia Woolf on an off day , in the middle , I think , of The Waves . An author whom I love actually , but who sometimes got a little too carried away . '' | The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time |
838183475_13405-13674 | The book was joint winner of the 2004 Boeke Prize , won the 2003 Whitbread Book of the Year award and sold more than two million copies . Haddon also was one of the winners of the 2004 Alex Awards , which `` honor the 10 top adult books with appeal for adolescents . '' | The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time |
838183475_13675-14184 | As well as winning the Guardian Children 's Fiction Prize , Haddon earned the Book Trust teenage fiction award . The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night - Time was also long - listed for the Man Booker Prize , and `` many observers were surprised that it did not advance to the shortlist . '' John Carey , chairman of the Booker panel of judges , told The Guardian , `` We have several clashes of opinion among the judges but I found Haddon 's book about a boy with Asperger 's syndrome breathtaking . '' | The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time |
838183475_14203-14524 | A survey in Great Britain , conducted by the BBC 's literacy campaign for World Book Day , found Curious Incident to be among `` the top five happy endings , as voted on by readers '' in novels ( the others were Pride and Prejudice , To Kill a Mockingbird , Jane Eyre and Rebecca , the last of which Curious outranked ) . | The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time |
838183475_14525-15409 | School Library Journal praised it as a `` rich and poignant novel . '' The San Jose Mercury News said , `` Haddon does something audacious here , and he does it superbly . He shows us the way consciousness orders the world , even when the world does n't want to be ordered , '' adding that `` the great achievement of this novel is that it transcends its obvious cleverness . It 's more than an exercise in narrative ingenuity . Filled with humor and pain , it verges on profundity in its examination of those things -- customs , habits , language , symbols , daily routines , etc. -- that simultaneously unite and separate human beings . '' A reviewer for The Christian Century described it as `` an absorbing , plausible book '' : `` The reader becomes absorbed not only in the mystery of a murdered dog and a missing mom , but also in the mysterious world of an autistic child . '' | The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time |
838183475_15410-15973 | A reviewer for The Atlanta Journal - Constitution wrote that the story is `` a touching evolution , one that Haddon scripts with tenderness and care ... a unique window into the mind of a boy who thinks a little differently , but like many kids his age , does n't quite know how to feel . '' Professor Roger Soder called it `` visceral '' and a `` delightful story , '' declaring , `` All of us in our Spokane Book Club are special education professionals and so have considerable experience with kids with this disability , and we found the story believable . '' | The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time |
838183475_16006-17220 | Dr. Alex McClimens , whom Muller quoted above , also wrote , `` This magnificent essay in communication is compulsory reading for anyone with the slightest interest in autistic spectrum disorders . This book is also required reading for those who simply enjoy a fascinating story ... we are offered a first person narrative to match anything by contemporary writers . Mark Haddon has created a true literary character and his handling of the teenage Asperger 's heroic adventure is brilliantly crafted . He uses the literal mind - set of his hero to mask the true direction of the plot . '' Reviewer Paul Moorehead calls the book `` a fairly ripping adventure story '' and writes , `` It 's also quite a feat of writing . The actual use of language is somewhat austere -- an unavoidable consequence of having a boy with autism as a narrator -- but it has its own beauty , and it works . So persuasive and so effective is the construction of Christopher , not only is he a character you 're rooting for , he 's also the character in the story you understand the best . It 's startling how believably and comfortably this story puts you into what you might have thought were likely to be some pretty alien shoes . '' | The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time |
838183475_17221-17809 | Reviewer David Ellis , naming Curious Incident an `` ambitious and innovative novel , '' wrote that Haddon `` manages to avoid the opposing pitfalls of either offending people with autism and their families or turning Christopher into an object of pity . Instead of becoming the focus of the plot , the autism enhances it . The unemotional descriptions amplify many moments of observational comedy , and misfortunes are made extremely poignantly . '' He concludes that Christopher 's story is `` far more enjoyable and likely to stay with you for far longer than any medical textbook . '' | The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time |
838183475_17836-18772 | The novel was selected as a recommended book for the 2006 Galveston Reads program , a literacy encouragement program in Galveston County , Texas . Kimball Brizendine , the Mayor of Friendswood , issued a proclamation declaring `` Galveston County Reads Day '' and encouraging `` all citizens , teens to seniors '' to read the novel . Five days later , he retracted the statement , declaring that it was `` not ( his ) intention to endorse this readership ( sic ) for our younger readers . '' The journal American Libraries reported , `` City Council member Chris Peden went a step further , asserting to the January 28 Galveston County Daily News that while he had n't read Curious Incident in its entirety , he had noted that the ' F word ' appeared on page four and that ' later in the book , the ( lead character ) says there is no God and there is no life after death . Clearly , these are not ideas we should promote to kids ' . '' | The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time |
838183475_18773-19119 | In August , 2007 , some parents in Bryan , Texas , `` were appalled to see what their kids were reading '' and protested the inclusion of the book in high school libraries , with one parent claiming that Curious Incident and another book ( Catalyst by Laurie Halse Anderson ) were `` unsuitable for not just some but all high school students . '' | The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time |
838183475_19214-19666 | A stage adaptation , by Simon Stephens and directed by Marianne Elliott , premiered at the National Theatre on 2 August 2012 . It starred Luke Treadaway as Christopher , Nicola Walker as his mother Judy , Paul Ritter as his father Ed , Una Stubbs as Mrs Alexander and Niamh Cusack as Siobhan . The production , which ran until late October 2012 , was broadcast live to cinemas worldwide on 6 September 2012 through the National Theatre Live programme . | The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time |
838183475_19667-20482 | The show transferred to the Apollo Theatre in Shaftesbury Avenue , London , from March 2013 . On 19 December 2013 , during a performance of The Curious Incident at the Apollo , parts of the ceiling fell down injuring around 80 of the over 700 patrons inside . The production re-opened at the Gielgud Theatre on 24 June 2014 . The new West End cast was led by Sion Daniel Young as Christopher Boone , with Rebecca Lacey as Siobhan , Nicolas Tennant as Ed , Mary Stockley as Judy , Jacqueline Clarke as Mrs Alexander , Indra Ové as Mrs Shears , Stephen Beckett as Roger Shears , Matthew Trevannion as Mr Thompson , Pearl Mackie as No. 40 / Punk Girl , Sean McKenzie as Reverend Peters and Kaffe Keating plays alternate Christopher . They were joined by Mark Rawlings , Penelope McGhie , Naomi Said and Simon Victor . | The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time |
838183475_20483-20987 | An adaptation and translation into Spanish by María Renée Prudencio played at the Teatro de los Insurgentes in Mexico City in June 2014 . The character of Christopher was played by Luis Gerardo Méndez and by Alfonso Dosal on alternate days . An Israeli adaptation ( translation into Hebrew by Daniel Efrat ) has been staged at the Beit Lessin Theater in Tel Aviv since March 2014 , starring Nadav Netz as Christopher . Netz won the Best Actor category at the 2015 Israeli Theater Awards for the role . | The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time |
838183475_20993-21199 | The film rights for the novel were optioned by Brad Grey and Brad Pitt for Warner Brothers . In 2011 Steve Kloves was attached to write and direct the project , but as of 2017 it has not yet been produced . | The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time |
807321065_78-448 | Chance the Rapper Chance the Rapper in 2017 Background information Birth name Chancelor Johnathan Bennett Also known as Chano ( 1993 - 04 - 16 ) April 16 , 1993 ( age 24 ) Chicago , Illinois , U.S. Occupation ( s ) Rapper singer songwriter record producer Instruments Vocals piano sampler Years active 2011 -- present Associated acts Jeremih Lil B Website chanceraps.com | Chance the Rapper |
807321065_449-1011 | Chancelor Johnathan Bennett ( born April 16 , 1993 ) , known professionally as Chance the Rapper , is an American rapper , singer , songwriter and record producer from the West Chatham neighborhood of Chicago , Illinois . In 2013 , he began to gain recognition following the release of his second mixtape , Acid Rap . Apart from his solo career , he is a member of the Chicago collective Save Money ( along with frequent collaborator Vic Mensa ) . He has worked as the lead vocalist for the band The Social Experiment ; they released the album Surf in May 2015 . | Chance the Rapper |
807321065_1012-1543 | In May 2016 , Bennett released his third mixtape Coloring Book to critical acclaim . It earned him three Grammy awards , including for Best Rap Album . Coloring Book became the first streaming - only album to receive a nomination for , and win , a Grammy . In July 2017 , Bennett was nominated for an Emmy Award for his song `` Last Christmas '' that was performed on Saturday Night Live . He shares the nomination with Kenan Thompson , Eli Brueggemann , and Will Stephen in the category for Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics . | Chance the Rapper |
807321065_1970-2935 | Chancelor Johnathan Bennett was born in Chicago , Illinois to Ken Williams - Bennett , an aide to former Chicago mayor Harold Washington and then - Senator Barack Obama , and Lisa Bennett , a secretary for the office of Illinois Attorney General . Bennett grew up in the middle - class neighborhood of West Chatham on Chicago 's South Side . When Bennett was thirteen , his father began to work for President Barack Obama during his first term in the Department of Labor . Bennett personally met President Obama in his youth and discussed his aspirations to be a rapper , to which Obama responded with `` word '' . Bennett was originally going to move to Washington , D.C. following Obama 's win in the 2008 presidential election though those plans eventually fell through . Bennett attended Jones College Prep High School where he was a member of the Jewish Student Union . During his time in high school , Bennett did not get good grades and was suspended often . | Chance the Rapper |
807321065_2936-3699 | Bennett 's interest in music began with Michael Jackson , who he exclusively listened to on cassettes until the fifth grade . Growing up , Bennett 's parents music was constantly played , this included Billie Holiday and Sam Cooke and other artists in the jazz and gospel genres . Bennett began listening to hip - hop after hearing `` Through the Wire '' by Kanye West on the radio whilst walking through Hyde Park , Chicago . After finding out the song was on West 's debut album The College Dropout , Bennett purchased the album , making it the first hip - hop album that Bennett listened to . Bennett considers West a huge influence on him and has said that he was inspired to begin rapping by West . Bennett and West met each other in August 2014 at Bonaroo . | Chance the Rapper |
807321065_3700-4395 | Bennett began rapping in the sixth grade when his cousin let him start using his studio . In his freshman year at Jones College Prep High School , Bennett formed the hip - hop duo Instrumentality alongside a friend . Many of Chance 's earliest performances took place at the YOUmedia Lyricist Loft at Harold Washington Library in Chicago . After placing second in a local songwriting contest , Bennett met then - Chicago Mayor , Richard Daley who enjoyed his music . Bennett spent most of his junior year and a small amount of his senior year writing a draft for his debut project , 10 Day , which was later released after Bennett was suspended for ten days after being caught smoking cannabis . | Chance the Rapper |
807321065_4471-5552 | At Jones College Prep High School , some of his teachers ridiculed his aspirations to become a musician . Following a 10 - day suspension in early 2011 , during his senior year , for possessing marijuana on campus , Bennett recorded his first full - length project , a mixtape titled 10 Day ( also known as # 10Day ) . In December 2011 , he released a song titled `` Windows '' , and publicly announced his 10 Day project . In February 2012 , Bennett was highlighted as one of Complex magazine 's `` 10 New Chicago Rappers to Watch Out For '' . Bennett says he spent `` about eight months recording , writing and making connections off of the hunger to put out something '' . Bennett released the mixtape on April 3 , 2012 , and it has since been downloaded over 300,000 times via mixtape - sharing site DatPiff . The mixtape was well received locally and helped Bennett make connections with producers such as Chuck Inglish , Kenny Jame $ and Blended Babies . The mixtape also grabbed the attention of Forbes magazine , which featured it in the publication 's Cheap Tunes column . | Chance the Rapper |
807321065_5695-5939 | In July 2012 , Bennett appeared on American rapper Childish Gambino 's sixth mixtape , Royalty , on the track `` They Do n't Like Me '' . Gambino would go on to ask Bennett to join on his first concert tour of North America as his opening act . | Chance the Rapper |
807321065_5940-6690 | On April 30 , 2013 , Bennett released his second mixtape , Acid Rap , on DatPiff . The record has been downloaded over 1.5 million times . Bennett enlisted guest appearances from Twista , Vic Mensa , Saba , BJ the Chicago Kid , Action Bronson , Childish Gambino and Ab - Soul . Acid Rap was well - received by critics . At Metacritic , the mixtape received an average score of 86 , based on 21 critics , which indicates `` universal acclaim '' . It was nominated for Best Mixtape at the 2013 BET Hip Hop Awards . On May 6 , 2013 , the song `` Paranoia '' ( produced by Nosaj Thing ) , after initially being featured as a hidden track on Acid Rap , was released as a contribution to Yours Truly and Adidas originals ' `` Songs from Scratch '' series . | Chance the Rapper |
807321065_6691-7452 | In June 2013 , Bennett was featured in a commercial for MySpace as part of their relaunch , alongside fellow American rappers Mac Miller , Pharrell Williams and Schoolboy Q , among others . In July 2013 , Acid Rap debuted at number 63 on the Billboard Top R&B / Hip - Hop Albums chart , due to downloads on iTunes and Amazon . In August 2013 , Bennett performed at the Chicago music festival Lollapalooza . Acid Rap was listed on multiple 50 best albums of 2013 lists , including 26th for Rolling Stone , 12th on Pitchfork 's list , and ranked 4th by Complex . It was also listed as one of NPR Music 's 50 Favorite Albums of 2013 . Bennett began his Social Experiment Tour in Champaign , Illinois on October 25 , 2013 , lasting until December 19 , 2013 . Chance | Chance the Rapper |
807321065_7497-8188 | In March 2014 , Bennett appeared in a shoppable online video for Dockers , promoting the brand 's spring line , in which Bennett talks his style , love for creating music , and how it feels to live in Los Angeles . On May 5 , 2014 , XXL revealed Bennett was included in their annual freshman class , alongside fellow up - and - comers Isaiah Rashad , Ty Dolla $ ign , Rich Homie Quan , Vic Mensa , August Alsina , Troy Ave , Kevin Gates , Lil Bibby , Jon Connor , Lil Durk and Jarren Benton . During Fall 2014 , Bennett and other artists participated in Verge Campus tour . In November 2014 , Bennett was presented Chicago 's `` Outstanding Youth of the Year Award '' by Mayor Rahm Emanuel . | Chance the Rapper |
807321065_8189-8697 | In January 2015 , Bennett was listed number 7 on the `` Forbes 30 Under 30 '' 2015 music list . In March 2015 , Bennett released a short film called Mr. Happy , which was directed by Colin Tilley . Mr. Happy centers around the main character , named Victor , who is struggling from depression and was attempting to commit suicide . After many failed attempts to kill himself , he discovers Mr. Happy . On April 30 , 2015 , Bennett gave a lecture at Harvard University 's Hiphop Archive & Research Institute . | Chance the Rapper |
807321065_8698-9382 | Just before midnight on May 28 , 2015 , Surf was released for free on the American iTunes store as an iTunes Exclusive . The album received high acclaim from music critics , receiving an aggregate score of 86 on review site Metacritic , which indicates `` universal acclaim '' , based on 17 reviews . In June 2015 , Bennett performed at the Bonnaroo Music Festival in the superjam concert collection . He also made a guest performance with fellow rapper Kendrick Lamar , on stage with Earth , Wind & Fire . On July 19 , 2015 , Bennett and Lil B announced that they recorded a collaborative mixtape . The two rappers released it on August 5 , titled Free ( Based Freestyles Mixtape ) . | Chance the Rapper |
807321065_9383-10213 | On October 13 , 2015 , Bennett released a video for a new song , titled `` Family Matters '' , on his website . The song , which shares the same name as his fall 2015 tour with D.R.A.M. , Metro Boomin , Towkio ( and Hiatus Kaiyote on select dates ) , is a rework of the Kanye West song `` Family Business '' from his 2004 album The College Dropout . A few days before this , a video surfaced online of Bennett performing a new song live , ending the song by saying the words `` third mixtape '' , leading many to believe the wait might be coming to a close for his next release . On October 27 , 2015 , Bennett premiered a new song , titled `` Angels '' featuring Saba , on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert . On December 12 , 2015 , Bennett performed on Saturday Night Live , on a new song , titled `` Somewhere in Paradise '' . | Chance the Rapper |
807321065_10312-11132 | In 2016 , Bennett was a prominent figure on Kanye West 's album The Life of Pablo , co-writing and appearing on several tracks , namely `` Ultralight Beam '' , `` Father Stretch My Hands Pt. 1 '' , `` Famous '' , `` Feedback '' , and `` Waves '' . According to West , the album 's release was delayed because Bennett wanted `` Waves '' to be on the album . Bennett was also featured on a track titled `` Need To Know '' on Macklemore & Ryan Lewis 's album This Unruly Mess I 've Made . The following March , Bennett was featured on Skrillex 's remix of Hundred Waters ' `` Show Me Love '' . On April 16 , 2016 , Chance and other musicians , including Alicia Keys , Busta Rhymes , Janelle Monáe , and J. Cole , met with President Obama at the White House to discuss the My Brother 's Keeper Challenge initiative . Chance | Chance the Rapper |
807321065_11182-11756 | On May 12 , 2016 , Chance 's third mixtape , Coloring Book ( promoted as Chance 3 ) , was released , streaming exclusively on Apple Music . In the first week , the mixtape was streamed over 57.3 million times , which was equivalent to 38,000 units sold , debuting at number eight on the US Billboard 200 chart . It became the first release to chart solely on streams . The mixtape was met with widespread acclaim from music critics , and on review aggregator site Metacritic , received an average score of 90 , based on 20 critics , which indicates `` universal acclaim '' . | Chance the Rapper |
807321065_11757-12303 | On July 13 , at the 2016 ESPY Awards show , along with Kareem Abdul - Jabbar , he performed a tribute song titled `` I Was A Rock '' for the late Muhammad Ali . On August 16 , 2016 , Chance wrote the single `` We the People '' paired in a Nike commercial titled `` Unlimited Together '' , a film directed by Hiro Murai . A second commercial was released on October 4 by Nestlé to promote the Kit Kat bar , starring Chance in costume remixing their jingle . On September 15 , 2016 , Chance began his Magnificent Coloring World Tour in San Diego . | Chance the Rapper |
807321065_12304-12726 | Bennett announced the Magnificent Coloring Tour with an event called Magnificent Coloring Day Festival at Chicago 's U.S. Cellular Field , with a line up including Lil Wayne , Skrillex , and Lil Uzi Vert , taking place on September 24 , 2016 , being the first - ever music festival at U.S. Cellular Field . Bennett launched a campaign in conjunction with rapperradio.com to get his music on the radio on August 17 , 2016 . | Chance the Rapper |
807321065_12727-13859 | In September 2016 , H&M solicited Bennett to headline their new campaign . In November 2016 , he continued on the Magnificent Coloring World Tour , but canceled the rest of his shows on the European leg due to personal reasons . In November 2016 , Bennett announced during an interview with DJ Semtex that he was working on his debut album . Bennett was offered a chance to sign with Kanye West 's GOOD Music in December 2016 , though he refused due to his popularity as an independent artist and the freedom of not being attached to a label . In an August interview about his debut album , Bennett said he may sell the album , a departure from his previous projects ' free distribution format . After a report was leaked claiming that audio distribution platform SoundCloud was close to bankruptcy and had laid off most of its workers , Bennett had a phone call with SoundCloud CEO Alex Ljung . Following the phone call , Bennett went onto Twitter , posting that SoundCloud is `` here to stay '' . It was later reported that Bennett was just reflecting on what Ljung had previously published in a press release following the leak . | Chance the Rapper |
807321065_13901-14277 | Bennett has stated in interviews with XXL and Complex that Kanye West , James Brown , MC Hammer , Prince , Lupe Fiasco , Common , Lil Wayne , Esham , Eminem , Souls of Mischief and Freestyle Fellowship have influenced him . When asked about the gospel influences in his music , he also has stated that Kirk Franklin is one of his favorite artists , and his favorite composer . | Chance the Rapper |
807321065_14278-14726 | Bennett 's music has been described as versatile and uplifting . His music generally contains jazz - inspired melodies and gospel influences . Bennett 's lyrics usually have references to Christian theology , his struggles with his faith and his upbringing . Chance incorporates choirs into his music to attempt to maximize the gospel undertones . Sharde ' Chapman at HuffPost has described Bennett 's lyrics as `` creative '' and `` colourful . '' | Chance the Rapper |
807321065_14744-15236 | While Bennett 's fashion style is not a large part of his public image , he has taken interest in the industry . Bennett has designed hats for the Chicago White Sox . The Hollywood Reporter has said that Bennett is `` redefining fashion '' with his style of generally wearing overalls and contesting traditional hip - hop fashion norms . Bennett wore a suit that was meant to imitate Michael Jackson at the 2017 BET Awards . Bennett was seen wearing Thom Browne clothing at the 2017 Grammys . | Chance the Rapper |
807321065_15260-15690 | Bennett lives in his hometown , Chicago , Illinois . Bennett used to share a house in North Hollywood with James Blake before moving out at the six month mark . Describing his time in North Hollywood , Bennett called it `` ungodly '' . After graduating high school , Bennett attended a community college for a week before dropping out . Bennett has taken numerous recreational drugs during his lifetime , including LSD and Xanax . | Chance the Rapper |
807321065_15707-15920 | His younger brother , Taylor Bennett , is also a rapper . Both Taylor and Chancelor began rapping at the same time and have a similar style . Both the rappers also draw inspiration from Chicago native Kanye West . | Chance the Rapper |
807321065_15921-16414 | In July 2015 , Bennett announced that he was expecting his first child with his girlfriend Kirsten Corley , whom he began to date in 2013 . In September 2015 , Kirsten gave birth to their daughter , Kensli . Kensli was kept out of social media until December 31 , 2016 , when Bennett posted a picture of her on Instagram . In May 2016 , after they had stopped living together , Kirsten wanted the courts to declare Bennett as the father of their daughter . He would have to pay child support . | Chance the Rapper |
807321065_16415-16993 | In February 2017 , Bennett 's child support case reopened in an attempt to work out child support terms and a parenting schedule as Bennett and his ex-girlfriend Kirsten moved to separate residences . The Chicago Sun - Times published an article about a dispute between his ex-girlfriend Kirsten and Bennett in March 2017 . Bennett replied to the article saying `` Y'all better do y'all jobs and stop worrying about how good my family is . Just a friendly reminder . Do n't let anybody get between you and your family . '' On March 21 , 2017 , the dispute was settled in court . | Chance the Rapper |
807321065_16994-17179 | Bennett spends much of his freetime with his daughter , and takes her on activities with him . These have included a Chicago Bulls basketball game , meeting the Obamas and working out . | Chance the Rapper |
807321065_17197-17884 | Bennett is a Christian and refers to Jesus Christ in many of his songs . Bennett was raised as a Christian by his grandmother but later fell out of the faith . He rediscovered his faith when his daughter was born with atrial flutters . Speaking about the situation , Bennett said `` ( I just ) pray a whole lot , you know , and need a lot of angels and just see shit in a very , like , direct way . And ... you know , God bless everything , it worked out well . '' Bennett wrote on Twitter following the situation on January 31 , 2016 , `` Today 's the last day my old life , last day smoking cigs . Headed to church for help . All things are possible thru Christ who strengthens me . '' | Chance the Rapper |
807321065_17885-18084 | Bennett has labelled himself as a Christian rapper following the release of his mixtape Coloring Book . Bennett believes that God is to thank for his `` blessings '' and his career being successful . | Chance the Rapper |
807321065_18116-18578 | Bennett is an independent voter who leans left . His father worked for Barack Obama as a presidential appointee and as an aide . His father also worked on the Barack Obama presidential campaign in 2008 and is an aide to Rahm Emanuel . Despite his family 's ties to the Democratic Party , Bennett is an independent voter though he has a history of supporting Democrats volunteering with Barack Obama 's reelection campaign by phonebanking in Hyde Park , Chicago . | Chance the Rapper |
807321065_18579-19491 | In November 2014 , Bennett was named Chicago 's Outstanding Youth of the Year by Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel . Bennett has actively fought to combat gun violence in his hometown of Chicago and in 2014 , along with his father , promoted the `` # SaveChicago '' campaign . The campaign sought to stop gun violence over Memorial Day Weekend , and saw Chicago go 42 straight hours without a shooting . Bennett met with President Obama at the White House on April 16 , 2016 , to discuss My Brother 's Keeper Challenge , an initiative of the United States Federal Government to promote intervention by civic leaders in the lives of young men of color to address their unique challenges and to promote racial justice , with other musicians , including Alicia Keys , Busta Rhymes , Janelle Monáe , J. Cole and others . Bennet started a Twitter campaign for May 23 , 2016 using # May23 to stop gun violence for 42 hours . | Chance the Rapper |
807321065_19492-19903 | On March 6 , 2017 , after a meeting with Governor Bruce Rauner that did not go well only days before , Bennett announced his intention to donate $1,000,000 to Chicago Public Schools in order to help offset the lack of government funding provided . Following this , a movement arose to try and inspire Bennett to run for mayor of Chicago . This was backed by fellow media personalities including musician Drake . | Chance the Rapper |
807321065_19904-20936 | Bennett is an outspoken critic of President Donald Trump , having criticised him numerous times and drawn comparisons to former President Barack Obama . During the 2016 Presidential election , Bennett said he was not scared of a Trump presidency . When asked why by GQ , Bennett said `` You got ta just understand , like , shit has been fucked - up , right ? Like , `` Make America Great Again '' , that 's not a real thing because shit ai n't really switched up for ( white middle class ) `` . Bennett endorsed Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton on October 6 , 2016 , expressing concerns about the way she was treated in the media and also expressing that she could `` fix Chicago '' though Bennett was not aware of any of Clinton 's policies . Following the victory of Donald Trump in the 2016 presidential election , Bennett said `` Trump was going to win , anybody in the world who 's surprised by the election of Donald Trump has been ignorant of racism , and the tides and patterns of American history and world history . '' | Chance the Rapper |
807321065_20937-21075 | In February 2017 , Bennett posted publicly on Twitter that he was worried President Trump was going to change constitutional term limits . | Chance the Rapper |
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