Oliver Wendell Holmes Flashcards, test questions and answers
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What is Oliver Wendell Holmes?
Oliver Wendell Holmes was an American poet, novelist and essayist who lived from 1809 to 1894. He was a renowned writer, who produced several works that are still widely read today. He is perhaps best known for his poem The Chambered Nautilus (1858), which reflects on the idea of life’s progress as an ever-expanding spiral. Holmes also wrote several novels, including Elsie Venner (1861) and The Guardian Angel (1867). His essays focused on social issues such as religion, art, politics and science. He is credited with popularizing the phrase the great American novel in a review of Herman Melville’s Moby Dick in 1851. In addition to writing and poetry, Holmes was a jurist who served as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from 1902 to 1932. As a justice he upheld many progressive positions such as free speech rights and labor rights for working people. He also wrote some of the most influential judicial opinions in American history; for example his opinion in Abrams v US helped establish freedom of speech rights during wartime. His life was marked by multiple accomplishmentsas both a writer and juristwhich continue to be appreciated today. His writings demonstrate an appreciation for philosophy, literature and science that remain relevant today; while his judicial opinions set important legal precedents that are still followed today.