Ralph Waldo Emerson
Born in 1803, Ralph Waldo Emerson lived a hard life. When his father died in 1811, his mother had to raise 5 children on her own. With two brothers dead, one spending the majority of his life in mental institutions, and with his first son and wife dead, Ralph struggled to go on. He suffered from poor health causing lung disease and temporary periods of blindness. Yet he turned out to be one of the most famous poets.