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Samuel Johnson's Letter Annotations

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A notorious literary figure and an acquaintance of the archbishop, Samuel Johnson, in his letter, clarifies the reasons behind his denial to the woman’s request of her son for a patronage to a university. Johnson wishes to inculcate the reasons behind his denial to the audience, therefore, he utilizes theme, tones, and didactics to show he is sympathetic towards her and her son for the decision. Johnson begins his letter by proposing the theme, juxtaposing hope, to distinctly announce that her son will not be supported by Johnson, but there are more chances in the future. He foreshadows the rest of the letter by emphasizing that hope is a “species of happiness,” (line 4) but the excessive hope must be destroyed “by pain” (7). The idea of hope contrasts itself because too much of hope can lead to negative outcomes. This comparison lets the audience to expect that the rest of the …show more content…

When he introduces the theme in the beginning, he is hesitant to answer the letter because of his “unwillingness to destroy any hope” (2-3). His hesitant tone appeals to the lady that Johnson is not joyful to announce that he cannot support her son; rather he is sympathetic towards her son. Soon after he introduces his inner feelings, he quickly becomes critical of the lady’s actions. He believes that “there is no reason” (21) to why Johnson should support the acceptance her son. Although his honesty may hurt the lady and her son’s feelings at first, Johnson believes that it is right to let them know that it is not fair to accept unless they have a “very particular relation” (29) to a higher position. However, to encourage the woman, Johnson uses complimentary tone in the end to explain that her son is “pretty youth,” (37) full of opportunities in the near future. He concludes the letter with a positive impression in order to make the reader view him as a warm and an encouraging

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239 Words | 1 Pages

He bases this on the notion that he has no “particular relationship both to the Archbishop and the lady.” Johnson’s effective use of reasoning could best be defined as the way he responded to “Madam”. Stated previously it was mentioned that Johnson’s request was based on position and respect. Using factual statement we are able to understand why the author bases his ideas on the relationship and position of himself and that of

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691 Words | 3 Pages

Although she had several proposals and prospective suitors, she never married and never had children. While Johnson continued a relationship with McRaye, it was made to seem a business relationship, although one doesn’t know of what their relationship consisted behind closed doors. In the time period in which Johnson lived, in was almost unheard of for an English woman, let alone a First Nations woman, to not marry and instead make a career for herself. This not only causes Johnson to stand out from the crowd, but the focus she put on her work instead of herself, showcases her obsession and passion for her heritage and her desire for others to understand her

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1267 Words | 6 Pages

Miss. Johnson proceeds to explain to the readers that even though it is a tough time, “we must prove it to White American as well—that our country can’t get along without the labor and sacrifice of her brown daughters” (Block, 386). Hortense is proud to help her fellow Americans in their time of need through her patriotism to America and in efforts to make herself feel like she is equal to the White Americans. Throughout all the effort at her work place and making sure each of the boxes are thoroughly inspected and ready for departure and her troubling route to work and back home she did it with a smile. She prompts, “Did I say my job isn’t exciting or complicated?

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367 Words | 2 Pages

Abigail Adams explains to her son in her letter that he is on the road to becoming a man. She sees her job as a loving mother. She instructs him on how he might not only make the most of his life, but also might eventually be skilled enough to lead others who might be in need of a leader. In no way does she want her son to be an average man of the time period. In no way will she ever permit it----she loves him too much.

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661 Words | 3 Pages

Firstly, he shifts his tone to prepare the mother for the criticism for her actions and intents. Johnson’s tone expresses his “hope” that the mother forgets about her current “hopes” of a college future of her son. His tone was more accusatory than ever before, emphasizing the many things she “should have considered” before reaching out to him with a ridiculous proposal. Then he uses a different tonal approach which was more emotionally-friendly but more emphatic in logic. For instance, he emphasizes that he feels stranger to his son because he has “no means of knowing [her son’s goodness] to be true.”

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1494 Words | 6 Pages

He reiterates to create a persona within his readers by communicating his love for the church, and his long family history of clergymen. His cool, even tone conveys to the audience that he is not condemning them, as people, but rather urging them to see that their actions are unjust. The technique he used to present himself helps him to relate to his readers and shows again that he is credible and trustworthy

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550 Words | 3 Pages

Soledad Brother Essay The book “Soledad Brother” by Jonathan Jackson Jr. has many interesting letters written by George Jackson when he was in jail he rights to different people with sad, unfair, good things. George writes letters from jail to family members and friends as well, he writes about his own opinions and he beliefs as well as what he does and wants to do. The letter I analysis was on page 80-81 the letter was to his mother. The date was December 23, 1965 George was writing to his mother informing her that he almost didn't get the food she sent him but he did get it.

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1616 Words | 7 Pages

This quote providing evidence to the idea that this career was the choice of his mother’s rather than his own. At this point, he realizes his parents beliefs are now in act that could potentially affect his own future and what he does later on. He now second guesses the morals and values he has grown up with, seeing the difference in elements between the

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1043 Words | 5 Pages

In his utilization of definition and logos, Samuel Johnson separates himself from the refusal by compelling the mother to see the slip of her routes in seeking and in requesting that after the letter begin with. Also, his tonal move between sections permits the mother to foresee the blunter strategies. By and large, Johnson 's disavowal is firm and proud however allows the mother to take after a continuous movement in

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316 Words | 2 Pages

Being considerate of others is very important in throughout life. It is something that has existed in history since the beginning of time, and the article “Abigail Adams, Excerpts From Letters to John Adams about the Battle of Bunker Hill and Conditions in Boston” shows the way colonists were very considerate of each other. Abigail writes letters to her husband to let him know that she is okay so that he does not worry about her; she was being very considerate of him because during that time, war was taking place and she was letting him know that she was safe so that he would not worry about her well-being. She also shows herself very brave in her letters in order to make him feel that she is not going through as much difficult times as one

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493 Words | 2 Pages

The use of sympathy in his tone shows the mother that Johnson is sympathetic. By incorporating a sympathetic tone in the letter it makes the mother more understanding as to why her son cannot be accepted into the university. Samuel Johnson concludes in his letter by kindly saying, “he may still be wise, useful, and happy.” He uses a hopeful tone to end the letter in light and to comfort the mother. By using a hopeful attitude it also gives hope to the mother and to the son’s future.

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573 Words | 3 Pages

Michael from Prison Break made the decision to break into a prison by getting himself arrested in order to break his brother Lincoln out. Lincoln was falsely accused of killing the vice president’s brother and was on death row. Lincoln was not guilty, but he was going to be executed and Michael practicing Kantianism by believing in Lincoln’s right to live. Michael did it because his brother was going to die, the government who was called “the Company” was going to keep pinning crimes on people. He made the decision to break his brother out and expose the Company.

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906 Words | 4 Pages

To explain this further, he walks her through what the request would have resulted in. The situation, in his eyes, is that he was asked to “solicit a great man, to whom [he] never spoke, for a young person whom [he] had never seen, upon a supposition which [he] had no means of knowing true.” He does this to show that he is willing to share his perspective and that he respects her enough to walk her through it, instead of blatantly saying no without any reason. The mother’s request is logically reasoned inductively to be irrational, leaving him no possible reason or possible procedure to accomplish the task at hand. While it may not have been this extreme, Johnson effectively and logically convinces the mother that she made a mistake in drafting such a letter.

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582 Words | 3 Pages

Johnson understood that a child's potential could be stifled by an

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779 Words | 4 Pages

Hope is alive and can be found in more places than one might expect. In Lisel Mueller’s poem, “Hope”, Mueller uses metaphors to describe hope and show that it can be found in many places. Let’s start with the first stanza. In the first 3 lines of the poem, Mueller describes how hope can sometime “hide” from us. She says that it “(…) hovers in dark corners until the lights are turned on,” showing that hope can seem nowhere to be found sometimes (lines 1-2).

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