Summary Of Samuel Johnson's Denial Letter

Parents will attempt anything to enroll their children into excellent schools even send letters to people that they do not know. In his denial of the mother's letter, Samuel Johnson reminds the mother that she should not have unreasonable expectations regarding her son’s education or those who are capable of helping him attend the school. He utilizes strong rhetorical devices throughout his letter. Johnson speaks about the dangers hope possesses, the reasons why he cannot fill her request, and polity complements about her son.
Hope can be a good thing; however in excess, hope can cause pain and unreasonable expectations as illustrated by Johnson's first paragraph. By beginning with "my unwillingness to destroy any hope that you had formed," Johnson uses moral appeal to inform her of his good character as he begins the denial letter. While her son will not be attending this university, Johnson is wary to inform her of this because he is aware of the hope that mothers carry. He reminds her with an intense tone that “the excesses of hope must be expiated by pain; and expectations improperly indulged must end in disappointment.” Although hope can be good, too much hope will lead to eventual disappointment. Her thought process in sending the letter "is dictated not by

His continual use of "madam" seems polite at first, but the repetition illustrated his disdain. He further berates her by proclaiming "you ask me to solicit a great man, to whom I never spoke, for a young person whom I had never seen, upon a supposition which I had no means of knowing to be true." This use of intense syntax is meant to show her that there was no reason for her to contact him since there is nothing connecting him to the family or the university. Throughout the paragraph he continually states that there is nothing he can do to help her son, nor should he be asked to