Hope And Disappointment In Samuel Johnson's Letter

In his letter, eighteenth century writer, Samuel Johnson constructs his rejection of a woman seeking his assistance in convincing the archbishop of Canterbury to admission to an university. Unapologetically, Johnson conveys his unwillingness to fulfill the mother’s request through the implementation of definition, tone shift, and logical appeal.

Samuel Johnson pursues a sensitive approach and begins his letter by addressing the mother’s hopeful feelings, rather than commence his letter with the immediate rejection of the mother’s request. Johnson defines the feeling of hope as “the chief happiness” known to mankind. However, he then goes on to explain that a common course follows hope, and that hope must be “expiated by pain.” This use of definition creates a link between hope and “disappointment”, two concepts deemed as “dangerous”. Johnson utilizes the definition of hope in order to convey his unwillingness to complete

In the first paragraph, Johnson displays thoughtfulness of the mother’s feelings, describing the hope she has in him as a “species of happiness” and then gently and gradually disappoints her, saying her hope will result in “disappointment” which is why it is “dangerous to indulge.” However, in the second paragraph an accusatory tone is effectively conveyed by drawing attention to how absurd the mother’s demand is by repeating how the mother wants him to “solicit” the “great” archbishop and ask him to fulfill a favor to a stranger. Johnson employs a sensitive tone in the beginning paragraph followed immediately by a accusatory tone in the second paragraph in order to accommodate various responses to his letter. This shift in tone between paragraphs distances Johnson from the blame of his denial, and gradually places the fault on the