Samuel Johnson is revered and considered one of the greatest writers of the eighteenth century. However, when it comes to him as a person many times he is regarded as a being disrespectful, unfair or rude. Yet, there were many instances in his life where he was quite the opposite. However, he was still perceived as being pompous or negatively because he was going against, what was the popular “accepted” culture of the time. There are two situations in particular where he took an unpopular stance on issues, those issues were: women’s rights and slavery. In both cases, Johnson separated himself from what was commonly accepted and asserted his own opinions and views based on his beliefs. Further, by comparing Johnson to contemporaries (Boswell and others) on the issue of slavery and women’s rights it becomes clearer the ways in which Johnson was resisting popular culture.
The place of women in the 18th century in Britain was similar to the place of women in early United States history, there weren’t given many rights or considered capable of having many rights. The social climate in regards to women in the 18th century was similar to slavery. Many did not think there was a problem in the way women were treated because; they too were not seen as equals to white males. Therefore, it is commonly considered that during the 18th century women’s rights were in a way stagnant. The cultural beliefs and practices of the British were what prevented many women from moving ahead or being seen as equals to men. In Britain during the eighteenth century, women had few rights and barely any value as citizens. There were no educational opportunities available to them. “Powerful men opposed the education of women beyond reading and writing their nam...
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...able to persevere and maintain his “legitimacy” in spite of his “radical” opinion shows the extent to which he was good at what he does and respected for his opinion even if he wasn’t always “accepted” for his opinion.
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Boswell, James. Life of Johnson. London: Oxford UP, 1953. Print.
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The "Age of Jackson" is tied to introduction of universal male suffrage, through a 'might democratic uprising', and as Hyland argues full "democratic" equality means 'the ...
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Samuel Johnson, following in the footsteps of other great English critics, was a great poet. Johnson’s poetry was different from any other writer in the late eighteenth century. He used poetry as a tool for an escape from the reality of life. Johnson would also use poetry as a tool for expression of emotion and praise for accomplishment. When Johnson wrote a poem of praise or to express emotion he would still convey his message beyond reality. He would emphasize an event so immensely that it would seem unrealistic. If being real, or reality, is something sensable, then The Vanity of Human Wishes is the poem in which Johnson best display’s these tools of writing for the purpose of escape. With all of his undertakings, from politics to writing critiques, Johnson used writing poetry as his release from reality and the hardships in his life.
Abrams and Greenblatt (2006) describe how women had limited educational and employment opportunities. In 1837, women were not permitted to attend England’s universities. The majority of working women worked as servants. Unmarried middle class women worked as governesses but did so at low wages and lacked job security. Lower-class women had factory jobs and worked under dreadful conditions. Other women worked as field laborers, seamstresses, or maids. Some women turned to prostitution.
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