Samuel Johnson's Letter Chapter 2 Analysis

808 Words2 Pages

Question 2 In Samuel Johnson’s letter which denies a woman’s request for her son to receive patronage to a university, he essentially creates a well-crafted argument against speaking to the archbishop of Canterbury for the woman and provides strong support in order to backup his decision. Accordingly, Johnson’s denial to the woman’s request is constructed by the use of definition of terms, specifically chosen diction, and the appeals to logic. With these particular rhetorical devices, Johnson’s reasons as to why he denied the woman’s request is able to be successfully conveyed. At the beginning of the letter, Johnson is already able to guess the feelings that the woman contains, which can be interpreted as hope. Johnson defines the word …show more content…

In the letter, Johnson makes use of the word “I” as well as “madame” many times. In paragraph two, it is very clear Johnson is purposely using the word “I” when he writes “There is no reason why, amongst all the great, I should chuse* to supplicate the Archbishop.” He then later on says “If I could help you in this exigence by any proper means, it would give me pleasure.” Johnson extensively uses “I” in order to imply that he would like to kindly help the woman, but the guilt of anything should not apply to him. Another particular word Johnson purposely uses is “madam.” In the second paragraph, the word “madam” is also used a noticeably many times. Johnson starts the paragraph by writing “When you made your request to me, you should have considered, Madam, what you were asking.” He later on then writes “I know, Madam, how unwillingly conviction is admitted.” Johnson, instead of using the name of the woman who sent the request, addresses her as “madam.” By doing this, it can be assumed that Johnson does not really consider the woman worthy of consideration due to the extent of her “remote” request. Other from this, the word is also used to convey to the woman that she was in the wrong the whole time, and that Johnson cannot be blamed for any wrongs in the making of his …show more content…

By the using logical appeals, Johnson’s argument can be seen as completely supported. In the second paragraph, Johnson writes “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.” He then later on writes that the “proposal is so very remote from usual methods, that I cannot comply with it, but at the risk of such answer and suspicions as I believe you do not wish me to undergo.” Johnson reasons that the woman is basically asking him to believe whatever she tells him in her request, which is that the son is a great young man. Johnson counters the woman by saying he has “never seen” the son and he “had no means of knowing” the claims “to be true.” Near the ending of the letter, Johnson makes sure the woman knows the “proposal is so very remote from usual methods,” and that it would not be in her best interests to give Johnson bad “suspicions” about her claims. The use of logics in the explanation for the denial of the request allows the woman to recognize that she had mistakes in asking Johnson for help with the

Open Document