The Life and Works of Samuel Johnson
Samuel Johnson, a prominent English writer of the early eighteenth
century, brought vivid life to the literary realm of that era. He is
known by many to be a writer of great intellect, thought, and positive
influence in the writings of literary to follow. Johnson has been
hailed as a literary giant in his day, as well as in present times.
Samuel Johnson is a great writer because of the critical approval of
specific elements, namely satire, the moral romance, and the
biography.
The first element for which the critics have praised Johnson is his
powerful satire. Johnson's best example of this is displayed in his
work The Vanity of Human Wishes. In this highly regarded poem, Johnson
intertwines moral elegance and majestic verse in this satirical
masterpiece. The Vanity of Human Wishes is hailed as one of Johnson's
greatest literary accomplishments. This wonderful work illustrates,
according to Albert Perry Walker in his book Life of Johnson, "The
futility of man's ambitious struggles for happiness..."1 Samuel
Johnson had a keen sense of his surroundings, as he was a common
figure in English society. Johnson did not, however, begin his life in
a stately position within the class system. He grew up beneath the
weights of poverty as his family struggled to make ends meet.
Determined to get the best education possible, Samuel Johnson worked
hard to earn his acceptance into Oxford where he eventually received
his degree from. A decade or so upon graduating from the university,
Johnson compiled the satirical poem, The Vanity of Human Wishes, which
keenly expounds on his tragic yet comical view on life...
... middle of paper ...
... of the most widely written
pieces of literature. Samuel Johnson gave the world his gift of the
biography in which people can freely express themselves in a written
work of their life.
The critical approval of his powerful satire, moral romance, and aid
in the development of the modern-day biography make Samuel Johnson a
great writer. Johnson gave the world his gift of literature. Through
his gift, the realm of literature is held in higher regard. To be a
writer is a privilege; to be a writer as gifted as Samuel Johnson is a
vast world of imagination that the finite mind cannot comprehend.
Samuel Johnson truly was a beacon of light for those to follow his
example. Without his remarkable contributions, the greatness of Samuel
Johnson would never be known, and that would be a great deprival on
the part of humanity.
On December 10, 1950, in Stockholm, Sweden, one of the greatest literary minds of the twentieth century, William Faulkner, presented his acceptance speech for the Nobel Prize. If one reads in between the lines of this acceptance speech, they can detect a certain message – more of a cry or plead – aimed directly to adolescent authors and writers, and that message is to be the voice of your own generation; write about things with true importance. This also means that authors should include heart, soul, spirit, and raw, truthful emotion into their writing. “Love and honor and pity and pride and compassion and sacrifice” (Faulkner) should all be frequently embraced – it is the duty of authors to do so. If these young and adolescent authors ignore this message and duty, the already endangered state of literature will continue to diminish until its unfortunate extinction.
President Andrew Johnson lifted himself out of extreme poverty to become President of the United States. He was a man with little education who climbed the political ladder and held many different high offices. As a strict constitutionalist, Johnson believed in limiting the powers of the federal government. President Johnson was one of the most bellicose Presidents who “fought” Congress, critics, and many others. President Andrew Johnson faced numerous problems post-Civil War Era including reconstructing the Southern states to combine peacefully with the Union, his battles with Congress, and his career ending impeachment.
Andrew Jackson was the epitome of the American Dream. He worked his way from being an orphan and a war prisoner before he was 14, to being the greatest military general America had ever seen. He won the battle of New Orleans and took over Florida with his own army. Common citizens marveled at his war tactics and his record of cheating death. He ran for President in 1824 and nearly won, if not for a “corrupt bargain”. He was the champion of the people, and the common men loved him. Despite all this, Andrew Jackson is infamous as one of the worst Presidents in the history of the United States. As President, he caused the economic crisis of 1837, he implemented the spoils system to reward cronies, and he ordered the genocide of Native
Jackson remained in the military after the war. Late in 1817,he received orders to subdue the Seminole Native Americans, who were raiding across the border from Spanish Florida itself. He captured its bastions at St. Marks Pensacola and arrested, tried, and executed two British nationalists whom he charged with abetting the Native Americans.
Andrew Jackson was the seventh president of the United States of America. His terms were served from March 4, 1829 to March 4, 1837. He was a very religious person. Jackson attended church regularly. The president opened his cabinet meetings with a prayer. When he was general, he would say a prayer before battle to his men. Jackson was the first President elected hailing west of the Appalachians. At the time he was the oldest President to be elected into office. Jackson's presidency defined itself in two central points: the “nullification crisis” and the "Bank War." Jackson took office, The "American System" program helped economic development through utilizing transportation subsidies, and through protective tariffs on imports to aid American manufacturers. A lot of Southerners believed these policies promoted Northern growth and that this was at their expense. Jackson slowed down the American System by vetoing road, and canal bills starting with the Maysville Road in 1830. In1832 South Carolina declared the tariff unconstitutional which made it null and void. The state took steps to block tariff collections within its radius. Even though Jackson favored lower tariffs, Jackson acted swiftly to uphold federal supremacy by force, or any means necessary. He declared the Union indivisible. He then branded nullification as treason. Congress reduced the tariff in 1833, defusing the crisis.
Andrew Jackson may just be a former president to many people, but when viewing the political history of the United States of America, it is apparent that Andrew Jackson’s legacy has been affecting the United States from before his presidency, and it continuously effecting this country today. Some key parts of Jacksonian Politics are Jackson’s platform and his log cabin appeal. Jackson built compassion in voters by fighting for his country during the War of 1812, by having the common man log cabin appeal, and by fighting the common trend of the wealthy benefiting the wealthy by standing up for the greater good of common men. To fully understand Jacksonian politics you must understand the timeline in which he held presidency, as well as the
Wright, Richard. "The Man Who Was Almost a Man." Literature and the Writing Process. Ed.
When a writer starts his work, most often than not, they think of ways they can catch their reader’s attention, but more importantly, how to awake emotions within them. They want to stand out from the rest and to do so, they must swim against the social trend that marks a specific society. That will make them significant; the way they write, how they make a reader feel, the specific way they write, and the devotion they have for their work. Washington Irving, Nathaniel Hawthorne, and Edgard Allan Poe influenced significantly the American literary canon with their styles, themes, and forms, making them three important writers in America.
Robert Louis Stevenson is one of the greatest authors to hail from Britain. His writings have been enjoyed by countless since he masterfully wrote them down. Stevenson uses characterization, imagery, and conflict to keep his readers captivated by his works in Treasure Island, Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, and Kidnapped.
Andy Smith J. Ward February 17, 2014 History 102 Revolutionary Thinkers Locke versus Smith John Locke and Adam Smith were critically acclaimed to be revolutionary thinkers and their thoughts and reasons have very good reasons backed up with ways to describe the Economy and the Government as inefficient or wrong in their Era of their lifetime. John Locke and Adam Smith are both believers that the government should be active in supporting social and political change in the economy. Both Locke and Smith’s thoughts can be equally said revolutionary in comparison, but in terms of what era they lived in and more history that has happened to see more mistakes to correct what happened and possible future outcomes for a clear revolutionary though I believe Adam Smith’s ideas were more revolutionary and his dominant ideas that have helped what we think is the way we do things in todays economy. Smith's influential work, The Wealth of Nations, was written based on the help with the country’s economy who based it off his book. Smith’s book was mainly written on how inefficient mercantilism was, but it was also written to explain what Smith thought was to be a brilliant yet complicated idea of an economic system based on the population and the social ladder.
In the end what American need to understand is that yes Andrew Jackson made multiple decisions that aided for the good towards America. Did he have a few unfavorable decisions? Yes the fact that one does more good to benefit us as a nation is what is important. Brinkley eve stated that Jackson was strongly committed to preservation of that union and that he did. If we step back a put ourselves in that time frame, it will be inevitable that Jackson was doing all that he could to make our country better, and to help the common man out. Even back in the 18th century. Of course those decision when looked at from today’s perspective would paint him as a villain, but overall for what he did for our country was what the people wanted and what he needed to do he did, compare that to some of our recent leaders today. Andrew Jackson Good, Brave, Hero afterall.
Andrew Jackson is an extremely important individual in our society. Many people do not realize that he is the first president to be born as a common man. He does not have wealthy parents or a university education like some presidents before. He is high spirited with a quick temper and is always ready to support the people around him and defend himself. What makes his life significant enough to be remembered today?
"It is one of the blessings of this world that few people see visions and dream dreams" (Hurston). An author, especially during the Harlem Renaissance which immediately followed World War One, is someone who took their dream, acted upon it, and made it into something tangible on paper. An author takes their thoughts and creates something beautifully unique each and every time. Being an author takes a lot of strength in order to find your place in the overpopulated industry of up and coming authors-to-be. In any industry, not just writing, it takes a while to find one's special voice and style. A well respected author of the Harlem Renaissance, Zora Neale Hurston wrote
In this essay I will be comparing and contrasting three inspirational people and their experiences on reading and writing. Frederick Douglass, Malcolm X, and Sandra Cisneros all had different opinions about it. All of them overcame struggles that were different but similar in some way. What really intrigued me was that they followed their hearts in what they wanted to do even though people told them they couldn't.
An individual does not make a community, and a community does not make a society. In order to have a functioning and prosperous society, one must relinquish some free will in return for protection. According to John Stuart Mill’s On Liberty, there are certain rights of the individual which the government may never possess. Centuries after the publication of Mill’s Essay, the court case Gonzales v. O Centro Espirita Beneficente Uniao do Vegeta l , 546 U.S. 418 (2006) challenged the protective role of government against the free exercise of religion. In this instance, Mill would agree with the court ruling because, like his views concerning free exercise of will, government restriction and majority rule, both the court ruling and Mill’s ideals are concerned for the best interests of the individual rather than for the greater good of society.