Question

1. The letter below was written by Samuel Johnson in response to a woman who had asked him to obtain the archbishop of Canterbury’s patronage to have her son sent to the university. Read the letter carefully. Then write an essay in which you analyze how Johnson crafts his denial of the woman’s request.

MADAM,
I hope you will believe that my delay in answering your letter could proceed only from my unwillingness to destroy any hope that you had formed. Hope is itself a species of happiness, and, perhaps, the chief happiness 5 which this world affords: but, like all other pleasures immoderately enjoyed, the excesses of hope must be expiated by pain; and expectations improperly indulged, must end in disappointment. If it be asked, what is the improper expectation which it is dangerous to indulge, 10 experience will quickly answer, that it is such expectation as is dictated not by reason, but by desire; expectation raised, not by the common occurrences of life, but by the wants of the expectant; an expectation that requires the common course of things to be changed, 15 and the general rules of action to be broken. When you made your request to me, you should have considered, Madam, what you were asking. You ask me to solicit a great man, to whom I never spoke, for a young person whom I had never seen, upon a 20 supposition which I had no means of knowing to be true. There is no reason why, amongst all the great, I should chuse* to supplicate the Archbishop, nor why, among all the possible objects of his bounty, the Archbishopshould chuse your son. I know, Madam, how unwillingly 25 conviction is admitted, when interest opposes it; but
surely, Madam, you must allow, that there is no reason why that should be done by me, which every other man may do with equal reason, and which, indeed, no man can do properly, without some very particular relation 30 both to the Archbishop and to you. If I could help you in this exigence by any proper means, it would give me pleasure: but this 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 35 me to undergo. I have seen your son this morning; he seems a pretty youth, and will, perhaps, find some better friend than I can procure him; but though he should at last miss the University, he may still be wise, useful, and happy.
June 8, 1762

Answer 1

Samuel Johnson's letter is a model of how to decline a request with grace and tact. He combines philosophical musings on hope with practical considerations about the unreasonableness of the woman's request, concluding with a gentle refusal that maintains a positive outlook for her son.

Step-by-step explanation:

The letter written by Samuel Johnson is an eloquent example of refusal while maintaining politeness and respect. Throughout his epistle, Johnson utilizes various rhetorical strategies to craft his denial, ensuring to not diminish the woman’s hope prematurely while also expressing the implausibility and inappropriateness of her request. Johnson commences by acknowledging the power and joy of hope, yet he also warns of the dangers of indulging in unrealistic expectations, setting a tone that is both philosophical and cautionary.

He then progresses to the specifics of her ask, gently pointing out the impracticality of her request by highlighting the lack of acquaintance with both the subject of her solicitude and the Archbishop she wishes him to petition. He employs reason and common social norms to articulate why he should not intervene, suggesting that such actions are beyond the remit of their current relationship and his societal standing. Johnson closes with consolation, offering a kind judgment of her son’s prospects irrespective of the university opportunity, thus softening the blow of his refusal.

Answer 2

The letter from Samuel Johnson shown above was made as a refusal to request a woman who would like to receive sponsorship from a bishop to send her son to university.

In the Letter, Johnson explains the reasons that led him to reject this request, stating that they cannot ask the bishop he does not know, sponsorship for a boy the bishop does not know. This is because this type of sponsorship was something very big, with great economic expense. Therefore, this was not offered to strangers, but only to people with whom the sponsors had knowledge and a certain intimacy.

In this letter, Johnson makes recurring use of ethos and logos. He uses ehos, when he shows that he is rejecting the request in the most ethical and respectable way possible, and, he uses logos, when he shows that the refusal is not being made for personal reasons, but for the logic of the situation.

Finally, Johnson says that he believes that the woman's son is a brilliant boy and that it is not necessary for him to go to university to be a great man.