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Samuel Johnson's Letter To Her Daughter

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As Samuel Johnson writes a letter in 1762, he carefully denies a woman’s request of patronage in the hopes of sending her son to a university. Johnson attempts to remain polite while writing the denial, but eventually he tells the woman the reasons her son can not be granted patronage. In the first paragraph of the letter, Johnson begins by describing a “species of happiness,” hope. He avoids directly addressing the refusal he is writing about as to not offend or embarrass his reader even though her proposal is uncommon and inappropriate. He also does this to maintain the professionalism that comes with his position. Because his reader is in a vulnerable position by asking for an unordinary favor, he is showing kindness to her by not blatantly refusing her and making fun of her. …show more content…
Johnson knows that like all mothers, she is loving, caring, and would do anything for her son. Because he is essentially telling his reader that she is unable to do the thing that she wants most, to help her son, Johnson uses a softer tone and is respectful. His reader has been awaiting a reply that determines whether or not her son will attend this university and Johnson acknowledges her obvious hopeful emotions. By discussing hope, Johnson is able to let his reader down more easily as he reaches the ultimate denial. Rather than blatantly blaming her for having hope and asking for his help, Johnson describes hope as a positive emotion that should be “immoderately enjoyed.” He does not want to “destroy any hope that [she] had formed,” proving that he understands how important this news must be to her family.

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