Ironic Techniques Used In Samuel Johnson's Response Letter
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Samuel Johnson is able to craft his denial request to a woman who had asked him to obtain the archbishop of Canterbury’s patronage to have her son sent to the university. In his response letter, Johnson uses a subtle shift in tone, logos, and point of view to deny her request. These devices successfully construct an argument in his letter of response allowing him to remain amiable about his refusal.
Johnson begins his letter by introducing his refusal with an apology for he was pondering the different ways to approach his denial. With the use of pathos, he respectfully apologizes for the delay in his answer and sympathizes he must share some news with her, “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.” Johnson then uses the chance to define hope describing how the mother may have expected too much and how dangerous it is for her…show more content… He points out her lack of thought for asking him to solicit a man he had never met before to a boy he had never seen and explains how hard it is for him to ask the archbishop a question like that“…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 supposition which I had no means of knowing to be true.” He reprimands the woman for not thinking about what she was asking beforehand for he has no reason or authority to ask the archbishop to accept the woman’s son to the university. With the use of logos, Johnson makes it clear for the mother to recognize that “there is no reason why, amongst all the great...,” Johnson should be of assistance. Johnson marks his logical explanation as to why he will not seek patronage for the lady’s son hoping the mother will gain understanding of the reason for