Samuel Johnson's Letter To The Canterbury Of Canterbury

Samuel Johnson successfully crafts a letter in response to a women who has placed him in an uncomfortable situation by asking him to seek patronage for her son to attend the university. In this request, she also asked for Samuel Johnson to contact the archbishop of Canterbury, whom he has never met, while speaking on behalf of her son, in which he has never met. This letter places a lot of pressure on Samuel Johnson because he knows how terribly disappointed she will be when he does not follow through with her request. Johnson's unique diction causes the reader to deeply think about the implications of her request. For example, "Hope is itself a species of happiness, and, perhaps, the chief happiness which this world affords: but, like
In lines (24-30) "Madam, how unwillingly 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 relations both to the Archbishop and to you." By stating this Johnson is trying to make a point that he is just as equal in power as every other man. He makes his point that he hardly knows the Archbishop and a letter from any other person will be as equal as his. Samuel also uses strong connotation in lines (30-35) it states, "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 me undergo." In this example Samuel is showing his sympathy by using meaningful words like how it would give him pleasure to help her son. He also is giving another hint to the mother that he won't be admitted by saying that the risk of his answer and suspicions is not what she would want to