Essay

The American Scholar

The American Scholar By Ralph Waldo Emerson

Literature, English Literature, Essay
The American Scholar
The American Scholar

Introduction

            “The American Scholar” is an Essay by ‘Ralph Waldo Emerson’, which emphasizes the particular role that nature has in a Scholar’s development. This essay was first delivered as a lecture, Originally titled ‘An Oration Delivered before the Phi Beta Kappa Society, at Cambridge, August 1837’. Emerson published the speech under its original title as a pamphlet later that same year and republished it in 1838. In 1841, he included the essay in his book Essay, but changed its title to “The American Scholar”. This essay is regarded as ‘the First Clarian of An American literary Renaissance.

About Ralph Waldo Emerson

            Ralph Waldo Emerson is America’s one of the foremost writers. He was an American essayist, lecturer, philosopher, abolitionist, and Poet. He led the Transcendentalist movement of the middle of the 19th Century. He is a great thinker and philosopher too. He has won many laurels and Awards for literary achievements. Emerson wrote most of his important essays as lectures first and then revised them for print. His first two collections of essays, “Essay: First Series” and “Essays: Second Series”. They include well-known essays – ‘Self Reliance, ‘The Over-Soul’, ‘Circles’, The Poet’ and ‘Experience’. Friedrich Nietzsche considered him “The most gifted of the Americans” and ‘Walt Whitman’ referred to him as his “Master.”

Analysis Of The Essay “The American Scholar”

            Emerson begins his lecture by stating that America’s training phase of Shaping its literary career has come to an end and it should not be further dependent on other literary traditions of Europe. A time has come to establish its literary base and be ‘Self Reliant’ thereof. He strongly believes that American life and experience should be celebrated in American poetry and literature.

            In the essay, Emerson portrays the scholar as a person who learns from three main things. These things are – “By Nature”, “By Books (Past)”, and “By Action”.

            He believes that nature is a source of spiritual and intellectual inspiration and that by studying nature, scholars can learn more about themselves and the world around them. Emerson argued that the American Scholar should be an independent thinker who is not bound by the traditions of the past. He writes,

“Our day demands the scholar. Man is born to believe
 and not to doubt, that our education is mainly an effort
 to expedite the process of believing by including
 a paralysis, and torpor of the faculties.”

            Emerson considers nature “the first in time and the first in importance of the influence” in the early development of a scholar. The scholar, according to Emerson, is naturally drawn to nature as an object of study.

            Emerson believed that “Man is related to all nature”. Therefore, understanding nature was the first step to understanding mankind as a whole and not just the individual Self. The “Unifying Instinct” drives the scholar to find commonalities on the surface of the earth, where they will discover “Roots running underground whereby contrary and remote things cohere and flowers out from one Stem.” Because nature mirrors society, it follows that there are also unseen “Roots” that bind individuals to one another despite differences in class, religion, race, sex, and culture. He writes,

“Nature is the opposite of the soul, answering to it part.
 One is a seal, and one is a print. Its beauty is the beauty
 of his mind. Its laws are the laws of his mind.”

            Emerson believes that nature is a reflection of the human sad and that by studying nature, scholars can learn more about themselves.

            When Emerson wrote this essay, America was still a new nation and largely unexplored and undeveloped. He hoped that a new generation of American scholars would turn to America’s landscape for inspiration to form new ideas and create a new style of art that would reflect the landscape’s untamed wilderness. Emerson believed that new ideas and art did not come from libraries or colleges, but “Out of unhandselled savage nature.” He also believed that the extent of a Scholar’s understanding of nature reflected the extent of a scholar’s understanding of nature reflected the extent of their understanding of their own mind. He writes,

“Nature has made everything at last, the remote spaces of the
 universe as well as grasses of the field, easy to the
 apprehension of my mind. The laws which govern the stars
 and the laws which govern the pismire are one. The plant has
 its law, and the man his law. But in the plant, the laws act
 without the consciousness of the point; in the man, it acts
 through his consciousness. This is the reason why the flower
 is beautiful to the bee, and the star is beautiful to the man.”

            Emerson believes that nature can teach scholars about the fundamental laws of the universe and that this knowledge can help them to create new and innovative ideas.

Conclusion

            Thus, Emerson’s essay “The American Scholar” is about the development of a new type of Scholar in America. His emphasis on the importance of nature in the development of the scholar is a unique and important contribution to the American tradition. By Studying nature, Emerson believes, scholars can develop all the tools they need to study humanity and create literature and art that can uplift and inspire people from all walks of life.

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Feminism In India and West

Feminism In India & Feminism In West

Literature, Essay, Indian Literature, Non-Fiction
Feminism In India and West
Feminism In India and West

Introduction

            “Feminism” is an Ideology that demands equal rights for men and women in terms of politics decision-making, career, and having Children. It is considered a struggle to achieve the same rights, opportunities, and dignity as men have in society.

            About half of the global human population is women. At every step, all over the world, women face inequality subordination, and secondary class status. Before the first Industrial Revolution, human life was not male-dominated and both men and women contributed equally in society. The Industrial Revolution began in England in about 1750-1760 and lasted sometime between 1820 and 1840. During this period women were restricted to the domestic atmosphere and men started to work in industries. As a result, women remain vulnerable socially politically, and economically.

Definition of Feminism

            The term “Feminism” came into use during the 1890s but its origin can be traced to the late 17th century. There is no fixed definition of Feminism and it has a variety of meanings and interpretations. In different fields of life, we define feminism according to its own social, political, religious, and cultural perspective.

In short, “Feminism is a movement to end sexism, sexiest exploitation and oppression.”

            According to the Cambridge Dictionaries, Feminism can be seen as “The belief that women should be allowed the same rights, power, and opportunities as men and be treated in the same way, or the set of activities intended to achieve this state.”

            As a social movement, the main Characteristics and demands of Feminism include:

  • The Right of an Education.
  • Equal pay in work the workplace.
  • Reproductive Rights.
  • Women’s suffrage.
  • Fighting against gender stereotypes and performative behaviour.
  • Protection against sexual harassment and assault.
  • The rights of own property.

                        The general purpose of Feminism through centuries is to establish opportunities and results for women equal to those allotted to men. There are four distinct waves of feminism that align with the period of time.

These waves are –

WavesTime PeriodIssues
First19th to 20th CenturyRight of Vote
Second1960s to 1980sDomesticity & Sexuality
Third1990s to 2000sDiversity & Intersectionality
Fourth2000 to presentEmpowerment

The Portrayal Of Women and Feminism In India

            Indian Women have been facing challenges in the form of Inequalities, and mental and physical violence acts. The portrayal of Feminism in Indian Literature is considered to be one of the most debated topics.

            The portrayal of Feminism in Indian Literature goes back to ancient Indian History. “Ramayana” is considered to be one of the Greatest epics of Indian Literature written by Valmiki. In this epic, the Characters of women have depicted the real condition of Indian Women in the Ancient period. The Character of Sita who is the Wife of Lord Ram has justified the power and strength of her husband Rama. She has also been portrayed as vulnerable without her husband. The epic has made Lord Rama an Exemplary protagonist at the cost of the Rejection of his wife. She gave “Agni Priksha” to prove her purity to become Ram’s wife when she returned from Lanka.

            Toru Dutt, a 19th-century Indian poet, expressed her pain and grief through her poem “Sita” and questioned the dominance of Indian Patriarchal society.

Feminism In The Indian Context

Feminism in the Indian Context can be divided into three Phase

First Phase – 1850 to 1915

            The first phase of Indian feminism was started in the mid-nineteenth century. At this time India was to assimilate the Western idea of Liberty, Equality, and Fraternity. The first phase of Indian Feminism was initiated by men to uproot the social evils of Sati-Pratha and allow widow remarriage. Indian societies also forbid child marriage and to reduce illiteracy. However, as nationalist movements emerged in India, Indian society was improving the status of women by the late 19th century.

Second Phase – 1915 to 1947

            During this period the struggle against colonial rule intensified. Nationalism became the pre-eminent cause. Gandhi legitimized and expanded Indian women’s public activities by initiating them into the non-violent civil disobedience movement against the British Raj. Peasant women played an important role in rural Satyagrah as of Borsad and Bardoli. Women-only organizations like ‘All India Women’s Conference’ and the ‘National Federation Od Indian Women’ emerged Women were grappling with issues relating to the scope of women’s political participation, women’s franchise, communal awards, and leadership roles in political parties.

Third Phase, Post 1947

            Post-independence Indian literature has portrayed the condition of women in new dimensions. The real suffering of a peasant woman in rural India can be witnessed in ‘Nactor in a Sieve’ a novel by ‘Kamala Markandaya’. This novel has a story of woman and her husband in an Indian village who were exploited by money lenders.

            ‘Rukmani’ the lead female character of the Novel, is a rural Indian woman who did not receive, education, financial security, and societal support.

            On the other hand the novel “Voices in the City” by ‘Anita Desai’ has stressed freedom and facing realities in the lives of Indian Women.

 Depiction Of Women In the 21st Century

            Indian Society has been going through several changes in establishing an identity for women. “The Binding Vine” a novel by ‘Shashi Deshpande’ has highlighted marital rape. Another contemporary author, ‘Shobha De’ has highlighted the emotional and sexual needs of an Indian middle-class woman through her story “Second Thoughts”.

Development of Feminism in West

            The concept of Feminism Movement got proper prominence and importance in the 1960s. Earlier, Feminism was limited to some female writers but the increased number of Female writers and the representation of Women characters in the fiction world drew large attention in the Literature. The evolution of the feminist movement in Western literature is as follows:

First Wave Of Feminism

            First-wave Feminism is mainly concerned with the treatment of women in a male-dominated society. The Major works that raised the issues of Feminism during this phase are Mary Ellman’s ‘Thinking about Women (1968), Kate Millet’s Sexual Politics, and Germaine Greer’s The Female Eunuch. Many important works of male writers have been studied in order to analyse the attitude of male towards women and society.

Second Wave Of Feminism

            Second Wave is concerned with women’s writings including Ellen More’s Literary Women, Elaine Showalter’s, A Literature of Their Own, Nina Baym’s Women’s Fiction, Sandra Gilbert and Susan Gubar’s The Mad Woman in Attic, and Margaret Human’s Women Writers and Poetic Identity.

            Elaine Showalter’s ‘A Literature of Their Own Published in 1970. This phase chiefly explores the relationship between females and literature and texts were analyzed to understand the treatment of female characters by the male in the society.

Showalter proposed three stages in the history of Women’s writing

Feminine Phase (1840-1880), in which women writers imitated dominant male artistic norms and aesthetic standards.

Feminist Phase (1880-1920), in which radical approach has been maintained and at last.

Female Phase (1920 to onwards), primarily focused on female writing focused on female writing and female experiences.

            ‘Mary Wollstonecraft’, one of the authors who wrote about Feminism, advocated in her ‘A Vindication of the Rights of Women that women must be treated equally because they have to play a crucial and vital role in society, especially in bringing up children.

            She attacked male thinkers and scholars like Rousseau who argued that women did not need education but she supported education as a means of women’s improvement.

            American activist, “Margaret Fuller” one of the famous female writers of the 19th century, in her Women in the Nineteenth Century, in her “Women in the Nineteenth Century” believed that education is the means of emancipation for women and her key planks are education, employment, and politics.

            While in the 20th century ‘Virginia Woolf’ a modernist and Female Victorian author, explored gender reaction in her ‘A Room of One’s Own’ and ‘Three Guineas’. She remarks a woman must have money and a room of her own if she is to write fiction. She advocates for the liberation of women, financial independence, and the right to reveal feelings and experiences through words.

            Whereas ‘Simone De Beauvoir favors that there is no essence of the woman and that a woman is constructed by men. She states in her feminism manifesto of The Second Sex, ‘One is not born a woman but become one.’

Conclusion

            Feminism questions the long-standing, dominant, male, interpretations and patriarchal attitude. Feminism has empowered the confidence of women and provided individuality identification in Patriarchal Society.

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Women Writing In India 600 B.C to Present

“Women Writing in India: 600 B.C. to the Present” by Susie Tharu and K. Lalita

Literature, English Literature, Essay, Novel
Women Writing In India 600 B.C to Present
Women Writing In India 600 B.C to Present

Introduction

“Women Writing in India: 600 B.C. to the Present” is a fascinating book written by Susie Tharu and K. Lalita, that showcases the writings of women in India throughout history. This is Volume 1 of the series, and it presents a diverse collection of literary works spanning a wide range of time periods, languages, and regions in India. It sets the stage for exploring the contributions of women writers and emphasizes the importance of recognizing their voices in the literary landscape. The first volume covers the period from 600 B.C. to the early twentieth century and includes texts from Sanskrit, Tamil, Pali, Prakrit, Persian, Urdu, Bengali, Marathi, and other languages.

The first volume spans from 600 B.C. to the early twentieth century and includes 127 selections from 88 writers. The selections are arranged in nine sections, each covering a different historical period and literary tradition. The sections are:

– The Beginnings: Women’s Writing in India from 600 B.C. to A.D. 600
– The Classical Age: Women’s Writing in India from A.D. 600 to A.D. 1300
– The Medieval Period: Women’s Writing in India from A.D. 1300 to A.D. 1800
– The Early Modern Period: Women’s Writing in India from A.D. 1800 to A.D. 1857
– The Colonial Period: Women’s Writing in India from A.D. 1857 to A.D. 1900

– The Nationalist Movement: Women’s Writing in India from A.D. 1900 to A.D. 1920
– The Gandhian Era: Women’s Writing in India from A.D. 1920 to A.D. 1947
– The Post-Independence Period: Women’s Writing in India from A.D. 1947 to A.D. 1960
– The Contemporary Period: Women’s Writing in India from A.D. 1960 to A.D. 1990

Critical Analysis Of Women Writing in India Essay

The texts in Women Writing in India: 600 B.C. to the Present offer a rich and varied portrait of Indian women’s lives over the centuries. They provide insights into the social, political, and religious forces that have shaped women’s experiences. The texts also reveal the resilience and creativity of Indian women, who have found ways to express themselves and challenge the status quo.

The author shows that emerges from the anthology is the importance of education for women. Many of the writers in the anthology stress the need for women to be educated in order to achieve their full potential. They argue that education will help women to become more independent, to participate more fully in society, and to improve their lives.

The anthology is about the struggle for women’s rights. Many of the writers in the anthology write about the need to end discrimination against women, improve their legal status, and gain access to economic opportunities. They argue that women’s rights are human rights and that all women deserve to be treated with dignity and respect.

The texts in Women Writing in India: 600 B.C. to the Present are a powerful testament to the strength and resilience of Indian women. They offer a glimpse into the lives of women who have faced many challenges, but who have never given up hope. The texts are a valuable resource for anyone interested in understanding the history of women in India, and the challenges and opportunities that they face today.

Summary Of Women Writing in India

The anthology is divided into four sections: “Early Writings,” “The Nineteenth Century,” “The Early Twentieth Century,” and “The Late Nineteenth and Early Twentieth Centuries.”

The first section includes works from the Sanskrit and Prakrit traditions, as well as from the Tamil and Telugu languages. The second section focuses on the nineteenth century, a time of great social and political change in India. The third section covers the early twentieth century, a period of increasing nationalism and women’s activism. The fourth section brings together works from the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, a time of great literary and cultural ferment.

The anthology includes a wide range of writing, from the religious and philosophical to the erotic and the political. The works are diverse in terms of their subject matter, style, and tone. Some of the works are lyrical and evocative, while others are more didactic or polemical. Some of the works are humorous, while others are deeply serious.

“Women Writing in India” Anthology provides a valuable overview of the history of women’s writing in India. It also offers a glimpse into the lives and experiences of Indian women over the centuries. The works in the anthology speak to the diversity of Indian culture and the resilience of Indian women.

The following are some of the key themes that emerge from the anthology:

The struggle for women’s rights: Many of the works in the anthology deal with the struggle for women’s rights. These works address issues such as the right to education, the right to work, and the right to equality.

The importance of education for women: Many of the works in the anthology highlight the importance of education for women. These works argue that education is essential for women’s empowerment and for their ability to contribute to society.

The need for social reform: Many of the works in the anthology call for social reform. These works address issues such as child marriage, dowry, and Sati.

The power of the written word: Many of the works in the anthology celebrate the power of the written word. These works argue that writing can be used to challenge injustice, raise awareness, and create change.

The importance of family and community: Many of the works in the anthology emphasize the importance of family and community. These works show how family and community can provide support and strength in times of difficulty.

The beauty of nature: Many of the works in the anthology celebrate the beauty of nature. These works show how nature can provide solace, inspiration, and hope.

The strength of the human spirit: Many of the works in the anthology affirm the strength of the human spirit. These works show how people can overcome adversity and find hope in the face of despair.

Women Writing in India: 600 B.C. to the Present is an important anthology that provides a valuable overview of the history of women’s writing in India. The works in the anthology offer a glimpse into the lives and experiences of Indian women over the centuries. They also speak to the diversity of Indian culture and the resilience of Indian women. The anthology is a valuable resource for anyone interested in Indian literature, history, or women’s studies.

The book is divided into four volumes, each covering a different historical period and theme. The first volume, titled “The Beginnings”, covers the period from 600 B.C. to 1200 A.D., and features writings from ancient and medieval India. The second volume, titled “The Twentieth Century”, covers the period from 1900 to 1980, and features writings from the colonial and postcolonial eras. The third volume, titled “Feminisms”, covers the period from 1980 to 1995, and features writings from the contemporary feminist movement. The fourth volume, titled “In Other Words”, covers the period from 1995 to 2000, and features writings from marginalized and subaltern groups.

The book is a valuable resource for anyone interested in Indian literature, culture, history, and gender studies. It offers a rich and diverse selection of texts that showcase the creativity and agency of Indian women writers. It also offers a critical analysis of the literary traditions and practices of Indian women, as well as their social and political struggles and achievements. The book is a testament to the power and beauty of women’s voices in IndiaThe anthology includes a wide variety of genres, including poetry, fiction, drama, autobiography, and essays. The writers represented in the anthology come from all over India and write in a variety of languages.

The anthology provides a valuable overview of the history of women’s writing in India. It also offers insights into the lives and experiences of Indian women over the centuries.

Themes Of The Women Writing In India

The Struggle for Women’s Rights

Many of the works in the anthology deal with the struggle for women’s rights. These works address issues such as the right to education, the right to work, and the right to equality.

The importance of education for women

Many of the works in the anthology highlight the importance of education for women. These works argue that education is essential for women’s empowerment and for their ability to contribute to society.

The Need for social reform

Many of the works in the anthology call for social reform. These works address issues such as child marriage, dowry, and Sati.

The power of the written word

Many of the works in the anthology celebrate the power of the written word. These works argue that writing can be used to challenge injustice, raise awareness, and create change.

The importance of family and community

Many of the works in the anthology emphasize the importance of family and community. These works show how family and community can provide support and strength in times of difficulty.

The Beauty Of Nature

Many of the works in the anthology celebrate the beauty of nature. These works show how nature can provide solace, inspiration, and hope.

The strength of the human spirit

Many of the works in the anthology affirm the strength of the human spirit. These works show how people can overcome adversity and find hope in the face of despair.

Conclusion

Women Writing in India: 600 B.C. to the Present is a groundbreaking and comprehensive anthology that celebrates and explores the rich and diverse tradition of women’s writing in India. It is an essential resource for anyone interested in Indian literature, history, culture, feminism, or postcolonial studies.

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Beau Tibbs By Oliver Goldsmith

Beau Tibbs By Oliver Goldsmith

Literature, English Literature, Essay
Beau Tibbs By Oliver Goldsmith
Beau Tibbs By Oliver Goldsmith

Introduction

         The essay “Beau Tibbs” is the most significant collection of essays by Oliver Goldsmith. It is a collection of essays that deal with the character of peculiar persons. It teaches us, peculiar people. It teaches us so many practical lessons for a graceful life.

Goldsmith wants to stress the teaching,

 “The company of fools may,
  at first, make us smile
  but at last, never fails
  of rendering us melancholy.”

          He also throws light the contemporary English Society. Beau Tibs represents the contemporary English Middle class. The meaning of Beau Tibbs is a showy man.

About Oliver Goldsmith

         Oliver Goldsmith was an essayist of The Age of Transition. He wrote both poetry and essays. He contributed to the periodical essays. His essays have extraordinary power, boldness, originality of thoughts, humour, and tenderness. His style is clear and delicate which made him a great essayist. He was one of the most important writers of the Augustan age, otherwise known as the neoclassical age or the age of Reason.

He is noted for his novel, “The Vicar of Wakefield”, his pastoral poem “The Desert Village and his Plays”, “The Good-Natured Man” and “She Stoops to Conquer”, his classic Children’s tale “The History of Little Goody Two Shoes.”

Analysis of The Essay Beau Tibbs

            The essay “Beau Tibbs” has portrayed the character of Mr. Tibbs. The essayist calls him a Beau. This word indicates the inherent character of Mr. Tibbs that he was an elderly man who always remained particular to his dress and also pays unnecessary attention to women. So the word Beau has been used sarcastically to show the levity of his character.

            Mr. Tibbs was a very poor man but he always tried to conceal it from others, though unsuccessfully. This habit of Mr. Tibbs had made him an eccentric and he had developed a very ridiculous nature. Whenever he meets someone, he boasts of his high Contacts. He was equally peculiar in his dress. When the essayist met him, he noticed that

“His looks were pale, thin, and sharp;
 Round his neck, he wore a broad black ribbon
 and in his bosom a buckle studded with glass….
 and his stockings of silk, through newly washed,
 were grown yellow by long service.”

            He was habitual of dressing himself peculiarly and variously, sometimes in torn and at other times in beautiful dress.

            Mr. Tibbs invites the narrator to his house. Tibbs wants to introduce his wife and daughter to the narrator. He informs that his daughter knows the famous country dance and can play the guitar well. He says that he is designing her for his friend’s son. Mr. Tibbs also informs him about his wife. During his talk, he repeatedly asks the narrator to keep all this information secret. He takes the narrator to his house, not through a straight road, but through many dark and winding ways.

            His boastful nature was the greatest weakness of his character. He always tries to impress others that he had very close contacts and familiarity with the Lords and Ladies of high status and often dined with them in the cities and towns privately. He was too proud to admit his poverty and boasted of being on close terms with the aristocracy. He foolishly thought that the people believed whatever he told them about him.

Goldsmith has revealed his character in an extremely humorous but sarcastic manner. When he started talking with Charles, Tibbs told the Lord had granted him the favor of offering five hundred a year and ‘His lordship took me down in his own Chariot yesterday and we had a tete-a tete dinner in the country where we talked of nothing else.

            Then at once, as if suddenly reminded, he tells that he had actually dined in town. He was among the select party to dine at Lady Grograms. But after talking so long about his foolish stories, he suddenly comes to his real self. He asked Charles to give him Half-a-Crown(two shillings). Tibbs does this with everybody he meets and thus earns his acquaintances, he tells. He never repaid the borrowed from his friend and they knew the fact very well.

            Though this character of Goldsmith has imparted a piece of very useful advice to the young people who depended on the mercy of others but always thought themselves very clever, he advised that such hypocrisy is always damaging and we should save ourselves from such evil.

Conclusion

            Thus, Oliver Goldsmith can be said the representative writer of his age. His writings carry almost all the characteristics of the period he belonged to. The essay Beau Tibbs shows the vanity of the middle class of that age through the characters, Beau Tibbs.

Now we can say that through the essay “Beau Tibbs” Oliver Goldsmith satirized the English society.

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Letter To Chesterfield By Samuel Johnson

Letter To Chesterfield By Samuel Johnson

Literature, English Literature, Essay
Letter To Chesterfield By Samuel Johnson
Letter To Chesterfield By Samuel Johnson

Background/Introduction/Reason Behind Writing Letter

            Letter To Chesterfield, Samuel Johnson was a lexicographer which means he was a dictionary writer. Dr. Johnson had been writing his famous dictionary for eight years. A coalition of seven London booksellers had commissioned the project eight years previously. Johnson got only 1575 pounds in return for his hard labor. Dr. Johnson wanted some more money. On the advice of the bookseller, he published the plan of the dictionary and dedicated it to Lord Chesterfield in the hope of getting some monetary help from him. He personally visited the Lord but met with disappointment. The Lord helped him with much less money than Johnson had expected.

            But when Dictionary was published after 13 years, delayed by five years, Lord Chesterfield published an advance review of it in a magazine named The World, Presenting himself as a principal patron of the word.

            This excited Dr. Johnson’s anger and he wrote the letter to his Lordship. This is one of the great letters of all time.

The Letter To Chesterfield

Dr. Johnson wrote the Letter as Follows:

To,

      The Right Honourable the Earl of Chesterfield

       February 7, 1755.

My Lord,

               I have been recently informed by the proprietor of The World that you wrote two papers for the magazine recommending my dictionary to the public.

            This is such a distinguished honor and favor shown by the Great which I am not accustomed to. In other words, no Great man ever showed any favor to me. I, therefore fail to understand how I should receive it and in what terms to acknowledge it.

            When upon some slight encouragement I first visited enamored by the beauty of your residence and was so pleased with the idea of meeting you that I considered myself the conqueror of the world.  But I was so much neglected there that neither pride nor modesty would suffer me to center it. Once I addressed you in public, I tried my best to please you with all my oratory, but to no avail. I was ignored and I got nothing.

            My Lord, seven years ago, I waited for you in your outer rooms and I replaced from there empty-handed. There is no use in complaining of these adverse circumstances in which I continued my work during those seven years and been kind to me. Now it has been so much delayed that I am different from it and cannot share this honor with my wife who has died, now I am known to the world and I do not need the favor of anyone.

            In my opinion, there is no harshness in being cynical about a favor that does not bring any benefit. I am unwilling that the public should consider me as a patron, which actually I have done. God alone enables me to complete my work all alone.

            Though, I carry on my work with Little Obligation to any favourer of the learned man. I shall not be disappointed, if I get the least support and encouragement from them, for I have wakened from that Dream of hope of which I once boasted with utmost joy.

Some important point

The name of the Earl of Chesterfield was “Philip Dormer”,

Meaning of Johnson’s statement “Le Vainquer du Vainquer dc la terre” – The Conqueror of the world’s conqueror.

Name of a dictionary written by Johnson – “A Dictionary of the English Language.

Conclusion

            Thus through “Letter to Chesterfield” Samuel Johnson, depicts his feeling toward the honorable Earl of Chesterfield, Phillip Dormer. Johnson’s tone throughout the letter is very cynical and sarcastic. Johnson expresses his frustration to Lord Chesterfield through this letter. This letter is also described as literature’s Declaration of Independence.

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