Samuel Johnson, also known as "Dr. Johnson," was born in 1709. His father, Michael Johnson, was a poor bookseller. He was born ill with tuberculosis. He faced many physical illnesses, such as being almost blind in one eye and deaf in one ear. Despite the physical illnesses, his mind was his strongest part. He was brought up in poverty.
Samuel Johnson started his career by writing for Edward Cave, editor of The Gentleman's magazine. He also wrote essays, reviews, and a parliamentary letter. His first poem London was published in 1738; this poem captures the attention of great poets of the 18th century like Alexander Pope. It was also known as the age of reason, where people were focusing on rationalism.
Samuel Johnson’s "London" and "Vanity of human wishes" were his most popular poems. He also wrote a Dictionary of English language in seven years, where forty Frenchmen took thirty years to compile a dictionary. This made Samuel Johnson popular in England.
London is a political satire that captures the spirit of Juvenal's third satire. In this poem, Thales explains why he wants to leave the London city. Thales satirizes the ruling government. He says that the government bribes common people to follow the rules of the government. He describes the corruption that is prevalent in London. Scoundrels roam freely in the city of London and rob people. Politicians tempt the public and favour only sycophants. Leaders impose fake tax policies to loot common people. He admires King Henry V and Queen Elizabeth and explains the progress they made during their rule in London.
The Vanity of human wishes has a sober and melancholy tone. It is philosophical in nature which reflects Juvenal's tenth satire in which he served the philosophical purpose. This poem is Johnson's first work published with his name, but earlier he was writing anonymously. In this poem the poet asserts that worldly things are meaningless and incapable of bringing peace of mind. He says that in every human desire there is pain and suffering. Gold and money breed greed in human beings. Human beings do crime to get wealth. This wealth brings misery but peace goes. He gives the example of Wolsey to prove the vanity of human wishes. Wolsey conquers everyone and acquires power after power. But when he reached to the wealth and power, no one loved him, and he did not get any love from people. Johnson advises to control the desires and love mankind. Love and mindfulness are sufficient to get happiness. This poem is very similar to the thought and philosophy propounded by Lord Buddha. Lord Buddha advises everyone to follow the middle path and be merciful and loving to every creature. Only then will true happiness come.
“The Vanity of Wealth” by Dr. Johnson is an influential poem that addresses things which matter in life. He stresses that money is not able to buy love, friendship and other human values. Gold cannot stop death from coming to us. Gold and money cannot buy and sell pleasures that we get from love and friendship. This poem reminds the reader about the things that truly matter and are meaningful in life. The poet asserts that human beings should enjoy the pleasures of nature that she has set out for humankind. The speaker declares that he is turning to nature and enjoying his life without looking for money.
As far as his writing style is concerned, he used short lines and his poems are filled with philosophy of human life. He makes use of various poetic techniques like alliteration, caesura and anaphora. He is a poet of a few themes, but he has enough talent and ability to elaborate those themes in a very simple and lucid style. His poems touch the heart and soul of the readers. He is remembered for his philosophy and aphorisms. He used contemporary language and avoids decorative and figurative language. He has elaborated on the themes of love, compassion, death, sufferings and misery.
After the death of Alexander Pope in 1744, Samuel Johnson became the prominent figure of the eighteenth century. He didn't write much, but it was his perfection in each of his works that made him popular. His reputation is established, but still, he faced many financial difficulties. He was so famous that his writing years are known as the Age of Johnson. His friend James Boswell, wrote his biography called “The Life of Samuel Johnson”.
