The Vanity of Human Wishes

by Samuel Johnson

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Analysis and themes of Samuel Johnson's "The Vanity of Human Wishes."

Summary:

Samuel Johnson's "The Vanity of Human Wishes" explores themes of human ambition, the fleeting nature of success, and the ultimate futility of worldly pursuits. Johnson uses historical and contemporary examples to illustrate how desires for wealth, power, and fame often lead to disappointment and ruin, emphasizing the importance of seeking spiritual fulfillment over material gains.

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What are the neoclassical elements in Samuel Johnson's "The Vanity of Human Wishes"?

Neoclassicism is, like the classical poetry it tried to imitate, characterized by objectivity, rationalism, and realism. This is in contrast to the much more emotional emphasis of Romantic poetry. Neoclassical poetry is also often didactic, meaning that it tries to educate the reader. Stylistically, neoclassical poetry is characterized by heroic couplets; historical, religious, and biblical allusions; and restrained, concrete language.

In Samuel Johnson's "The Vanity of Human Wishes," there are several academic allusions, whether it be historical ("Democritus, arise on Earth . . . In full-blown Dignity, see Wolsey stand, / Law in His Voice and Fortune in his Hand"), mythological ("Though dancing Mountains witness'd Orpheus near") or literary ("The Tenth Satire of Juvenal"). These allusions are to lend the poem weight and gravitas.

Johnson's poem is also didactic in that it attempts to draw attention to the ignorance and fickleness of the British people who:

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Johnson's poem is also didactic in that it attempts to draw attention to the ignorance and fickleness of the British people who:

ask no Questions but the Price of Votes;
With Weekly Libels and Septennial Ale,
Their Wish is full to riot and to rail.

Johnson's message here is that the British people should be more inquisitive and, by implication, less accepting of the corruption of their rulers, who, Johnson implies, cynically purchase their votes. He also criticizes the British public for wanting nothing more than to satisfy base instincts by drinking and rioting. Later in the poem there is more didacticism as Johnson rails against avarice, describing dismissively the greedy man who "Unlocks his Gold and counts it till he dies."

The poem is also written (in accordance with the neoclassical style) in heroic couplets, which are pairs of rhyming lines written in iambic pentameter. An iamb is a metrical foot of poetry, in which a stressed syllable follows an unstressed syllable. Pent (from the Greek "penta") means five, so there are five iambs in each line. For example:

Let Ob/servat/ion with/ exten/sive View,
Survey/ Mankind,/ from Chi/na to/ Peru

The syllables I have highlighted in bold are the syllables which are stressed, and you can see that the syllables are in pairs, or iambs.

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Can you explain each stanza of Samuel Johnson's "Vanity of Human Wishes"?

Johnson's poem, even before we examine it more closely stanza by stanza, can be divided into three basic sections. The first presents his general theme, the second gives illustrations of the theme throughout history, and the last is a summary in which the moral of the poem is restated more forcefully, as well as offers a kind of solution to the impediments to man's happiness which have been described so fully. (In my quotations I've decided to modernize, for the most part, Johnson's spelling and punctuation.)

In the first stanza, Johnson indicates that people are usually deluded in believing their wishes can be fulfilled. This happens on the personal level and the collective: "How nations sink, by darling schemes oppressed." The theme of political folly is developed much more extensively as the poem goes on. Stanza 2 deals with the folly of greed: "But scarce observed the knowing and the bold / Fall in the general massacre of gold," and so on. Stanza 3 then begins to focus more on the destructive folly of world leaders: "Let history tell where rival kings command, / And dubious title shakes the maddened land."

At this point, Johnson reaches a new level of specificity, in the next several stanzas imagining what Democritus, if transported from antiquity to the present, would think of the political goings-on in Britain. Though he has now begun, in the overall articulation of his theme, to particularize, he still at first writes about Britain in general, with the intention of indicting her politicians as having lost an honesty they possessed in the past: "Through Freedom's sons no more remonstrance rings, / Degrading nobles and controlling kings;/Our supple tribes repress their patriot throats,/And ask no questions but the price of votes"—an obvious reference to bribe-taking.

What follows, in the stanzas beginning with "In full-blown dignity, see Wolsey stand, / Law in his voice and fortune in his hand" is an enumeration of English statesmen (Wolsey was a cardinal in Henry VIII's administration who rose to great power and fell) who illustrate Johnson's theme: Villiers, Harley, Wentworth, Bodley. But the focus broadens to the European world as a whole and even to the fate of a man of science such as Galileo, who was forced to recant his belief in the Copernican view of the solar system when confronted by the Inquisition. In other words, even a man with the "pure" aims of a scholar is vain in his wish that he will be successful and not ultimately destroyed by the forces surrounding him.

In the stanza beginning "The festal blazes, the triumphal show, / The ravished standard, and the captive foe" Johnson's purpose is to debunk the glory of military success, to expose the vanity of thinking that victory in war accomplishes anything. And then, the specificity of his indictment is heightened with a long account of Charles XII of Sweden, who attempted to conquer Russia and was defeated. More examples from recent European history follow: "The bold Bavarian, in a luckless hour, / Tries the dread summits of Cesarean power." This is a reference to the War of the Austrian Succession, fought in the 1740s, in which the Elector Charles Albert of Bavaria believed he should succeed Charles VI as Holy Roman Emperor, instead of the latter's daughter Maria Theresa.

Johnson next deals with the vanity of those who wish to live long lives: "Enlarge my life with multitude of days, / In health, in sickness, thus the suppliant prays," debunking this by counting off all the ills, both emotional and physical, that torment people in old age,. He concludes with this couplet about two very famous men of the time, one a military leader, and one a great writer, who ended up with (what we now know as) dementia: "From Marlborough's eyes the streams of dotage flow, / And Swift expires a driveler and a show." One more stanza ("The teeming mother, anxious for her race/Begs for each birth the fortune of a face") deals with a specific manifestation of the general theme of how vain our wishes are, in this case the desire to maintain physical beauty.

Johnson then concludes with what I have described as the third section overall, a kind of summary of the theme and the moral to which it points: "Where then shall hope and fear their objects find? / Must dull suspense corrupt the stagnant mind?" His answer, simply, is the injunction to the reader:

Still raise for good the supplicating voice / But leave to heaven the measure and the choice / Safe in his power, whose eyes discern afar / The secret ambush of a specious prayer, / Implore his aid, in his decisions rest, / Secure whate'er he gives, he gives the best.

In the end, Johnson is advising submission to the will of God, the acceptance of what God grants, and the uselessness of wishing for more.

Johnson was a devout member of the Church of England, and all of his writings can be said to have a religious message at their core. Though Johnson was later critical, in his Lives of the English Poets, of Alexander Pope's Essay on Man, which was published about 15 years before The Vanity of Human Wishes,Johnson's theme here of the acceptance of God's plan is quite similar to Pope's message. Also, one must observe that, although Johnson's poem is an updating of the Roman satirist Juvenal's Tenth Satire, and is itself now about 270 years old, the points regarding corrupt politicians and the futility of war are still valid today, and there are many examples of the same follies taking place in our own time.

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Evaluate "A Vanity of Human Wishes" as a satire by Samuel Johnson.

Johnson's most famous poem is a satire, and is explicitly modeled on the tenth satire of the Latin poet Juvenal. Yet, if we look closely at Johnson's technique, it appears different from that of the other writers from his period (and slightly earlier)—Jonathan Swift and Alexander Pope—who were considered the chief satirists of the age, and also differs from other works we typically regard as the best examples of satire.

Usually, a satire uses devices such as irony and allegory to get its points across. For instance, in "A Modest Proposal," Swift uses a persona who literally expresses the opposite view to the point Swift is making about the extreme poverty of Ireland and the callousness of the British ruling class about it. In a much different style, Pope in The Rape of the Lock ironically uses both the language and background trappings associated with epic poetry to describe the trivial and silly goings-on among fashionable young people of his own time.

In both of these cases, there is a deliberate distancing of the writer's surface style from the underlying message, and though the intention is a grim and angry one (for Swift especially, concerning the outrage over human folly), the overall effect is darkly comical.

In "The Vanity of Human Wishes," Johnson presents his critique of mankind in a much more straightforward manner. He enumerates one instance after another of human folly, but does so literally, as if his intention is to tell "just the facts":

Enlarge my life with multitude of days,
In health, in sickness, thus the suppliant prays,
Hides from himself his state, and shuns to know,
That life protracted is protracted woe.

Obviously there is nothing comic about this, even grimly comic: it's just grim. It does not give us an ironic account of the unpleasant features of "protracted" life, but instead makes a literal statement about it.

Johnson was a deeply pessimistic man. The same was true of Swift, but Swift was possessed by a rebellious, anarchic tendency expressed in an outrageous style in the works for which he is best known. Johnson holds mankind up to ridicule, but in a more sober way—which some might say makes his message at least as powerful if not more so.

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What is the subject matter of Samuel Johnson's poem "The Vanity of Human Wishes"?

This excellent work is actually an imitation of the Tenth Satire of Juvenal, and is a critique of the various "vanities" of humans and how they constantly desire what will only bring them harm in the end, and seem unable to learn from this. Johnson turns his gaze on various human ambitions that he sees as being "vanity," such as learning, power, military glory and beauty, and cites the examples of various historical figures as to why it is vanity to wish for such things. The overall conclusion of the poem suggests Johnson's feelings about wishing for what we don't have:

Still raise for good the supplicating voice,
But leave to heav'n the measure and the choice.

Johnson, after examining the various vanities that humans long for, finally suggests that it is alright to ask God for what we want, but at the end of the day it is important to trust God and his wisdom in terms of what he actually bestows, and how much. If humans were able to give themselves what they wanted, chaos would descend on the species, Johnson suggests.

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What themes and examples does Samuel Johnson use to describe "vanity" in his poem "The Vanity of Human Wishes"?

"The Vanity of Human Wishes: The Tenth Satire of Juvenal Imitated" is a long poem of 368 lines written by Samuel Johnson in the mid-eighteenth century. Just as the title implies, Johnson's poem is an imitation of "Satire X" by the Roman poet Juvenal. However, unlike Juvenal, Johnson emphasizes the importance of Christianity in a life of happiness and fulfillment.

Before we look at examples of vanity in Johnson's poem, let's define the term. The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines vanity as "Inflated pride in oneself or one's appearance, or, something that is vain, empty, or valueless." These two definitions blend together in Johnson's poem, as he emphasizes the emptiness of human desires and wishes through examples that include the pursuit of riches, political power, knowledge, long life, and sexual conquest.

The language of the poem is difficult to follow, but reading slowly and thoughtfully will help you find these themes and their respective examples of "wav'ring man, betray'd by vent'rous pride to tread the dreary paths without a guide." In other words, vanity causes people to be led astray from reasonable paths by their errant desires.

For instance, Johnson first writes of the vanity of riches. He points out that many people lust after gold, but it brings them no peace of mind:

Wealth heap'd on wealth, nor truth or safety buys
The dangers gather as the treasures rise.

He goes on to say that rich people can never find peace. During the day, their treasures are exposed to the view of others, while at night thieves can come out and steal from them:

Nor light nor darkness bring his pain relief
One shows the plunder, and one hides the thief.

Johnson goes through examples of several famous historical figures to illustrate the vanity of political power. These include Thomas Cardinal Wolsey; Charles XII of Sweden; and George Villiers, duke of Buckingham. All of these men desired power, but it left them empty. As Johnson points out:

Let hist'ry tell where rival kings command
And dubious title shakes the madded land
When statutes glean the refuse of the sword
How much more safe the vassal than the lord.

A vassal is a servant or a peasant. Johnson is here emphasizing that when you obtain power over others you only draw hatred and envy—not respect.

As far as intellectual prowess is concerned, Johnson writes that even if scholars master science and reason, they are not free from grief:

And pause awhile from letters to be wise;
There mark what ills the scholar's life assail,
Toil, envy, want, the patron, and the jail.

Even people who aspire to long life are not exempt from sorrow, Johnson points out. Long life in itself does not bring happiness:

Life protracted is protracted woe.
Time hovers o're, impatient to destroy,
And shuts up all the passages of joy.

As we can see, a careful reading of the poem yields numerous themes and examples that Johnson uses to illustrate the futility of vanity.

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Paraphrase the first ten lines of Samuel Johnson's poem "The Vanity of Human Wishes."

As the subtitle indicates, "The Vanity of Human Wishes" is an imitation/homage to Juvenal's Tenth Satire. Both poems have a moral agenda and Johnson and Juvenal satirize the sins (i.e., pride, pursuit of wealth, greed, etc.) of their respective times.

The speaker begins the poem describing an objective or even God-like point of view. "Let Observation, with extensive view, / Survey mankind, from China to Peru;" (1-2). The speaker is indicating that this will be a comprehensive view of everything from the historical movements of nations and continents to emperors all the way down to the motivations of each individual:

Remark each anxious toil, each eager strife,
And watch the busy scenes of crowded life;

The speaker goes on to say that everyone pursues his/her hopes, fears, desires and hate. In pursuing these goals, everyone has obstacles and temptations to face en route to each of our respective fates. The "clouded maze of fate" is "clouded" because these obstacles and temptations distort our paths.

When a person chooses pride over virtue, it is as if this person proceeds without a (moral or logical) guide. Thus, the person is deluded (confused or misled) by these "treacherous phantoms" (choices which mislead).

The tenth line is a bit confusing. Basically, if one "shuns fancied ills," this seems to mean that one avoids an immoral temptation and thus, "chases airy good" meaning the righteous path.

The subsequent lines express a skeptical outlook; that is, to say it is rare that people and nations make reasonable, ethical, or "good" choices. The rest of the poem is similarly skeptical in its satire but the end does offer some hope.

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Explain the first ten lines of "The Vanity of Human Wishes" by Samuel Johnson.

The first ten lines of this satirical poem by Samuel Johnson basically introduce what the rest of the poem is all about and the focus of the text. Johnson uses personification in depicting "Observation" as a character examining human nature the world over, from "China to Peru," as Observation surveys mankind and watches the "busy Scenes of Crowded life." As the title suggests, what Observation sees is ample evidence of the "vanity of human wishes," which is defined in these lines as a propensity to always want things that will actually negatively impact them:

Then say how Hope and Fear, Desire and Hate,
O'er spread with Snares the clouded Maze of Fate,
Where wav'ring Man, betray'd by vent'rous Pride,
To tread the dreary Paths without a Guide;
As treach'rous Phantoms in the Mist delude,
Shuns fancied Ills, or chases airy Good.

Note how man is depicted in these lines. He is "wav'ring" and "betray'd" by his "Pride" to pursue things that he feels will be good for him but actually are insubstantial. Johnson in these first ten lines therefore depicts man as lacking the judgement to decide what is best for him, and as a result of his "vanities" he always yearns or tries to acquire things that will actually damage him in the long run.

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Explain the first twenty lines of the poem "The Vanity of Human Wishes."

Samuel Johnson's "The Vanity of Human Wishes" explains how the speaker believes that all of mankind needs to be observed in order to identify the problems associated with humanity.

The first twenty lines of the text prove to define life as busy, crowded, and filled with a spectrum of different emotions. Diving further into the desires of mankind, the speaker states that mankind is "betray'd by venturous pride" (7). In fact, pride seems to be responsible for leading all of mankind astray and without a guide.

Soon after, the speaker states that mankind fails to use reason enough in life. Instead, mankind's choices are lead by vengeance and treacherous phantoms. At the end of the stanza, the speaker states that everything which should matter (nature and art) does not. Instead, the only thing which matters is the fiery death which follows pride and "clouded fate."

Essentially, the speaker is raising the reader's awareness about the ills of mankind. Mankind, driven by busy, prideful, and vengeance filled lives, is doomed to death based upon their inability to see what really matters in life. By ignoring what really matters, mankind is destined to be forsaken by others and themselves.

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Analyze the first 20 lines of Samuel Johnson's poem "The Vanity of Human Wishes."

The opening two lines of "The Vanity of Human Wishes" by Samuel Johnson indicate one taking a broad view of the world, and its societies, and the actions of its people. This broad view is to get an overview and understanding of what man is really all about - and what the toil of human beings is on the earth, as well as what this toil results in for individuals.

In the next two lines of the first twenty lines of the poem, the poet conveys the thought that one can look at the toil and strife in life, and see that men and women often have busy lives in this crowded world. He's alluding to mankind's striving to achieve goals and getting caught up in our 'striving.'

Johnson then indicates that our hopes, fears, dreams, desires, and more have a direct affect on our lives. Our station in life is dependent in part on our internal thoughts, which lead to actions - our thoughts and actions have consequences - for better or for worse. The poet then indicates that our pride leads us into unguided actions that can result in less than ideal results:

Where wav’ring man, betray’d by vent’rous pride

    To tread the dreary paths without a guide,

Johnson further indicates that human beings are susceptible to negative outside influences as we dally with good and evil:

     As treach’rous phantoms in the mist delude,

Johnson says that people do not always use sound reasoning when making choices and living their lives. Nations, whole societies, can and do falter with unsound schemes. Individuals and nations often are foolish and let vengeance control their thoughts and actions, which can result in terrible results. We may be courageous at times, but it's an "impetuous" courage, not based on wisdom, but courage that is more passion than reasoned thought based on the analysis of situations. The poet states that our wishes are often influenced by the hand of fate, which can hamper our plans. In addition, he concludes that our passionate, but not always sound actions, can lead us into the fire of tragedy and/or despair.

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Analyze the first fifteen lines of Samuel Johnson's poem "The Vanity of Human Wishes."

This satirical poem, as the title suggests, comments upon the ways in which human wishes are actually very unwise and create far more problems than humans ever expect or imagine, but because of the vanity of humans, they are unable to identify why their wishes would have such a catastrophic impact on them. The first stanza of this poem therefore introduces this theme, recognising how this tendency to wish for things that are actually not good for humans is something that is universal. Note the first four lines:

Let Observation with extensive View,
Survey Mankind, from China to Peru;
Remark each anxious Toil, each eager Strife,
And watch the busy Scenes of crowded Life;

Observation is personified, as are many abstract qualities, as it is imagined to be a character examining the entire globe and watching the "busy Scenes of crowded Life" in order to identify the way in which human wishes are always based on vain desires. A number of different examples follow, including "How rarely Reason guides the stubborn Choice" and "How nations sink, by darling Schemes oppress'd." Each example gives the reader further proof of what Observation has noted: it is a most lamentable human instinct to want and desire what will actually be bad for them in the long term.

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