Example 2
1991 Q2
In this passage taken from The Life of Samuel Johnson, Boswell makes comparisons and contrasts between two great writers: Joseph Addison and Samuel Johnson. Boswell himself exudes literary eloquence in his use of rhetoric to convey his opinions, in style. His chosen devices illuminate the comparisons between Addison and Johnson and gives clarity to the ideas he writes.
His very first point, that it is unfair to call Addison’s style nerveless and feeble, is emphasized by Boswell’s use of parenthesis. “It has been of late fashion...to depreciate, I think very unjustly, the style of Addison.” Boswell inserts his own opinion, interrupting his topic sentence to emphatically insert that he disagrees with popular opinion on Addison’s lack of power, paving the way for the rest of his work in defense of Addison.
Now that the door to comparison is open, Boswell launches into strings of parallelism, punctuated in groups of two: “the style of Addison as nerveless and feeble, because it has not the strength and energy of that of Johnson.” This juxtaposition of antonyms to describe the two writers flows seamlessly in Boswell’s parallelism. Not just here, but in the entirety of the passage, Boswell groups his descriptions bimodally: in groups of two. He describes Addison as “wise and accomplished,” and states that Johnson’s style gains “awe and admiration” from the audience. His observations of Addison and Johnson are clear, concise, and easy to follow because they are syntactically mirrored from one sentence to the next.
Towards the end of the excerpt, Boswell compares the two writers’ styles to wine and liquor: “Addison’s style, like a light wine, pleases everybody from the first. Johnson’s, like a liquor of more body, seems too strong at first, but, by degrees, is highly relished.” His extended simile brings ultimate clarity to his opinions: he conveys here that although Addison’s style, in light of Johnson’s, is less in flavor and strength, it is better accepted by the majority of readers; Johnson’s style, heavy and strong, is an acquired taste. Readers would gradually become more and more accustomed to his style with constant reading.
By use of eloquent, elegant, and excellent rhetorical devices, Boswell creates clear comparisons between Addison’s and Johnson’s styles that help defend and convey his point: Addison’s style isn’t “nerveless and feeble,” but rather, is more general and can appeal to everyone, and that Johnson, who dictates his “strength and energy,” is what every writer should aim to be.
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