ad to overcome. Johnson not only uses A Short Song of Congratulation as praise to another, but also as an escape from his own reality through another persons actions and similar triumphs.Johnson wrote more poems for praise to acquaintances, and one in particular was also a display of grave emotion. He wrote On the Death of Dr. Robert Levet in 1782 to honor a very dear friend of his, and, even if momentarily escape the reality of his death. The praise Johnson gives to Levet gives way to exaggerated, in this case unrealistic, accolades. Johnson writes, Officious, innocent, sincere, / Of evry friendless name the friend (7-8), saying that Levet befriended every homeless, poor, or friendless person, which is an unrealistic accomplishment, but perfect for the praise of a beloved friend. Throughout the poem from lines 7 through 32, Johnson praises the life and charity of Levet and the choices he made while he was alive, but in the final stanza he writes, Death broke at once the vital chain, / And freed his soul the nearest way (35-36). Johnson is trying to rationalize the death of a friend who spent his life helping others. In doing so he writes in the poem that his death is a release from a life spent in service. Johnson twists the reality of Levets life of chosen service to something that Levet would need release from in order to escape the reality of his death as a loss. This is a different view of death than in Vanity of Human Wishes, a poem written earlier and discussed later. On the Death of Dr. Robert Levet was Johnsons way of praising the life of a good friend, and also a recollection of his Levets life to escape the reality of his death.The most famous of Johnsons poems, The Vanity of Human Wishes, covers a deeper meaning of reality and his applications of reality, specifically religious reality. Johnson believes that that which we think is real and the reality of things real are not sufficient basis to build a life. This ...
