1. In what ways is a collection of poems or stories similar to a collection of flowers?
2. Can you make sentences using the word nature in each of these different ways?
3. Based on this definition, how do you think Johnson felt about depending, for his livelihood as a writer, on the largess of patrons?
4. Why does the author discuss the history of slavery? What argument is Johnson refuting? What sentence shows that he subscribed to the notion that people are "created equal"?
5. How would you paraphrase Johnson's statement that "no man can stipulate without commission for another"? Do you agree? Why, or why not?
6. Is the author's argument based on law, morality, or political convenience?
