<P> As the subtitle suggests , it is an imitation of Satire X by the Latin poet Juvenal . Unlike Juvenal , Johnson attempts to sympathize with his poetic subjects . Also , the poem focuses on human futility and humanity 's quest after greatness like Juvenal but concludes that Christian values are important to living properly . It was Johnson 's second imitation of Juvenal ( the first being his 1738 poem London ) . Unlike London , The Vanity of Human Wishes emphasizes philosophy over politics . The poem was not a financial success , but later critics , including Walter Scott and T.S. Eliot , considered it to be Johnson 's greatest poem . Howard D. Weinbrot called it one of the great poems in the English language . '' </P>
central theme of the vanity of human wishes
human futility and humanity 's quest after greatness