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Essay on the autobiography of benjamin franklin
Essay on the autobiography of benjamin franklin
Ben franklin self improvement plan
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The idea that you can lead a life free of sin or avarice is a noble ideal, but it is not an easy path for one to undertake without consideration. You must weigh the good deeds you could potentially accomplish against the level of personal sacrifice you will most likely endure during your lifetime. You must ensure that you lead by example as you navigate the path in which your life takes while serving humankind. You get the sense while reading Mr. Franklin’s essay that he put a good deal of thought into what is the best way to approach his quest for living a moral life. Early in his life, Benjamin Franklin settled upon the belief that it was possible for him to lead such a life by living in accordance with thirteen virtues that he identified …show more content…
It was through this process that he was able to settle on “temperance,” “silence,” “order,” “resolution,” “frugality,” “industry,” “sincerity,” “justice,” “moderation,” “cleanliness,” “tranquility,” “chastity,” and “humility” as the virtues he would dedicate his life to trying to achieve. Franklin decided on these terms for the virtues after the careful consideration of how others view these virtues and what they mean to him. Franklin defined what these terms meant to him, specifically, upon completing his research as he realized that each writer had their own interpretation of what these virtues should mean (Franklin). Ultimately, he decided on the areas, which he felt he would have the best opportunity for personal growth and …show more content…
I just feel more strongly, that when faced with the decision of helping yourself versus helping others that most people would help themselves. A more realistic approach to living a “morally perfect” life is to strive to live life in pursuit of the thirteen virtues, but understand that occasionally we will make mistakes. In making mistakes we will learn that forgiveness is an essential part of the process of growth and understanding. Whether you are forgiving yourself or forgiving someone else for a perceived slight is immaterial. Once this is accepted, we could live without berating ourselves for any misstep we make along the path to “moral perfection” (Franklin). This would relieve a large amount of stress we place on ourselves and will allow us to embrace the whole person ideal instead of just as a conceptual idea of how a person should
While writing a letter to his son, he begins to explain his reasoning for writing in a somewhat formal fashion, stating what he felt was the purpose of his life. His light hearted nature would show through when he lightly mocked previous statements he had written. He shows a lot of pride in all of the accomplishments he had made in his life. He refers to his past mistakes as ‘errata’ which is a term used for correcting printing mistakes. This suggests that he simply viewed his errors in life as easily replaced with the greater things he has gone on to do. He stressed the importance of hard work and that it would certainly lead to greatness and wealth. In part two, a seemingly older Franklin focuses his tone away from entertaining himself and his son. He goes on to explain a series of models and virtues that would lead to a happy and fulfilling life. Lastly in part three, a slightly older Franklin encourages people so stop thinking in self-interest and to join together to encourage social
Franklin believed that through self restraint and development of ones temperament anyone can achieve a successful life. The process Franklin describes involves cataloging all of the bad habits you do during a period of time and gradually working on reducing each of them to the point where they are almost non existent. However he does note that it is impossible to achieve
Robert Fulghum’s list of things learned in kindergarten and Ben Franklin’s list of virtues both apply to morality and relationships. They both show how to live with good morals and conduct. Fulghum’s list applies more to the relationships of people today, while Franklin’s applies to relationships at any age. Franklin's scheme for arriving at moral perfection relates to self-help books because both benefit people and help them to better themselves in life. To summarize, Robert Fulghum’s list of things learned in kindergarten and Ben Franklin’s list of virtues both apply to morality and relationships
Franklin was remembered for stating "the longer I live, the more convincing proof I see of this truth—that God governs in the affairs of men." Franklin 's ideas that contributed to the Enlightenment is found in his Autobiography. His idea of a perfect person has 13 virtues and claims that a practical and scientific man is based on combining their values and economic values. Franklin preferred voluntarily societies over government control, all his thoughts can lead back to free opinion. In his, Almanac is reflected on his scientific interests and was popular within the
Benjamin Franklin, through hard work and perseverance, transformed himself into a philosopher, diplomat, inventor, writer, and scientist. (SOURCE) Franklin’s contributions and ideas significantly encouraged major progress in the development our country and improvements that continue to affect society. He showed that with a strong desire and honest and hard work anything is possible. Unlike most politicians, he was a common person. He is also a hero in that he symbolizes hope and possibilities for many Americans. However, Franklin was not a perfect human being, and for that reason, some believe that his face should not grace the $100 bill. His legacy is undeniably a major part in our history and as one of the key “founding fathers” to our society; the fact reminds Benjamin Franklin is distinct figure in our history. I will present my argument in favor of keeping Franklin on the bill.
“I wished to live without committing any fault at any time; I would conquer all that the natural inclination, custom, or company might lead me into” is the mission statement he begins this discussion with, using such forceful terms as conquer to characterize this goal as a battle his perseverance can win. The thirteen virtues which he tries to commit to habit also reflect his belief in making one’s own life; order, industry, moderation, tranquility, and humility each hinge on the notion that a person can control their emotions and live in a constant state of productivity to accomplish any possible goal. Even after he abandons this pursuit, Franklin believes that his efforts have made him a better person more likely to succeed in life, claiming that “I was by the endeavor a better and happier man than I otherwise should have been.” This example and several others from his autobiography show that Franklin wholeheartedly felt that any person could improve their state of being and material affairs by the pulling of their own
Henry David Thoreau and Benjamin Franklin had a lot of similar ways of life. The men didn’t believe in the Christian religious conviction of the time. Franklin supported Deism, in which people think that God shaped human beings and the soil, but would not get in the way of human development in it. Thoreau supported Transcendentalism, which is the faith that human beings are independent, unique people, who are one with the natural world. The beliefs of both these philosophers were very different than what the rest of society deemed socially acceptable, but this did not affect them in the least bit. In fact, their religious beliefs are part of what made these men such influential figures in American history. Franklin’s beliefs in Deism reflect his outlook on life. He was a very driven, hard-working person who, if he discovered a problem with society, he would do everything in his power to fix it. The fact that Deists believe that God will not get in the way of human development suggests that He will not fix one’s problems for them. They are expected to fix it themselves, which is exactly what Franklin ...
The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin is a representation of the new prospect of upward mobility in colonial America during the 18th century and the development of the Age of Reason, which assisted in the conception of the idea of the “American Dream”; a dream that includes fundamentally social ideals such as democracy, equality, and material prosperity. Furthermore, Franklin’s autobiography exemplifies a significant shift in focus from religion to enlightenment and reason. Additionally, there were forces specific to Benjamin Franklin's Philadelphia, that played an important role in his perspectives and the changes that occurred within colonial America during the 18th century.
In The Autobiography, Benjamin Franklin recounts the many paramount experiences throughout his life that shaped him into great American figure he was known to be. On the opening page, Franklin reveals the book’s epistolary format by writing, “Dear Son,” going on to admit that he’s made some mistakes in the past and to recollect that past is a way to relive it. By divulging his desire to “change some sinister Accidents & Events” (Franklin 3) the author indicates how important it is for his son to observe as he amends his mistakes. Pride, virtue and vanity play a pivotal role in Benjamin Franklin’s life and the way he portrays himself to others. Instances occur where the author is shown gloating about his great accomplishments and he puts emphasis on his need to live a virtuous and morally perfect life. Throughout his story, Benjamin Franklin tells his son of his many virtuous acts and momentous achievements, motivating the question as to whether he seeks his own approval more so than the approval of his peers.
Benjamin Franklin was a very prominent figure in shaping our nation. Many people look at him as a role model or just as an amazing individual. He had his faults just like every human being had, and he shouldn’t be discredited because of a few minor glitches to his character. As being the only person that had signed The Declaration of Independence, The Constitution, and the Treaty of Paris, this immediately separates him from all others. One of the things that he wrote about in Benjamin Franklin: The Autobiography and Other Writings, was trying to be the ideal person, and even made a list of virtues to live by. His virtues were very important to his lifestyle, and he followed them to a great extent.
Moral perfection. This was Benjamin Franklin’s way of living “..without committing any fault at any time” (Franklin, 63). Benjamin Franklin was very specific about the way he intended to live his life and the person he was aiming to become. Franklin seemed to believe that since he knew right and wrong, there was no reason not to always do right and avoid the other. This might have seemed like a crazy task, even impossible. However, Benjamin Franklin was determined to try to achieve this perfect lifestyle. In previous letters that Benjamin had received for encouragement to right and publish an autobiography, men had described him in many ways that made him worthy. Men used words such as your frugality, diligence, and temperance ( Benjamin
Benjamin Franklin’s ethics helped convey to the audience that they were not just listening to another representative's opinion in the room. His “diplomatic skills”(43) in this speech helped make the delegates listen and take his view into consideration. Such a reputation can make people ponder and contemplate his words and meanings. Franklin does not approach the debate with unfair reasoning or a lack of knowledge. In fact, he mentions “when you assemble a number of men...you inevitably assemble with those men and all their prejudices...”(43) showing that he is aware of other people’s opinions and thoughts. He uses the other delegates opinions to attempt a compromise.
Franklin believed that every conversation should be beneficial, and that people should be proud of what they do. Equiano’s discipline is what also made him successful. If you are discipline, you will go far in life; if you work hard, you will succeed.
Benjamin Franklin has been without a doubt one of the most relevant individuals in US history. His autobiography gives us a brief but detailed summary of what his life was like and how society worked in the eighteen century. This autobiography gives us many details of how the colonies where and offers and an overall image of the development of British North America which later turned into the United States. Due to the fact that this book was originally written for Franklin's son, the book concentrates in personal information and has very little information about other topics. However, there are some topics that can be extracted from his writings; one of them is gender. Even though, Franklin never talks openly about gender, we can observe how in his writing these roles are clearly assigned. In this paper, we will analyze how Benjamin's Franklin autobiography showcases the importance of gender in the early eighteenth century. Gender can be analyzed in Franklins book by looking at different topics. This given to men and women by society can be seen in the workspace, in the education of each individual, and in the family and family structure.
Benjamin Franklin's moral and social philosophies inspired and continue to inspire millions around the globe. Becoming a "self-made man" is a long and arduous task. Improve yourself, which will in return improve the society. Contradiction is inevitable when trying to follow strict ideals. Franklin's purpose was to make people aware of their inclinations and to help them overcome the natural tendencies of man, which would limit our dependence on other people. Benjamin Franklin is an inspiration to us all.