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The autobiography of benjamin franklin review essay
Benjamin Franklin biography essay
The analysis of Franklin Autobiography
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The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin was not perfect, but foreshadowed the way America is today. In this he writes about himself because although one cannot go back and do life again, one can rewrite the events of it and encourage people. Franklin made many mistakes in his life. By realizing his mistakes and his faults he was able to become a better person and by seeking self improvement. Through the progression of the book, Franklin tells the readers about things he learned through experiences, highlights his achievements, and shows that he is not afraid to work to succeed. Benjamin Franklin was a very intelligent man from start to finish. Since he had a passion for improvement, he did not only improve himself, but he helped improve Philadelphia. …show more content…
It was a variation of colonies coming together as one and the people who lived in it were very eager for the future. These people were inching at figuring out their rights and were very bold. Franklin believed that it was his position to help figure out what America needed and try to provide most of the fundamentals needed. Industrialization was sweeping the colonies to form a country as a whole. Details like this were very crucial to the American society then and still are now. Without someone like Benjamin Franklin we would not have some of the most important necessities that we have today. Some of these necessities include bifocals, the stove, a three-plate clock, and many more in which we would not be able to get by without these today. By Franklin being so driven to do good for other people, it truly shows what it means to be “American.” In America, people strive for excellence, along with improvements and that is exactly what Benjamin did. He conveys in part one of the autobiography, “My Brother had in 1720 or 21, begun to print a Newspaper. It was the second that appear'd in America, and was called The New England Courant. The only one before it, was The Boston News Letter. I remember his being dissuaded by some of his Friends from the Undertaking, as not likely to succeed, one Newspaper being in their Judgment enough for America” (259). At that time, one newspaper was enough, but imagine there only being one newspaper in …show more content…
Benjamin Franklin looked at education as something that you have to have a desire for. It should be a privilege and not a right. Franklin saw education as a way to improve oneself and was willing to put in the effort to succeed. Most people view education today as something they have to get, instead of wanting to get it to improve themselves. He even went as far as being the founder of the University of Pennsylvania. He also founded the first public subscription library, which enabled the citizens to expand their horizons of reading and education on different subjects. From the young age of twelve, Ben was working as a printer with his brother. He was a fan of reading all of his life. Whenever he was able to read, he read. A while later, he left his brother’s newspaper company to fulfill bigger dreams. He moved to Philadelphia, where he was editing the Pennsylvania Gazette and publishing it in his own printing shop at the young age of twenty-four. He published the Poor Richard's Almanac, which was a paper written annually about a character “Poor Richard,” who was an uneducated, but a wise philosopher. In part one of the autobiography Franklin said, “From a child I was fond of Reading, and all the little Money that came into my Hands was ever laid out in Books” (254). In today’s society to hear a child say that is very rare. Customary to twenty-first century life, education is very
Gordon S. Wood delves into Benjamin Franklin’s philosophical, political, and personal legacies in the biography, The Americanization of Benjamin Franklin. The book travels through Franklin’s experiments, his travels in Europe, and his role in the American revolution. The book begins when Franklin retires from business and becomes a gentleman. It was when he became a gentleman, it allowed him to analyze the world around him. “Indeed, he could not drink a cup of tea without wondering why the tea leaves at the bottom gathered in way rather than another,” a quote from Edmund S. Morgan’s book, Benjamin Franklin. Franklin spent a great deal of time in Britain before returning to America. When he returned, he threw himself into the American revolution, which sent him to France. After he accomplished his duties in France, he returned back home to America where he ran for public office.
Franklins in his Autobiography, composes the idea of a “self-made-man” by depicting his experiences of his hard work ethic to go from poor to rich. Throughout his writing he explains how he made himself successful. He took chances and was proactive.
Franklin’s accomplishments arose from the influence of family, friends, education, and personal experience with being African American. He had a difficult task as an historian as he was writing about the neglected history of his minority group while being an advocate for the rights of this group. This could be perceived as a conflict of interest, but he thought of it as being beneficial. His method of writing was not to promote African Americans, but to interpret their involvement in the framework of American history. This was not something that had been done extensively and thoroughly before. Franklin set the stage and helped to create a widely accepted field of history.
In summary, I believe colonial society had changed greatly from Winthrop's days to Franklin's. This is beneficial because we see how society is able to stray from the path of religion and venture onto other ideas that would have otherwise been discouraged. Benjamin Franklin was able to detach himself from traditional religion to expand his ability to experiment with science where as John Winthrop remained narrow minded because of his dedication to his religious beliefs.
Benjamin Franklin was a major participant in the colonies strive for independence. He had a house in London and was very influential in England. However, his love of liberty and his wish to help the well being of Pennsylvania pushed him toward independence for the colonies. Also, since he was well respected in England, a large and difficult question was why does Parliament have power over the American colonies? At first Benjamin Franklin wanted the colonies to be and independent free nation under the strong protection of England.. Benjamin Franklin had problems with separation from england because hee thought they had one of the best and freest governments in the world. Thedn Benjamin Franklin proposed self-government for the American colonies. Benjamin Franklin was always for an independent and self-governing country when he was in the colonies though. And had nearly forty years of service as a public official began when Franklin was elected for the Pennsylvania Assembly. At first, he wanted to get support for various local causes but soon polotics on a larger swcale held his undivided attention.
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
First, He wrote about a library that he opened up. In the letter he tells us he opened this library in Pennsylvania around 1730. He opens this library because the book sellers weren’t that great. The book tells us the following, “At the time I establish’d my self in Pennsylvania, there was not a good Bookseller’s Shop in any of the Colonies to the Southward of Boston”(410). Franklin also tells us how if anyone wanted to read a book they would have to order their books from England. According to the book it says “This library afforded me the means of Improvement by constant study, For
Benjamin Franklin is one of the most profound individuals in American history. He is a Diplomat, Writer, Inventor, a founding father, and holds the title as the “First American.” In 1706 Benjamin Franklin was born in Boston, Massachusetts Bay Colony. He is the fifteenth of seventeen children that his father, Josiah Franklin, had. At the age of 8 years old Franklin attended school, here he learned literacy. In spite of his successes in school, he had to drop out at the young age of 10 to assist his father with his business. Franklin did not enjoy working for his father’s business, however he had to work at his father’s shop for about 2 years. Josiah then had Benjamin apprenticed to his little brother, James, who was a printer. James is the founder
Ben Franklin created his legacy and wrote about it in his book to his son William Franklin. Ben wrote about his struggles with not having enough money to owning a printing factory where he printed papers and he and his 15 brothers owned one of the first newspapers in United States. He wrote the book because he was estranged to his son William. His son William was a loyalist and after the U.S signed the declaration of Independence he was put in prison for about 3 years. The whole time he was in prison he was trying to contact the loyalist party overseas and in America. He then later returned to England and was the spokesman for the loyalist party in England. He was doing research on his ancestors so he decided to write a book for his son to tell him what his life was about when he was younger.
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 is considered to be one of the most well-known Founding Fathers, as he helped in writing the Declaration of Independence and the very first Constitution of the United States. Who was he other than a man who fought for colonist’s rights however? Franklin was a brilliant inventor who created many innovating and life changing mechanisms, such as the world’s very first almanac, bifocals, and the lightning rod. He was also a major figure in the American Enlightenment, which restored art, science and music, spreading moral philosophy all across the colonies. Although he was never elected to the role of President of the United States, Franklin served in several other parts, such as the first postmaster general for the colonies in
Franklin also played the harp, violin, and guitar which expresses his great love for music and his love for learning. Benjamin cared that young people got a good education; he thought that "education today is leadership and success of tomorrow." He thought that it was important to have a love of reading and founded the first public library in America in 1731: the Philadelphia Library. In 1732, Franklin published Poor Richard's Almanac with the pen name 'Richard Saunders.' In 1749, he wrote Proposals Relating to the Education of Youth in Pennsylvania. In 1751, he established Philadelphia Academy, later known as Univer...
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 is one of the most influential and famous figures of all time. Ben Franklin if often referred to as the "self-made man," and his philosophies and principles in the Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin, edited by Louis P. Masur, has served as a self-help book for millions around the world. Franklin's Autobiography is a prime example of the American dream, a rag to riches story that has inspired many people to think of themselves and the community in a different light. Franklin's moral and social philosophies are packed deeply into his Autobiography. Franklin believed that improving ones self was the key to success. Self-improvement, self-education, and self-discipline are the main factors of a self-made man. Improving yourself will ultimately improve the society as a whole. Franklin speaks of principality and inclination. His idea was to produce the principle man with the awareness of man's natural inclination. Throughout the text Franklin provides examples from his own life that contradicts his moral and social philosophies. These contradictions are mostly caused by natural inclinations. Franklin uses these contradictions to educate people to be aware of their natural inclinations and to try and overcome them. Franklin's realizes that improving oneself is a road with many imperfections. Not even the "self-made man" was completely perfect.