Kinjal Patel
Professor Christopher Gleason
Survey of US History/ 11am to 12:15pm
13 September 2017
Benjamin Franklin Analysis
January 17, 1706, was the birth of an incredible historical figure. Benjamin Franklin was born on Milk Street in Boston. Josiah Franklin, Benjamin Franklin’s father, was a tallow chandler. His father got married twice, and had seventeen children. Benjamin Franklin was the youngest son out of nine children.
Franklin discussed his life-story as an example to illustrate the most important American qualities and values, like determination, self-sufficiency, perseverance, hard work, frugality, and reliance on a sound code of ethics are the ingredients of success. He showed the endless possibilities in the New World. Benjamin Franklin is the true definition of “rags to riches”. He achieved his success through his solid work ethic. In the autobiography he told us how he shaped himself as an ordinary citizen of the colony. The foundations of Benjamin’s beliefs come from his humble beginnings and his family’s strong ethics.
Benjamin Franklin’s autobiography showed the perfect picture of Benjamin Franklin as a renaissance man. A scholar that was fascinated by
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The most well-known was Benjamin Franklin. The Enlightenment was also known as the “Age of Reason.” I believe that Benjamin Franklin lived up to his ideas that he stated in his autobiography. I say this because he wrote how learning certain skills and learning how to do certain task a certain way could lead you to riches. Not forgetting that you have to follow the rule of to please God you have to do good to other people. I believe that because Benjamin Franklin got wealthy in an unexpected way, so it had some connection with God being happy with him and blessing him. Benjamin Franklin was one of the most significant figures in the eighteen century. Today Benjamin Franklin is recognized as one of the greatest inventors in
Just this small page revealed more to the reader than many other articles about Franklin can. A perfectionistic attitude within the usually glorified hero of America. He was very hard on himself, and clearly tried to live a frugal lifestyle. As a historic character who is often glorified, this human perspective was
Benjamin Franklin was born in Boston on January 17, 1706. He was the tenth son of soap maker, Josiah Franklin. Though Ben only had one year of schooling he was educated and loved to read and write. He worked as an apprentice to his brother, James, who was a printer, when he was fifteen years old. At the age of seventeen, Ben ran away and started a new life in Philadelphia as a result of arguments with James. Franklin found work as an apprentice printer and did so well the provincial governor of
It is easy to see Benjamin Franklin was no doubt an archetypal American. No one since him has ever had the same amount of success as him. He was a private businessman who made enough money to retire early and to spend the rest of his life in politics. Around this time period only the rich were able to retire early. He was industrious. Franklin continually put forth the idea of the industrious American. He had support from the middle-class who did not care if he was rich but he was a man who was self-made and worked hard. This American attitude was formed early and most of it by him. Franklin was also not judgmental came to decisions and conclusions as a businessman and politician. However, his attitude was non-judgmental with respect to a
“Though I am still of opinion that it, was a practicable scheme, and might have been useful, by forming a good number of citizens: and I was not discouraged by the seeming magnitude of the undertaking as I have always thought that one man of tolerable abilities may work great changes and accomplish great affairs among mankind (pg. 106).” Benjamin Franklin is an archetypal American because everybody wants to be just like him. He wrote this book to show the right way to become the perfect American. Also, he wrote this autobiography to explain to his son and to other people about how to be the ideal American. Benjamin Franklin became a deism because it helped him become more open-minded. A deism is a person that believes that god created the
There were many people that helped contribute to the Enlightenment, but the most prominent American leader was a well-know political figure named Benjamin Franklin. The Enlightenment, also called the Age of Reason, was period of time when people tried to justify life in terms of scientific theory and rationalism. “The Enlightenment was responsible for inspiring revived interests in education, science, and literature” (“HistoryKing.com”). It also emphasized progression away from traditional customs and foundations
Benjamin Franklin’s Autobiography is an inspiring tale of his personal, as well as public achievement throughout his life. Franklin’s life embodies the exemplary model of a life composed of discipline, self-reliance and self improvement. From his humble beginnings as an apprentice candle and soap maker in his father’s business to a successful business man, author, philosopher, civil activist, politician scientist, inventor, and diplomat, above all Benjamin Franklin was, and still is, an American Icon and truly a pioneer of the American Dream.
Benjamin Franklin’s life made a huge impact on the history of America. He also was an influence for many citizens. Since Franklin lived during the eighteenth century, a period of growth for America, he also played a part in the political founding of the United States. To help future generations, Franklin wrote an autobiography of his life. An autobiography is a piece of literature about someone’s own life. He separates his into four parts, each one depicting a different phase of his life. In The Autobiography by Benjamin Franklin, the author uses his life events to describe values and ways of life that every man should believe and follow.
As a founding father of the United States, Benjamin Franklin had a profound and noteworthy influence on the early growth of his nation. Franklin was a prestigious author and inventor that grasped the motive to grow the economy to new heights. His autobiography is an accurate representation of his achievements and the intrinsic motivations that made him the man we think of today. Although it is biased because he writes it only through his eyes, the reader can see the differences he made to the well-being of the United States of America throughout his life. Throughout his autobiography, Benjamin Franklin draws a vivid image of the many contributions he made to society through community service events while at the same time staying true to his virtues that guided his character. He changed society through the improvement of education, healthcare, transportation, and numerous other community projects throughout his lifetime.
Franklin, himself climbed the ranks society “having emerged from the poverty and obscurity in which [he] was born and bred to a state of affluence and some degree of reputation in the world” (Franklin 27). He had been raised by a humble middle class family, not being promised much wealth or land, forcing him to make a name for himself. Franklin, a man of the enlightenment,
During Benjamin Franklin’s illustrious 84 years of life he achieved success that seems practically unachievable today. Franklin found success in business, going from a teenager traveling colonial America looking for work as a printer, to building his own printing empire. Aside from business, Franklin also had a knack for inventing. He developed products such as the Franklin stove, bifocals, lightning rod, and the glass harmonica. Include the fact that he was also heavily involved in politics, is one of the founding fathers of our nation, and also one of the most intelligent men of all time, and it is easy to see that Benjamin Franklin was a thoroughbred renaissance man. It is one thing to know about the story of Benjamin Franklin, but it is completely different to understand the potential benefits of following his way of life. This essay will focus on the benefits that Franklin’s story could have on the typical college student. College is a time of immense personal growth, and what better way to grow than with the guidance from the author of the American dream - Benjamin Franklin. After four short years, students are let out into the real world so it is important to be prepared. That is why it would be wise for college students to follow the life of Benjamin Franklin as presented in his autobiography. Franklin’s work ethic, emphasis on personal growth, and frugality are relevant to college students today, and provide an outline for helping students find success.
The image and the values promoted in Franklin's autobiography would later come to be regarded as essential American virtues: determination, industriousness, and self-sufficiency. It was purportedly these virtues which led to his great practical accomplishments in publishing, politics, and science. In a sense, Franklin's autobiography was the first exposition of the now-famous American Dream.
His autobiography is the first example of the completion of the American Dream. Franklin talks about his life history as an example to exemplify the most significant American character and principles, like strength of mind, self-reliance, determination, hard work, penny-pinching, and dependence on a code of moral principles are the elements of achievement. He describes how he became an excellent citizen through lack of money and steady assiduousness. Franklin established the potential of life in the New World through his own rise of the social classes. His family was poor when he was a child, but despite that, he became a very rich and influential man. In addition, he declares that he pulled off his achievements through a diligent work ethic. He showed that even ordinary people in Boston possibly would, through industry, turn out to be great people of significance in America.
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
The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin is a detailed account of the illustrious experiences of Benjamin Franklin. Though the cultural differences in writing has changed since the 18th century one can learn a lot about one of America’s greatest forefathers through this book. It accounts for Franklin’s life when he was born January 17th, 1706 till the year 1757. Unfortunately, he died in 1790 and was never able to finish his autobiography. However, the book thoroughly details the early life of Benjamin Franklin.
It was the year 1706 in Boston, MA when Benjamin Franklin entered the world. Birthed after fourteen other siblings, Franklin's family structure is only one deciding factor in the way that this legendary tale pans out. A hero of American Revolution, this novel depicts 18th century realism accurately while logging Franklin's personal conception on human nature and social community. Many look at Benjamin Franklin's Autobiography as your typical rags to riches tale yet, the truth and falsehood throughout the pages is unknown, raising many questions and concerns. As this book was written in segments over a stretched period of time, we must analyze this account of his life, the struggles and successes which took place, and the outcome of such