Benjamin Franklin's Speech : The Speech Of Miss Polly Baker

The essay Citizen Ben: A worldly American’s Seven Great Virtues by Walter Isaacson is an essay begins talking about Benjamin Franklin. When we think of Benjamin Franklin our minds automatically turn to the story about him flying a kite in a lightening storm with a rod on to prove that lightening was electricity. This is one thing that Franklin did but he did many more as well, in fact it says that he was an inventor diplomat, writer and business strategist. He helped bring the country that we live in today about. There are many views on him that show him in a good light and some that show him in a bad light. There are some that saw that he was shallow and didn’t show great

Ben Franklin's speech at the constitutional convention Patrick Henry's speech about going to war are in some ways similar but in some ways are very different. Also about compromise and agreeing on the constitution. Franklin’s speech was about making compromise and coming to a conclusion among himself and congress. Henry’s speech focused on getting people to fight with the king.

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

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.

Ben Franklin is known for a slew of accomplishments in his life as a Founding Father of the United States. An inventor and author, among other occupations, Ben Franklin grew quite a fan base in his lifetime, despite having such progressive beliefs. One of his most progressive pieces of writing, “The Speech of Miss Polly Baker,” discusses the inequality surrounding laws against having children outside of marriage, specifically regarding how it impacted women. In Benjamin Franklin’s “The Speech of Miss Polly Baker,” Franklin uses wit to effectively argue that the sexist punishments of laws against having children out of wedlock are absurd by appealing to the reader’s ethos, logos, and pathos through the voice of Polly Baker (Baym). Ben Franklin

Brands, H.W.. The first American: the life and times of Benjamin Franklin. New York: Doubleday,

Benjamin Franklin continues to be revered in our present age as a man of incredible political, scientific, and literary talents. He’s also known as key observer of man with all his strengths and weaknesses. In this letter to Madam Brillon, Franklin stresses one key point with various techniques and rhetorical devices.

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.

Ben Franklin is known for a slew of accomplishments in his life as a Founding Father of the United States. An inventor and author, among other occupations, Ben Franklin grew quite a fan base in his lifetime, despite having such progressive beliefs. One of his most progressive pieces of writing, “The Speech of Miss Polly Baker,” discusses the inequality surrounding laws against having children outside of marriage, specifically regarding how it impacted women. In Benjamin Franklin’s “The Speech of Miss Polly Baker,” Franklin uses wit to effectively argue that the sexist punishments of laws against having children out of wedlock are absurd by appealing to the reader’s ethos, logos, and pathos through the voice of Polly Baker (Franklin, 242-44).

Benjamin wrote the speech in the perspective of a mother of five who was facing a jury. She had been accused of fornication and consequently the birth of five children. The children, the youngest being very young were all the proof the jury needed to convict her. But she makes her case and terms the whipping and the fines she had already paid for her other four children as being unjust (Maestro). They were costly and in a big way reduced her ability to cater to the needs of her children. Women were not treated as an equal member of the society at the time the speech was developed. The speech challenges all knowledge about the judicial process and this focus makes it more effective rather than making a case for women which would have been ignored at the time. The setting, plot and characterization are three of the main concepts in the message “The speech of Polly Baker”, the culture that produced the speech applied double standards based on sex and gender.

In my opinion Ben Franklin was the most influential of the founding fathers. He did a lot more than just help found our nation though. He was also a scientist, diplomat, businessman, and philosopher. I can't think of any person who is more quoted than he is, and he lived 200 years ago!

Ben Franklin’s autobiography is a prime example of the American Dream. He starts life in a large family and is sent to find work fairly early. He grows into an educated, humble, and honorable man. Through his work in printing and writing he develops a formidable business and makes some money. Throughout his life he focuses greatly on achieving perfection, but finds that is not very practical, however it does lead him to happiness. He wrote this autobiography as a path, to live a life of virtue, mainly for his son. However, it has become a moral guide and tale of the so called American Dream. While there are several ways to interpret his writing and his character, Benjamin Franklin is one of the best examples of a pure and honest American.

Benjamin Franklin is revered by Americans as one of its most revered and adored founding fathers. For foreigners, Benjamin Franklin became the very icon of America, not only because he was accomplished, but because he was a new man, a man that could only have been made in America. Franklin came to be seen as the embodiment of American values.

Benjamin Franklin was one of the first and most famous scientists in America. He was a man of many talents and interests. Franklin was always curios about they way things work, and he always tried to find ways to make them work better. Even though he started out as a published, he was always interested in science. However this interest soon became a passion to Franklin. He even retired from his publishing business to work in a laboratory with his mostly homemade equipment. Throughout his life Benjamin Franklin made many important discoveries and theories which greatly influenced future scientists and inventors.