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Muncy Claire never wished Franklin dead. But she often imagined what life would be like were he to not return home from a shift. What she would do. Where she would go. If she would find out if the issue was her or Franklin. Sometimes Franklin would be late, forget to call and tell her so. She’d sit, watch the television, read a book, bore herself staring at the computer screen in the spare room. Then panic until he’d come home. Lately Claire had figured that every call that came through was someone from the station to tell her Franklin had gone and gotten himself killed. Clipped off the side of the road writing a ticket. Stabbed underneath his vest with a buck knife clearing out a fight at the Muncy Pub. Shot through the eye during
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Franklin’s not wanting to leave his home town, Claire’s want to get out and go anywhere else, had led to daytime television, cigarettes, the shit computer with the lousy DSL, and paperback novels bought from the collapsing supermarket just past the grassed over railroad tracks. Claire took the last of her pills, spent the morning writing letters to Franklin. Letters about how unhappy she was living in a ghost town. Letters about her love for him not being enough to continue living the way she was. Letters about the things she’d been keeping from him. She balled them all up, took them out back and burned them. Figured it’d be better not to destroy Franklin with just her chicken scratch. She drove miles out of town, down the highway, past the rusted empty factories, through a tunnel until a city rose up from the horizon. Driving, she practiced what she was going to say over the phone whenever she stopped wherever she was headed. “Frank, I want a divorce—no—Franky, I need a divorce—no— You’re a wonderful man, Frank, but I’m…goddammit.” She thought of his face, red and melting in grief. She thought of the sounds he would make, wet sobbing and …show more content…
She blinked away tears. Then said, “I’m trying to get myself something to do.” “Well then I think that’s great. But leave a note for me next time, okay? Damn scared me half to death.” Claire sat next to Franklin, lit a cigarette. She started to cry. Nearly lit her hair on fire, cigarette still pinched between her fingers. Franklin wrapped his arm around her shoulders, asked what was wrong. Said he can’t do anything to help if she won’t tell him what’s got her all spun about. Said she needs to calm down so they can talk. Claire wept longer than she thought she needed to. Wondered if it was genuine, or some deep down intention to lie. Franklin asked, “What is it, Claire? What’s going on?” Claire sucked back on her runny nose, couldn’t think of anything to say, but said, “I want a baby, Frank. I want a baby so bad.” “Maybe we should try and talk to one of them baby doctors?” “Maybe.” Claire took Franklin’s hand, stood, led him into the bedroom. *** Their appointment with the specialist was set for a week from Wednesday. During the week leading up to it, Claire kept taking her pill. Kept venturing further away from Muncy every day. Kept bedding Franklin to make up for almost not coming home most days. But she started drinking up most of the beer in the house. Sick and guilty by day, drunk and horny by night, Claire got careless. Left lit cigarettes
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’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.
“And now I speak of thanking God, I desire with all Humility to acknowledge, that I owe the mention'd Happiness of my past Life to his kind Providence, which led me to the Means I us'd and gave them Success.” (Franklin, The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin, 28) I chose this quote to open this essay because it’s one of the first things Franklin talks about when he takes over in his autobiography. It shows that he has a relationship with god because he gives god the credit for all of the things he had accomplished. Throughout his biography he mentions religion quite a few times. He opposes organized religion, which according to him consists of: Attending Church,
Benjamin Franklin was born January 17, of the year 1706, in Boston, MA, which was the
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.
Frank and April Wheeler are a typical suburban couple living in the 1950s who are desperately trying to hold on to their individualism and whose dream is to live an interesting life. With the suburbs growing increasingly popular after the war, the Wheelers decide to move to the little town of 115 Revolutionary Road. The film does a wonderful job portraying the dullness of conformity by giving its characters a subtle but very tangible lifelessness. Frank Wheeler, who has a beautiful wife, two healthy children, a stable office job, and lives in a pleasant middle-class suburban neighborhood, leads a pretty unsatisfactory existence, and so does his wife. At first glance, they seem like the perfect young couple, and most of their neighbors would completely agree. However, as the film progresses, we realize that they are very discontent with their monotonous lives.
Thesis: In his autobiography, Franklin is undoubtedly concerned with developing virtue and self-improvement, but relies on others as the primary frame of reference for his own progress, always measuring himself with others. This habit of comparison results in the development of vices as well as virtues.
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
In an attempt to escape the “boring” life that I lived in I tried to become a person that everyone liked. Frank changed his name and career several times as a pursuit to achieve his ideal world. But even with all the money and respect he had gained over the years he still felt empty at the end of the day. Annually Carl receives a call from Frank on Christmas Eve, exposing how lonely Frank truly is. Carl boasts, “You have no one else to call!” upon realizing this. Consequent to hearing this it brings Frank back to the reality that Carl Hanratty is in fact, correct. Despite the honour and wealth he has gained, the only person he moderately has a relationship with, is the man attempting to arrest him. One of the few things Frank yearned for was a wife and a family to come home to, then he discovered Brenda. A woman whom he truly loved and cared for, “What if I went to your parents, spoke to your father and asked his permission to marry you?” Despite the risks he was willing to forget about everything he worked for if that meant he got to spend his life with her. But once again reality takes Frank back into its grasp when the FBI crash his engagement party in ambition to finally arrest him. With no choice but to flee frank unwillingly leaves behind the life he so desperately wanted with Brenda. In attempt to outbreak his own life Frank transforms into a whole new person but still is left
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.
At the age of twelve Franklin began to write, and started assisting his brother at his brother’s newspaper The New England Courant. In spite of the fact that his dad was a battling tradesman, there was much in the method for perusing, considering, and talking about and also diligent work in his home. “Franklin figured out
When Mr. Hale walked into the Wright home following John’s murder, he found Minnie sitting alone in the living room. In an effort to make conversation following
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
These hunches may vary, depending on the situation. On a particular day, the high-tension atmosphere in the Styles mansion was depicted as being unbearable by many of the house guests, including Captain Hastings, who suspected that something drastic would be happening soon. In this, the author foreshadows for the events that follow. In retrospect, it can be deduced that Barbara Franklin was the cause of unrest, so much to the point that Nurse Craven called her impossible (Christie 113). However, the events that followed from the evening to the next morning contradicts the reasoning that the unrest felt was caused entirely by Mrs. Franklin, as she was found to be dead the next morning through physostigmine poisoning. The cause of death was found to be suicide. The death of Mrs. Franklin, the victim, is ironic because of her overbearing behavior hours earlier, suggesting that she was nervous about the incidents to
In spite of the fact that Franklin was hardly a puritan, he was nevertheless very much a child of the Puritans. This is not displayed merely in his promotion of the virtues, but in his abstaining from excessiveness in eating, drinking, conversation, or whatever. Franklin is strongly influenced with self-governance In numerous ways, this is, to someone coming to it for the first time, a very amazing book. Franklin is, of course, one of the most celebrated Americans who ever lived, and his credentials in a wide arrangement of endeavors are a part of American knowledge and popular history. A great deal of this knowledge and numerous of his accomplishments are missing from this account of his life. He never finished the autobiography, earlier in his life on account of the fact that he was too engaged with what he terms public employment’s, and later in life by virtue of the opium he was taking for kidney stones left him incapable to concentrate adequately. Had Franklin been able to write about every period of his life and all of his achievements, his autobiography would have been one of the most exceptional and outstanding documents every produced. It is astonishingly imperious. However, his record as an office-holder is stained by the use he made of his position to advance his relatives. He was one of the most important statesmen in the new America and was a historical figure who shaped our nations history. He was a very