The Autobiography Of Benjamin Franklin Analysis

This selection gives interesting insight into the world of Franklin, relating both to his everyday habits, and his reactions to the Enlightenment. There was one very interesting, but small segment, towards the end of the selection. It read, ‘It was about this time I conceived the bold and arduous project of arriving at moral perfection; I wished to live without committing any fault at any time; I would conquer all that either natural inclination, custom, or company might lead me into .. . . But I soon found I had undertaken a task of more difficulty than I had imagined.’ This particular section of the source was very revealing of Franklin’s character. Throughout the entire paper, Franklin had discussed different aspects of his upbringing, and current lifestyle, however this quote reveals more about the man behind the paper than anything else. Yet, he spent most of the text comparing his life to religious teachings, and the paths that the Enlightenment opened.

Ben Franklin became famous for being a scientist, an inventor, a statesman, a printer, a philosopher, and a librarian. Today, we honor Ben Franklin as one of the men who founded America and as one of America's greatest citizens.

After contemplating the purpose of a memoir several things came to mind. I believe it can serve to be cathartic for the writer as they can be set free by working through certain events in their life. Furthermore, and perhaps more importantly, I think a memoir can serve as a way to for the writer to tell their story in a vivid way that allows the readers to feel like they are living the experience and perhaps to learn a valuable lesson from their story. Therefore, I chose to analyze two memoirs they were Superman and Me by Sherman Alexie and “Salvation” by Langston Hughes. I concentrated on trying to determine the purpose of each piece in order to indicate what pivotal aspects were employed that either helped or hindered them in achieving that purpose.

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,

Early in Benjamin Franklins life, he faced a big challenge that led him to make choices to shape up his influencing character. It shows us that he had to work hard from an early age. This is a big challenge for him because he had to work from an early age along with becoming better academically. Growing up in a big family with so many siblings, he had to take care of himself. His father Josiah worked in a soap factory, along with making candles. Benjamin worked with his father until he was twelve years old, until he started to despise working with his father which made his father look for alternative jobs. Knowing Benjamin and his interest in education and books, his father suggested he worked for his older bother James, who was a printer.

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

Almost everyone has heard of Benjamin Franklin. What they might not know is that they use phrases from his almanac and lessons from his autobiography nearly everyday in their lives. Three things that stood out to me from “from The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin” and “from Poor Richard’s Almanac” were the aphorism “The doors of wisdom are never shut,” and the virtues “frugality” and “cleanliness.”

The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin seem to prove to everyone how articulate, intelligent and sophisticated this man was. He wrote about the trials he underwent to become the writer he is known as today. He even was so intelligent he sought out to publish in his autobiography what virtues would have you “arriving at the door of moral perfection” (90). He wanted to show everyone that becoming perfect wasn't as arduous as everyone had thought. Benjamin Franklin was true Renaissance Man born at a different time period, Non-Religious and he indeed was being a sharp-witted mind that believed slavery was inhumane. Benjamin Franklin’s three personality traits that he exhibits are exhibited in Frederick Douglass.

At the start of the First Chapter, Franklin claims to write only so that his own life may be an example for his son of how one can live well and how one can get through hardships. He meant to show"…the conducing means...which…so well succeeded, my posterity…may find some of them suitable to their own situations." Franklin, B. (1909). The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin. (New York: P F Collier & Son Company,

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

However, the other question still remains, “Was this mode of discourse suitable for the autobiography and/or expected for an autobiography?” To which the answer is that while the expository mode of discourse is not common to the autobiography stereotype, which is predominately descriptive, Benjamin Franklin wrote in such a way that the informative nature of his writing perfectly matched his personality, as well as suited the content within the autobiography. Most autobiographies stick with a descriptive mode of discourse purely because of the fact that an autobiography is a story. Many young writers would probably go towards this fashion of communication because they really want to drive their points through to the reader. But Benjamin Franklin chose rather to let the reader find out as much as he/she wanted to, by including all the information necessary to complete the mental image, just without any redundancies.

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.

Benjamin Franklin was born on January 17, 1706, in Boston. His father, Josiah Franklin, who was a tallow chandler, had seventeen children; Benjamin was the fifteenth child and the tenth son. His mother, Abiah Folger, was his father’s second wife. After he went to grammar school from age eight to ten, Benjamin started working at his father’s business. He didn’t like the work very much, however, and so he began to work for a cutler. When he was just thirteen, he became an apprentice to his brother James, who had just returned from England with a new printing press. Benjamin learned the printing trade, but in his spare time he tried to improve his education. In 1721 his brother

Many people love autobiographical narratives. The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin is one of the most famous examples of this type of writing. Franklin’s was a narrative written to the general public, in order to share his life accomplishments and stories. Contrary to this, Spark Notes analysists say that “Many literary critics have often thought of Franklin’s Autobiography as a prototypical revenge narrative.” The supposed reason is that Franklin rises above others who were once superior to him. The autobiography, however, is far from a revenge narrative. Franklin spends too much time helping other people and criticizing himself for this to be considered a revenge narrative.