The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin Essay - 1063 Words

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, â€Å"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 â€Å"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†¦show more content†¦Mather’s essays with emphasizing his enjoyment while reading Pilgrim’s Progress by John Bunyan. Fascinatingly enough, the story depicts the Average Joe’s ep ic journey to release his feeling of torture over his sins. The author’s choice to include Pilgrim’s Progress in his list of influential texts is an obvious hyper textual parallel to Franklin’s own journey to absolve himself of his sins. Most people attempt to amend their mistakes soon after they occur, yet Benjamin Franklin differs in his great desire relive his life through The Autobiography in an effort to rectify past missteps. In Part 2, Franklin tells his son of his Quaker friend who questioned the author’s humility and suggests an addition to his list of virtues. Franklin, then a quasi-scientist of virtue, made a point of illustrating charts that mapped his progress in â€Å"acquir[ing] the Habitude of all these Virtues† (81). This Quaker insinuates that Franklin is too proud, which shakes the author’s hubris enough to inspire him to prove the Quaker wrong. After a mediocre effort to achieve Humility, which he could not â€Å"boast o f much Success† (89), Franklin concludes that there is no harder human trait to suppress than Pride and it will inevitably show itself. Even though Benjamin’s willpower is portrayed with great strength, he chooses to acknowledge Pride’s role in his life and accept defeat in his attempt to practice total Humility. His choice to acknowledge prideShow MoreRelatedThe Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin1058 Words   |  5 PagesThe Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin 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 depictingRead MoreThe Autobiography Of Benjamin Franklin1367 Words   |  6 PagesPrater 23 November 2014 Benjamin Franklin 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 thoroughlyRead MoreThe Autobiography Of Benjamin Franklin529 Words   |  3 PagesThe Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin by Benjamin Franklin has many things, but maybe more than anything else about Benjamin Franklin it explains about him being a politician, and there is no more reason to look out for an unbiased autobiography from Franklin than from any other politician. 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In his story he taught use a lot about the world of business and how to run a successful business. In this essa y I will be talking about some of the few things Ben Franklin said that really stood out to me and what I think they meant. Then, I will talk about his inventions and how those inventions had evolved today. Then, I will talk about Ben Franklin 13 secretsRead MoreThe Autobiography By Benjamin Franklin1952 Words   |  8 PagesThe Autobiography In the autobiographical essay aptly entitled â€Å"The Autobiography† (1791) Benjamin Franklin, a writer, renowned inventor, and American founding father confides that he had made attempts in his youth at emulating Perfection through the apprehension and application of 13 traits: Temperance,Silence, Order, Resolution, Frugality, Industry, Sincerity, Justice, Moderation, Cleanliness, Tranquility, Chastity, and Humility. Enunciating his ideas by checking the aforementioned traits off theRead MoreThe Autobiography Of Benjamin Franklin Analysis781 Words   |  4 PagesLater adding to it, contributing his life’s story to a historical documentation. Written in a specific style, Benjamin Franklin’s memoir, The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin, is a narrative of his life. Incorporating strict fact and events, expository writing, excludes the author’s opinion of the subject matter. This is unmistakably not the case in â€Å"The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin† because he writes his contemplations, especially his past experiences, rather than just revealing the eventsRead MoreEssay Benjamin Franklin Autobiography827 Words   |  4 PagesHumility to acknowledge, that I owe the mentiond Happiness of my past Life to his kind Providence, which led me to the Means I usd 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 mentionsRead MoreAnalysis Of The Autobiography Of Benjamin Franklin1774 Words   |  8 PagesAt the beginning of the Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin, it seems to become unclear to the reader if they are, in fact, reading about his life. The man we hear about today is the widely successful social businessman of the 18th century, so it comes as a surprise to hear that at the start of his life he was a bit impoverished. With further reading comes the understanding that he had to work arduously to get where he was. This is because during the 1700’s, only people of great affluence were a partRead MoreThe American Dream in The Great Gatsby and The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin1918 Words   |  8 Pageschallenges the core values and ideals that Benjamin Franklin expresses in his Autobiography. In the provided passage, the young Franklin arrives in Philadelphia in hopes of becoming a new self-made man and begins his journey with little money and few resources much like Gatsby. After arriving by boat, he tries to pay the people of the boat for his voyage but his payment is initially refused because he rowed the boat in order to get to Philadelphia. Franklin insists that they take his payment and says