...Introduction “The Autobiography” written over a period of 19 years (1771-1790) by Benjamin Franklin (1705-1790) and published by John Bigelow in 1868 is the main topic of this term paper. Before he was able to finish his longest and most important work, Franklin became ill and died at the age of 85 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Because of that, “The Autobiography” contains only four parts and I decided to focus on the second part, especially the 13 “moral Virtues” (Franklin 284), since he lived by them for a long time. This work does not just tell us the story of his life, but also teaches every single one of us how to become a better person and achieve great things in life. Franklin himself was born into the lower middle-class and chose to become more than just a printer contrary to the will of his brother James. As we all know, he became one of the most important persons in American history, which I will amplify in the following. Regrettably, he is mostly remembered as the guy on the 100$ bill. The main reason for choosing this work as the topic of my term paper is that Benjamin Franklin started at zero, he had nothing. He did not even finish an apprenticeship and became so successful in life and was valued by nearly everyone. By writing his autobiography he did not just try to teach his readers that they can achieve as much as he did by guiding them but to share his story with the world. As this paper goes along, I will present Benjamin Franklin´s “The Autobiography” and his...
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...THE GLENCOE LITERATURE LIBRARY Study Guide for The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin by Benjamin Franklin i Meet Benjamin Franklin Benjamin thought that his older brother James was too hard on him, and they often fought. When his apprenticeship ended, Franklin went to Philadelphia. This city, far more than his birthplace of Boston, became Franklin’s home. In Philadelphia he established his own business and raised his family. After Franklin retired from business in 1748, he embarked on a new career as a civil servant. He served in the Pennsylvania Assembly and became deputy postmaster-general. Sent to England as a representative of the Assembly, he spent five years there. During that time, he made the acquaintance of statesmen and scientists alike. Years later, he returned to England and found himself caught up in the growing tension between the thirteen colonies and the British government. Franklin’s loyalties were divided. He felt affinities to the colonies and to King George II of England. When he could tolerate the British government’s policies toward the American colonies no longer, he sailed back to the colonies. By the time his ship arrived, the first battles of the American Revolution had already been fought. Franklin was chosen to serve on the Second Continental Congress, which, acting as the government for the colonies, declared independence from Britain and appointed George Washington as commander in chief of the American army. Franklin was one of five...
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...i Study Guide for The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin by Benjamin Franklin T H E G L E N C O E L I T E R A T U R E L I B R A R Y The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin Study Guide 9 Copyright © by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. Benjamin thought that his older brother James was too hard on him, and they often fought. When his apprenticeship ended, Franklin went to Philadelphia. This city, far more than his birthplace of Boston, became Franklin’s home. In Philadelphia he established his own business and raised his family. After Franklin retired from business in 1748, he embarked on a new career as a civil servant. He served in the Pennsylvania Assembly and became deputy postmaster-general. Sent to England as a representative of the Assembly, he spent five years there. During that time, he made the acquaintance of statesmen and scientists alike. Years later, he returned to England and found himself caught up in the growing tension between the thirteen colonies and the British government. Franklin’s loyalties were divided. He felt affinities to the colonies and to King George II of England. When he could tolerate the British government’s policies toward the American colonies no longer, he sailed back to the colonies. By the time his ship arrived, the first battles of the American Revolution had already been fought. Franklin was chosen to serve on the Second Continental Congress, which, acting as the government for the colonies, declared independence...
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...Ryan McCarthy History 1100 Wiard Benjamin Franklin Every kid, at some point in their life, reads about Benjamin Franklin in school. He is one of the most popular historical figures ever, but why is Franklin so popular? Ben was one of seventeen children, he was not very religious, and at the age if seventeen he ran away from his home and family. At first glance these do not seem like the characteristics of a successful human being, but it was these very things that helped shaped Ben’s life, and allowed him to become the most distinguished man of the 18th century. Franklin, being a part of such a large family, had no choice but to fend for himself. In order for Franklin to flourish he had to self-educate, self-motivate, and self-improve himself, which he became obsessed with. Franklin had to look out for number one, and when he left he never looked back. Throughout his travels Franklin sought opportunity, and he seized each one he came across, whether it be “flirting” or socializing, making important friendships and connections, or spreading his image throughout the globe Franklin was determined to succeed. The formula for Franklin’s success doesn’t seem to be an extremely difficult one, but it was how he executed it that separated him from the rest. Ben was a very strict, regimented, self-critical man. Every move Franklin made was pre-analyzed, and had a specific purpose to better his life. In a nutshell Franklins formula was “self-hood” and networking, or creating and...
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...THE GLENCOE LITERATURE LIBRARY Study Guide for The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin by Benjamin Franklin i Meet Benjamin Franklin Benjamin thought that his older brother James was too hard on him, and they often fought. When his apprenticeship ended, Franklin went to Philadelphia. This city, far more than his birthplace of Boston, became Franklin’s home. In Philadelphia he established his own business and raised his family. After Franklin retired from business in 1748, he embarked on a new career as a civil servant. He served in the Pennsylvania Assembly and became deputy postmaster-general. Sent to England as a representative of the Assembly, he spent five years there. During that time, he made the acquaintance of statesmen and scientists alike. Years later, he returned to England and found himself caught up in the growing tension between the thirteen colonies and the British government. Franklin’s loyalties were divided. He felt affinities to the colonies and to King George II of England. When he could tolerate the British government’s policies toward the American colonies no longer, he sailed back to the colonies. By the time his ship arrived, the first battles of the American Revolution had already been fought. Franklin was chosen to serve on the Second Continental Congress, which, acting as the government for the colonies, declared independence from Britain and appointed George Washington as commander in chief of the American army. Franklin was one of five...
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...“Benjamin Franklin’s the Autobiography and the “Declaration of Independence” are persuasive because The Autobiography talks about the good things that Benjamin did and the Declaration of Independence talks about how we the people of the United States can have life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness. Benjamin Franklin’s autobiography talks about his life. This article is persuasive because it talks about all the good that he has done in his life. “I made a little book, in which I allotted a page for each of the virtues” (Benjamin Franklin 170). He is saying that he made a book and in his book he wrote down all the virtues and the days of the week to keep track of them. He is disciplining himself to become a better person. “I determined to...
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...Name: Poppy Vorse Date: 10/20/14 Period: 2nd Book Title: Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin Genre: Autobiography Original Publication Date: January 1, 1790 Your Edition’s Publication Date: 1992 Author: Benjamin Franklin Number of Pages: 294 Summary: The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin begins with his purpose of writing the book, stating that the next best thing to reliving one’s life is the recollection of it in writing. Addressed to his son William, Benjamin Franklin discusses his early life in Boston, including being the 15th of 17 children. He apprenticed as a printer for his older brother, James. Franklin didn’t get along with his brother so at age 16 he went to Philadelphia where he started working for Samuel Keimer....
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...biographical account of Benjamin Franklin’s life?? By Ravi Blank In every age there have been a few heroic souls who have been in advance of their time who have been misunderstood, maligned, persecuted and sometimes put to death…Washington, Jefferson, Franklin, Paine and their compeers were the rebels of their day…But they had the moral courage to be true to their convictions … We are going to explore the heroic soul of Benjamin Franklin. Franklin began writing his autobiography in 1771, but before he could finish writing his whole life story, he died in 1790. One challenge the book poses for us, then, is that it doesn’t cover a lot of the interesting and important stuff that happened in Franklin life, like the American Revolution or the time he spent working as a diplomat in Paris. Through his work as a writer, printer, statesman and inventor he forever established himself as one of America’s greatest figures. We see Benjamin Franklin’s influence during his lifetime, in the majority of major developments in U.S. History. His hard work and dedication to bettering himself and the lives of fellow American’s actually paved the way for Colonial America to separate itself from Great Britain and establish it’s self as a major world power. “A Man story is not told by list of his grand accomplishments, but rather by his smaller daily goods.” We see how his influence, which derived from his dilegence and dedication, helped shape the course of U.S. history. Benjamin Franklin was an...
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...Rather than leave his life story to biographers and historians, Benjamin Franklin, ever the artisan, took the raw material of his recollections and from them carefully shaped the myth that has come to represent his life. (Isaacson 2) His use of thirteen virtues (Temperance, Silence, Order, Resolution, Frugality, Industry, Sincerity, Justice, Moderation, Cleanliness, Tranquility, Chastity and Humility) by which one could improve one’s life became an integral part of his image. In his Autobiography, he claims to desire to “acquire the habitude (emphasis original) of all these virtues…” (Franklin 65) Yet it is only a few pages later when he admits having failed, adding “on the whole, tho’ I never arrived at the perfection I had been so ambitious of obtaining, but fell far short of it, yet I was, by the endeavour, a better and happier man than I otherwise should have been if I had not attempted it…” (Franklin 70) Ironically, Franklin has established a program that even by his own standards is impossible to complete, while still critical to the development and long-term success of the participant. This program of unreachable self improvement goals became foundational to the Franklin Myth....
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...each meaning is the principal foundation of being free. The meaning of American freedom is best represented in the literary work of Benjamin Franklin, The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin. Benjamin Franklin grew up in a very large but poor family. Yet he found a way to use the freedom of being an American to become a well educated, successful and very influential man in American history. Americans are granted with the freedom to pursue an education, they are given the freedom to worship any god, or not to worship a god at all. Americans have the freedom to move around the country and to choose their future’s for their own lives. Which means they can live the lifestyle...
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...Mary Rowlandson and Benjamin Franklin are both writing about themselves and their experiences. Mary Rowlandson wrote her Narrative for her friends and family while Benjamin Franklin essentially wrote his Autobiography for his son, but also for others to read as well. Throughout Rowlandson’s Narrative, she talks about God and how he was there for her. In The Second Remove, Rowlandson describes her time on the horse with her child. As Rowlandson was traveling up a steep hill with her child in her arms they fell off the horse and the Indians begin to laugh at her and her child. She then talks about how the Lord renewed her strength and how he carried her along, that she might see more of his power. Throughout the Narrative Rowlandson quotes various...
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...complicated time when America was attempting to find itself. The family structure was one of hard work and survival. School and education came second to providing for ones family. During Benjamin Franklin’s early childhood, his family experienced some of the same newfound troubles many of these families were experiencing. Growing up his father, brother, and other family members had substantial influence on molding young Benjamin Franklin. As Franklin’s life unfolded, he exceeded in many fields, including science, politics, journalism, and philosophy, while also becoming one of the Founding Fathers of the nation. Thus, it is evident the childhood of Benjamin Franklin had tremendous effects on his future. Benjamin Franklin was born on January 17, 1706 in Boston. Raised by his father, Josiah Franklin, and his mother, Abiah Folger Franklin, he was cast into a large family consisting of sixteen brothers and sisters. Josiah Franklin had seven children with another women before she passed away and he married Abiah. Due to the popularity of illnesses and diseases in the early American colonies both men and women were familiar with the idea of remarrying following their spouses death. Benjamin was the “youngest son and the youngest of all the children except two daughters.” A large family like the Franklin’s was not uncommon during this time as the average colonial family consisted of approximately nine members with a household typically including...
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...Literature began to take a new form beginning in the late 1700s. Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Paine were two of those most impactful writers of the time. Between the two, many pieces of powerful literature were crafted notably, Benjamin Franklin’s Autobiography and Thomas Paine’s Age of Reason. The two writers had very similar views especially on the topic of religion. Due to their commonalities, Benjamin Franklin was an influential part in Thomas Paine’s success in America. However, remaining true to themselves, Franklin and Paine had their own unique take on the different aspects of religion. Beginning in 1794, Thomas Paine’s Age of Reason publicised his views about religion. In Benjamin Franklin’s Autobiography, it tells of how his parents raised him in a Presbyterian way opposed to the Church of England. Despite his upbringing, he began doubting at just the age of fifteen. He read many religious books, but even the ones that were against Deism failed to sway him. In fact, they only made his Deistic views stronger. Most people did things...
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...The Founding Father The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin by Benjamin Franklin Socrates once said “Employ your time in improving yourself by other men’s writings.” This is exactly what the men known as the wisest American achieved: self-betterment through readings and writings of other authors. In his Autobiography Benjamin Franklin takes us not only into a tour of his life but also in the journey he traveled in the 18th century, which allowed him to become the person we know of today. Franklin’s determination to persevere and learn from writings of other authors is the key points of the Autobiography that help make it an inspirational self-empowered autobiography. Unlike many other autobiographies Franklin starts this one as a letter to his son and governor of New Jersey in 1771, William Franklin. He writes in an attempt to inform his son of the life he once traveled. In this part of the Autobiography we are introduced to his family genealogy. Through this we find out that he is the youngest of the youngest son, Josiah, who though he made and sold candles and soap was a well-respected man. His mother Abiah, being a woman, had only one choice and that was to be a stay at home mom and take care of their children. Though at the time most men were put into trades and molded into being apprentices, Josiah saw something unique in Franklin and decided to enroll him into grammar school, marking the beginning of Franklin’s lifelong and impressive career. At age twelve Franklins...
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...Benjamin Franklin was extraordinarily famous for many accomplishments. He was an author, politician, printer, and one of America’s Founding Fathers. Franklin also discovered electricity, and invented bifocals, the lightning rod, Franklin stove, glass harmonica, odometer, and jokingly, daylight savings time. Franklin, living in Paris at the time, joked that the French slept in too late, that they wasted all the daylight. In Benjamin Franklin’s Autobiography, Franklin displays a subtle sense of humor throughout different forms of set pieces in the book, including his father’s religious devotion, using an alias, and his probable pride in humility. In Part One of the Autobiography, Franklin jokes that while all nine of his older brothers became protégés of craft occupations, his father intended “to devote me as the Tithe of his Sons to the Service of the Church” (14). Franklin pokes fun at his father by implying that instead of donating a tenth of his income to the church, he is donating a tenth of his sons. He presents himself as a young man on the road to fame by showing he is different that the rest of his family and the only one of his brothers earning an education. At such a young age, he felt his education gave him superiority with his family, but his older brothers thought differently. Franklin started working as a trainee for his brother’s printing shop, which he thought he should be running. Franklin also uses a confident humor as he makes himself the laughingstock of...
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