...Benjamin Franklin once said, “Early to bed, and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise.” That quote described Franklin's portrayal of life in one sentence. Hard work and success go hand in hand, and while Benjamin Franklin and Washington Irving both write passages regarding it, they both have two different ideas or approaches with it. In Benjamin Franklin’s The Way to Wealth, Franklin establishes a firm belief in what it means to be hard working and in Washington Irving's Rip Van Winkle, the life of the main character puts that belief to the test. In life, generally to be successful one must be a hard worker and be wanting to strive to reach their goal. Benjamin Franklin strongly believes in having to be a hard worker to be...
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...Frederick Douglas is one of America’s well known black historical figures who helped paved the way for many young Black men and women who preceded him. Douglass is known for his influence in the promotion of social justice in United States. In other words, he helped to abolish slavery along with the help of other social activist. He aided the black population by advocating to eliminate discrimination. Frederick Douglass is still applauded for his contributions and support. As an African American, Douglass faced many obstacles before becoming a free man. Since slaves are treated as property to be bought and sold as a commodity. Douglass was moved away from his family. One thing that I was astonished by Douglass is his intuition of trying to...
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...Benjamin Franklins known to most people as an inventor and scientist, possibly even as a politician. Most people probably are not aware of are Franklin’s contributions to the literary world. His one of a kind views and intellect provided his generation and ours with a different perspective on society and political events. In his writing “The Way of Wealth” Franklin showed how he was able to step outside the common “norm” to share his unique perspective on wealth and spending. In “The Way of Wealth” Franklin explores the topic of wealth and how to achieve it. In his generation it was common amongst the upper classes to flaunt their wealth through their purchases, and most of them lived a very lavish lifestyle. It was not considered appropriate for someone with wealth to live humbly while saving money. Many went into great debt to support their lifestyle. Franklin went against this tradition and extolled the virtue of preserving and investing wisely. Franklin created a fictional character that he called Poor Richard, who wrote helpful tips in Poor Richard’s Almanac. In it Franklin emphasized the need for society to control their spending and maintain their wealth. The Way to Wealth is written from the perspective of the humorous Poor Richard who was quoting a so-called reader of his work name Father Abraham. By using a secondary source that was praising the wisdom of Poor Richard, Franklin was lending an element of validity and importance to his work. Benjamin Franklin also...
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...Christy Penner Comparative essay The Americanization of Benjamin Franklin ( Wood,2004) and Abigail Adams (Holton, 2009) each depict historical figures before, during, and after the American revolution. Respectively, Woody Holton and Gordon S. Wood present unique aspects of Abigail Adams and Benjamin Franklin which highlight societal, institutional, and ideological changes brought about by the American revolution. Holton’s depiction of Abigail Adams provides an in depth analysis of the challenges she faces as a wife who assumes the roles typically undertaken by the family patriarch. In wood’s book, the depiction of Benjamin Franklin allows the reader to understand the progressive development of Franklin as he transitions from a gentleman to an ardent revolutionary. An interesting aspect of Wood’s portrayal of Franklin resides in his detailed analyses of his contributions to the American Revolution and the generally negative reception he receives upon returning to the independent colonies. Both Wood and Holton chose these individuals, and specifically the overriding topics of each book, in order to explain these chosen themes through the perspective of well-known historical figures. Although both authors make interesting arguments, Holton’s research on Abigail Adams presents a more significant contribution to historical research by highlighting her contribution to women’s rights and feminism. Woody Holton’s work, Abigail Adams (2009) tells the story of the wife of...
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...Joe Cohan History 251 Writing Assignment #1 As human beings age, the opportunity to move up through the social hierarchy seems to disappear. In Gordon S. Wood’s biography, The Americanization of Benjamin Franklin, he tells a unique story that allows us to take a deeper look into almost every social class of the 18th century. As Franklin makes his way through the social hierarchy, Gordon Wood paints a picture of what society was like and how it works around Franklin. Franklin portrays this hierarchy through his own work and his interactions with other members of society. Also as Franklin moves up the social ladder, Wood gives different perspectives from Franklin on his social standing and how he is a “self-made man”. From being a child of a lower-class family to becoming a huge influence on the Revolutionary War, Benjamin Franklin is one of the most interesting Founding Fathers. Starting with Franklin’s father, who has one of the lowliest jobs as a candle and soap maker, the social hierarchy begins at the bottom and with all of the artisan jobs that fall into that category. Franklin being the 15th of 17 children in the family shows that low class families were very large in size, making it very difficult for the youngest children of the family to gain any property or status. Primogeniture being the custom of the American colonies in the early 18th century makes it difficult for Ben Franklin to advance, putting him at a disadvantage. This disadvantage only helps to...
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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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...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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...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 role in shaping the United States is mostly tied to his part in the American Revolution and his experiments with electricity. Mr. Franklin not only helped shaped the country but he also helped shape American literature with such writings such as The Way to Wealth, The Gospel Preacher a Book of Twenty Sermons, a number of different essays, and of course his Autobiography. His Autobiography was more of a self help book than writings about his life. He wanted to stress to his son and other people that what they were is not who they would always be, if they take the proper steps and kept an open mind they could achieve great things. In his Autobiography Franklin stresses the point of self-improvement through education, good health habits, good work ethics, not being argumentative, and practiced frugality among other things. Franklin’s writings influenced writers like Dale Carnegie, Stephen Covey, and Anthony Robbins. Some writers like Thoreau thought his writings focused only on achieving wealth and never really appreciating the simpler things in life. Though Franklin does stress on the more frivolous things in life at times, he really only wanted for people to learn how to become all around better people. Franklin believed that education was everything. In order for out country to grow everyone, especially the youth, needed to expand their minds. He stressed education so much to his fellow Americans that he started a learning academy that is now known as The...
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...Rebecca Williams 10/22/08 Benjamin Franklin’s Autobiography: a guide to wealth and success in colonial America By writing his Autobiography, Benjamin Franklin hoped to leave behind “the conducting means I made use of, which, with the blessing of God, so well succeeded, my Posterity may like to know, as they may find them suitable to their own situations, and therefore fit to be imitated” (pg. 1). Taking from his writing the principles he lived by and his personal attributes that benefitted him most, the book can be interpreted as a guide to success in colonial America. These principles and attributes are mainly a strong work ethic and determination, self-discipline, and desire for self-improvement. It is clear from the first lines of the Autobiography that Franklin displayed a strong work ethic throughout his entire. There are several instances throughout his Autobiography that indicate that he was never fully satisfied with settling for second best, but rather always strove to achieve the best. This characteristic was shown early on in life, when, at the age of 17, Franklin left his home town of Boston. Ending up in Philadelphia, “without the least recommendations or knowledge of any person in the place, and with very little money in my pocket” (pg.17), he relied solely on his determination and ability to work hard to make his way. Later in his Autobiography there is another mention of this characteristic. “I had on the whole abundant reason to be satisfied with my...
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...Benjamin Franklin, 1706-1790, printer, scientist, statesman, wrote an Autobiography that poses a riddle never completely solved: How could such an incomplete, disjointed, inaccurate, mangled manuscript be so perennially popular? Translated into dozens of languages and reprinted in hundreds of editions, it continues to be one of the most successful books of all time, even though Franklin himself is sometimes viewed with suspicion by the haters of industry and frugality. An answer to the riddle of the Autobiography is partially hinted at by the ways in which it has been described, for if it has not been all things to all men, it has at least been remarkable to most men who have read it. Its most admired qualities have changed as fashions, philosophies, and needs have changed. But, significantly, the book continues to survive such changes From the first line, Franklin's Autobiography illustrates the complex character of the man who wrote it, not only through the facts it states but also through the attitudes it reveals. The productive tension in Franklin's nature between the lighthearted and the earnest is evident by the end of the first paragraph. While Franklin starts his account as a paternal (and presumably chatty) letter to his son, he soon begins the formal statement about his worthy purposes — the rationalizations for the work to follow — which one expects of highly serious eighteenth-century treatises. But after presenting three respectable reasons for writing, Franklin...
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...Dream realized? For many Americans the formula is one of instant, albeit elusive, gratification. Rather than adhering to a traditional work ethic, far too many Americans are pinning their hopes on what they perceive as “easy” money. This article focuses on three phenomena in contemporary American society that have successfully captured the quest for the American Dream. Savvy marketers have convinced their audiences that a new wave of television game shows, lottery luck, and lucrative lawsuits are the way to wealth. Instant wealth has not always been a major component of the Dream. Americans have traditionally centered their efforts on thrift and hard work. During the Colonial Period, Benjamin Franklin counseled people on the “The Way to Wealth”. Poor Richard Almanac advised that “Early to Bed, and early to rise, makes a Man healthy, wealthy, and wise”. The key to wealth was industry: “Industry pays debts”, insisted Poor Richard. Americans of the Early Republic expanded Franklin’s notion of...
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...Justin Coleman CP 102 22, March 2017 The different views on success Merriam Webster describes success as an attainment of wealth, favor, or eminence. Everyone has a different idea of success and Mary Wollstonecraft and Benjamin Franklin are no exception. Mary Wollstonecraft views gender equality as success especially within education. Benjamin Franklin views success as a personal accomplishment coming from a strong work ethic. While Mary Wollstonecraft and Benjamin Franklin ideas of success are very different, both ultimately focused on bettering themselves, whether it be education or hard work. Mary Wollstonecraft grew up without a stable family and her parents left her and her sisters to live on their own. Her father was a heavy drinker;...
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...notably John and Charles Wesley. Together they led a movement to reform the Church of England (much as the Puritans had attempted earlier to reform that church) which resulted in the founding of the Methodist Church late in the eighteenth century. During his several trips across the Atlantic after 1739, Whitefield preached everywhere in the American colonies, often drawing audiences so large that he was obliged to preach outdoors. What Whitefield preached was nothing more than what other Calvinists had been proclaiming for centuries that sinful men and women were totally dependent for salvation on the mercy of a pure, all-powerful God. But Whitefield and many American preachers who eagerly imitated his style presented that message in novel ways. Gesturing dramatically, sometimes weeping openly or thundering out threats of hellfire-and-brimstone, (1741) they turned the sermon into a gripping theatrical performance. But not all looked on with approval. Throughout the colonies, conservative and moderate clergymen questioned the emotionalism of evangelicals and charged that disorder and discord attended the revivals. They took great exception to itinerants, ministers who,...
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