Throughout The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin, Franklin uses his past and experiences as a model for the common man. He appears to be a man of morals and often speaks of important characteristics and virtues one should possess. For example, Franklin states that he “grew convinc’d that truth, sincerity, and integrity in dealings between man and man were of the utmost importance to the felicity of life” (Franklin 44). Franklin’s virtues seem like they are important to his morality, however, it
Frankenstein, from Mary Shelly’s novel Frankenstein and Benjamin Franklin from The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin. The construction and representation of masculine identity in these two works are vastly different. In this essay I will be arguing that Benjamin Franklin’s construction and representation of masculine identity is that of trust and sincerity while Frankenstein’s is rational yet highly emotional. The narrator in The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin, follows in the traditional autobiographical
Benjamin Franklin is the Founding Father that best represents the true values of an American because he was a visionary. Benjamin Franklin started from nothing compared to where he was at his peak. The Independence Hall Association, in their The Electric Ben Franklin article, "A Quick Biography of Benjamin Franklin" states that Benjamin Franklin and his sixteen siblings were not wealthy. Benjamin Franklin's Father was also only a candle maker which means that Franklin had to work even harder to make
Ben’s Autobiography (An analysis of Franklin on Society and Himself) “It was about this time I conceived the bold and arduous project of arriving at moral perfection.” That line is first text on page 141, and it boldly states that Franklin thinks he can achieve moral perfection. He thought that having certain virtues was the key to perfection. Franklin's autobiography did not only affect just himself, but future Americans too. His attempt to become a completely virtuous person embodies much of the
Benjamin Franklin is very popular to American culture. He is a founding father and the face of the 100 dollar bill. Benjamin Franklin’s contribution to American culture and society are endless. He was very famous among the people of his time and even historians today. It is rare to find an article bad mouthing Franklin, but that does not mean he did not possess a much darker side to him. In fact, research shows that Franklin was not always the optimist previously thought, and that he also had a much
Benjamin Franklin was a man who had many contributions to society that have had lasting impressions. Some of these include the invention of the lightning rod, a new type of stove and bifocals. Besides his many academic achievements, he was also one of the key patrons in the making of the United States of America. “William Penn might have founded Philadelphia, but it's Benjamin Franklin who gave the city a civic identity, a communal soul, and a future,” (Tirdad Derakhshani). Obviously, Franklin had
America, Benjamin Franklin is a self-made man. According to Franklin he had come to be by, “Having emerged from the poverty and obscurity in which I was born and bred, to a state of affluence and some degree of reputation in the world” (1). The first page of his autobiography reads as a patriarchal lecture with condescending undertones towards those who have not had the ability to rise to a state of affluence and obtain reputation. While seeing himself as an influence, Franklin’s style is
being. However, Benjamin Franklin’s Autobiography and Mary Shelley’s novel Frankenstein express the ways in which the self is not just a personal creation, but rather influenced and shaped by the one’s relationship to others. Each depiction shows the ways that character is fashioned by external forces. The self, an ever-changing aspect of one’s identity, is a collection of external perceptions that must be learned and practiced by each individual. Benjamin Franklin’s Autobiography establishes that
Menders 2 Follow in my footsteps Benjamin Franklin was the “proto-typical” American, the original common man, who used learning and common sense to improve the lives of Americans. Franklin was one of the founding fathers who was responsible for many standards of living improvements. He was fascinated by all sorts of learning and he was interested in doing whatever he could to make life a little bit better for one and all. With fewer than three years of official education, he taught himself almost
Benjamin Franklin Benjamin Josiah Franklin was born on January 6, 1706 in Boston. His father, Josiah Franklin, was a businessman who married two wives. His first wife’s name was Anne Child. Anne Child gave birth to seven of Josiah’s children. Anne Child died while giving birth to Josiah’s seventh child in 1689. Josiah Franklin married his second wife, Abiah Folger, in 1689 and had ten more children with her. Benjamin Franklin was the youngest but two, in other words, he was the 8th child of Abiah’s