Ben franklin autobiography essay
Benjamin Franklin's Autobiography. The work of a selfish man?
Benjamin Franklin was one of the most famous and important participants in the American Revolution of the 1760’s to 1780’s. Like 55 other important political figures of that time, he was a delegate of the Continental Congress who signed the Declaration of Independence. He is the author of many valuable maxims that are used in everyday conversations still today. Without doubt – Franklin is one of the first celebrities and most remembered political figures in US history. He had an enormous impact on the new American self-confidence and, even more important, the American way of life. But when looking at his Autobiography, many people argue that it does not include any reference to his achievements for society. In contrast, it is stated that these works seem to be revolving only around the events that had a purpose for him personally. Is Franklin a mere egoist or someone who cares about others, too? Best summary PDF, themes, and quotes. More books than SparkNotes. Buy Study Guide The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklinis one of the most famous, beloved, and lauded works of American letters; it is also the first autobiography to achieve widespread popularity and is a classic of the genre. It sheds light on the life of one of America’s Founding Fathers, a man singular in his confluence of intellect, wit, ingenuity, perspicacity, and self-awareness. The work is not only an autobiography but also a historical document of a tumultuous time in our history, a self-help manual that encapsulates the idea of the self-made man and American individualism, and (at least in Part One) a stirring bildungsroman that is almost novelistic in its lucid, dynamic narration. As famed Franklin scholar J.A. Leo Lemay states, “Franklin gave us the definitive formation of the American Dream.” The work, addressed to Franklin’s son William, was written over many decades. Scholar Susan Garfinkel sums up the process thusly: “Part One was penned while Franklin was in England in July-August of 1771. This is also when Franklin most likely drew up his outline for the entire work. By the summer of 1782, both documents had been seen by a friend, Abel James, who wrote to Franklin urging him to resume the project. Franklin drafted Part Two in 1784 while living in France. Part Three, dating from 1788-89, was composed when a Franklin now in his eighties had, after a long and distinguished international career, returned home to settle his affairs. This is also when he added most of his revisions. The shortest section, Part Four, was written when Franklin was in poor health in the last few months of his life.” The work is unfinished, as Franklin died in 1790, but an outline exists that shows what Franklin intended to include. The Autobiography was occasionally known as a Life or Memoirs before the 1840s, and there were many competing versions of the text in circulation in its early yea Over eighteen years, from 1771 until his death, Benjamin Franklin (1706-90) composed an unfinished record of his life’s tribulations and successes. Written in simple, often humorous language, The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin offered readers in the new United States an accessible, exemplary narrative of American upward mobility. An integral thread in the fabric of Franklin’s history, Philadelphia is the setting for much of the autobiography and the site where Franklin composed portions of the work. TheAutobiography is arranged in four parts, each with a distinct purpose and tone, though Franklin intended for the work to be read fluidly as a whole. He began writing TheAutobiography in 1771, during a stay in London of more than ten years as a mediator between England and the American colonies. Although Philadelphia was Franklin’s home, this trip marked his third sojourn to England. As a young man, Franklin traveled to England in 1724-26 to expand his knowledge of the printing trade and then returned to Philadelphia where he would seize production of The Pennsylvania Gazette from Samuel Keimer (c. 1688-1742) and begin Poor Richard’s Almanack. After thirty years of building his reputation as a printer and civic leader, Franklin also spent five years in England as a diplomat for the Pennsylvania Assembly beginning in 1757. Written during the era of tension between the British and the colonies caused by seemingly arbitrary taxation, Part One of TheAutobiography takes the form of a letter addressed to Franklin’s son William (1731-1814), then serving as royal governor of New Jersey. Franklin documents his childhood and adolescence, including his arrival in Philadelphia and his achievements in the printing business. He recounts his lineage, depicts his early life in Boston, and documents his apprenticeship with his brother James (1697-1735), a printer. After a dispute with his brother, at the young a This excerpt comes from the first part of Franklin's autobiography. Franklin wrote his autobiography in four sessions over the course of almost twenty years. He lived a long and full life, and at the time of his death he had taken the work only to 1758. (Thus his published autobiography does not include any of his activities during and after the American Revolution.) Franklin's first session of autobiographical writing was for two weeks in 1771. He addressed that text to his adult son, William, and he then expected to share it only with his family. Eventually, the manuscript autobiography that Franklin had written for his son came into the hands of a man he knew in Philadelphia, Abel James. James and another friend encouraged Franklin to revisit his autobiography, suggesting that he should publish it for the benefit of the public. Franklin agreed, and he had that audience in mind during the following sessions of autobiographical writing (in 1784, 1788, and 1789-1790). Although it was not yet finished when he died, people wanted to read it, and it was published (in French and English) in 1791 and 1793. It has remained in print ever since. N.B.The paragraph numbers provided are not part of the original document. Part One DEAR SON: I have ever had pleasure in obtaining any little anecdotes of my ancestors. You may remember the inquiries I made among the remains of my relations when you were with me in England, and the journey I undertook for that purpose. Imagining it may be equally agreeable to you to know the circumstances of my life, many of which you are yet unacquainted with, and expecting the enjoyment of a week's uninterrupted leisure in my present country retirement, I sit down to write them for you. To which I have besides some other inducements. 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 first evidence of Franklin mentioning aid to others in the Autobiography is assistance to the “Tallow-Chandler and Soap-Boiler” (Franklin, 542) job of his father. Like all children in the 18th century he is involved in work for the family. This is not surprising, yet. Besides, he learns in his childhood, that “nothing was useful which was not honest” (Franklin, 543). If we look at honesty as a part of respecting and also helping people, Franklin therefore must have been taught mature behavior at an early age. His working career starts when he is still a kid. Franklin’s inclinations are to become a printer. From the age of 12 on, he does an apprenticeship at his brother’s business. Franklin tells us about his time there: “In a little time I made great proficiency in the Business, and became a useful hand to my Brother” (Franklin, 545). O nce again, it is not only pure self- interest that makes a difference in his life. This is even more evident by the fact that he obviously wrote his Autobiography man Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin (The)