Benjamin Franklin in writing his autobiography showed in his life what he thought was a model character. Franklin was not a very religious man himself. He found value out of religion because it tended to help people become better than they were and gave them virtues to live. Franklin tells readers that he lives his model life by living thirteen virtues that he has picked out himself to be the most important. These virtues if done correctly could lead to a morally perfected person. By going through each of Franklin’s virtues, readers can see how Franklin lived his own life as well as see how Franklin deemed himself to be a model character.
The first of Franklin’s virtues was temperance. Franklin thought it was really a waste of money to buy …show more content…
While an average person tends to describe someone chase as someone that only engages in sexual intercourse within the bounds of marriage, Franklin describes it as something to “rarely use venery but for health and or offspring, never to dullness, weakness, or the injury of your own or another’s peace or reputation.” He puts rather big loopholes in his description never once mentioning that it should be within the bounds of marriage and can be used for health. Franklin is not a chaste man when compared to what the majority of people define being chaste is. Using Franklin’s own definition he is not chase person either. He ruined his own reputation with a lot of people, not to mention the reputations he must have smeared in his day and age.
Franklin’s last virtue was humility. Though the virtue was not important enough to make the list the first time, Franklin decided it had its value. Franklin was not a humble man himself. By putting in letters that say your work is more important than several prestigious Roman leaders and by boasting of your influence in public councils (54) it is a good indicator that you are not humble. Writing a book about himself as the model character and way of life reportedly makes him not humble. Franklin does try to appear that he is a humble man and puts it forth that way but he is not a humble
The first of Franklin’s virtues was temperance. Franklin thought it was really a waste of money to buy …show more content…
While an average person tends to describe someone chase as someone that only engages in sexual intercourse within the bounds of marriage, Franklin describes it as something to “rarely use venery but for health and or offspring, never to dullness, weakness, or the injury of your own or another’s peace or reputation.” He puts rather big loopholes in his description never once mentioning that it should be within the bounds of marriage and can be used for health. Franklin is not a chaste man when compared to what the majority of people define being chaste is. Using Franklin’s own definition he is not chase person either. He ruined his own reputation with a lot of people, not to mention the reputations he must have smeared in his day and age.
Franklin’s last virtue was humility. Though the virtue was not important enough to make the list the first time, Franklin decided it had its value. Franklin was not a humble man himself. By putting in letters that say your work is more important than several prestigious Roman leaders and by boasting of your influence in public councils (54) it is a good indicator that you are not humble. Writing a book about himself as the model character and way of life reportedly makes him not humble. Franklin does try to appear that he is a humble man and puts it forth that way but he is not a humble