Everyone is in search of clarity and understanding to make the best of the daily tasks we face. When events stray away from our expectations, it is easy to get caught up in what could have been and allocate blame to suppress the failure. Anyone to ever encounter a setback in their life has likely been told admitting it is the first step but that advice offers no solution. In Benjamin Franklin’s autobiography, Franklin recollects the experiences throughout his life that shaped him into the man he became to offer an objective lesson in failure by pure apprehension through acting upon it within one's parameters of control. Furthermore, Franklin tells his story of rags-to riches to model how through gains and losses he achieved the virtues that
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In regards to pride, Franklin says “Disguise it, struggle with it, beat it down, stifle it, mortify it as much as one pleases, it is still alive, and will every now and then peep out and show itself; you will see it, perhaps, often in this history; for, even if I could conceive that I had completely overcome it, I should probably be proud of my humility.” Franklin employs this interpretation of pride to openly define both his positive attributes and shortcomings. Franklin understands the tendency to have proud moments and rather than suppress them, he uses it as fuel towards his goals and to recognize blind spots. This is evident when following James Franklin’s removal from the paper Benjamin Franklin assumed the changes he made to the paper would be accepted, however later understood that to his brother he could be considered “too savvy and provoking”.Franklin explains this story to express the wrongs he made and what he took away from it that will prevent something similar from happening again. It is the context in which Franklin interprets vanity and pride that permit him to be able to take the first step and admit his mistakes. The clarity in which Franklin can consequently see his mistakes enables him to take the next step and define
In regards to pride, Franklin says “Disguise it, struggle with it, beat it down, stifle it, mortify it as much as one pleases, it is still alive, and will every now and then peep out and show itself; you will see it, perhaps, often in this history; for, even if I could conceive that I had completely overcome it, I should probably be proud of my humility.” Franklin employs this interpretation of pride to openly define both his positive attributes and shortcomings. Franklin understands the tendency to have proud moments and rather than suppress them, he uses it as fuel towards his goals and to recognize blind spots. This is evident when following James Franklin’s removal from the paper Benjamin Franklin assumed the changes he made to the paper would be accepted, however later understood that to his brother he could be considered “too savvy and provoking”.Franklin explains this story to express the wrongs he made and what he took away from it that will prevent something similar from happening again. It is the context in which Franklin interprets vanity and pride that permit him to be able to take the first step and admit his mistakes. The clarity in which Franklin can consequently see his mistakes enables him to take the next step and define