When Benjamin Franklin is mentioned, generally his several contributions to United States Society come to mind. It is interesting to find then, that someone who so willingly gave up his time and put in effort to help society, in reality, admittedly had a big pride issue. Plainly, this pride can be seen throughout The Autobiography that Franklin wrote as he recounts his accomplishments. Additionally still however, through Franklin’s writings, it is clear that his pride leads him to build himself up while putting down others and even getting revenge on those who did not support him or acted as stumbling blocks as he came to be successful.
First and foremost, the clearest example of Franklin’s fault is illustrated as he describes his desire to …show more content…
(541)
Clearly he was well known for being arrogant and even as he tried to overcome his fault and master humility, he resolved that it was a moot point, saying, “For even if I could conceive that I had completely overcome it, I should probably be proud of my Humility” (542). That being said, it is interesting to think of Franklin’s motives as he retells the stories of those who did not support him as an up-and-comer. For instance, Franklin describes his final encounter with Collins, a man who never repaid the money he owed Franklin, and depicts Collins as a drunk and a moocher with little to no work ethic (501-502). Juxtaposed with Franklin himself, the way Collins is described makes it seem as if he could never measure up or be successful like Franklin because of his lack of discipline and therefore he had to settle for work in the
First and foremost, the clearest example of Franklin’s fault is illustrated as he describes his desire to …show more content…
(541)
Clearly he was well known for being arrogant and even as he tried to overcome his fault and master humility, he resolved that it was a moot point, saying, “For even if I could conceive that I had completely overcome it, I should probably be proud of my Humility” (542). That being said, it is interesting to think of Franklin’s motives as he retells the stories of those who did not support him as an up-and-comer. For instance, Franklin describes his final encounter with Collins, a man who never repaid the money he owed Franklin, and depicts Collins as a drunk and a moocher with little to no work ethic (501-502). Juxtaposed with Franklin himself, the way Collins is described makes it seem as if he could never measure up or be successful like Franklin because of his lack of discipline and therefore he had to settle for work in the