Jeremy West
Reeves
ENG 251
20 October 2015
The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin
The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin was written as a recollection of the life of a man that had an enormous impact on the formation of the United States of America and the principles which we are governed by to the present day. Franklin’s autobiography navigates us through his life, breaking down his ancestry, his childhood days, up until he was writing the autobiography. Franklin’s book shows us how he was shaped into the man that helped with the formation of the United States, how he learned from his father and mother, as well as his personal life experiences. Benjamin Franklin was an intelligent man, an inventor, and probably most importantly just a person …show more content…
In the letter to his son Benjamin Franklin wants his son to know the circumstances of his life, some of which he may already be familiar with and many others he may not yet know. Franklin describes how he has been blessed by God throughout his life and if he were offered a choice he would not object to a repetition of the same life. As we all know this is not an option for Benjamin Franklin (to repeat life), so Franklin decided to recollect his life, as well as make that recollection as durable as it can be by putting it in writing. “The felicity, when I reflected on it, has induced me sometimes to say that were it offered to my choice, I would have no objection to a repetition of the same life from its beginning, only asking the advantages authors have in a second edition to correct some faults of the first.”(Franklin …show more content…
This idea of Franklin’s was generally frowned upon by scientists. Franklin publishes his research papers, which include his famous kite experiment and quickly becomes a very well-known man. Franklin would go on to receive from the Royal Society a medal of honor. As a young man Franklin’s family instilled traits in him that carry him to greatness. Benjamin Franklin learned the advantages of humility and not being prideful. Franklin states many times in his autobiography the difficulty of fending off a prideful feeling and in some of his statements throughout you might agree. Benjamin states “In reality, there is perhaps, no one of our natural possessions to subdue as pride.”(Franklin 72) Franklin as he looks back at his life also learned the value of honesty, dating back to even before he was a teenager and even before. Franklin throughout his biography looks back at his younger days recollecting the events that shaped his life, and the people that shaped his life. Franklin did not like the trade of being a candle and soap maker as his father was, but instead had a love for reading and writing. Franklin understands the importance that reading and writing had on developing his intelligence and developing him into a beneficial member of the colonies. There were many factors in his success throughout his life and Franklin is quick to show how fond he is of each of them. To me the
Reeves
ENG 251
20 October 2015
The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin
The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin was written as a recollection of the life of a man that had an enormous impact on the formation of the United States of America and the principles which we are governed by to the present day. Franklin’s autobiography navigates us through his life, breaking down his ancestry, his childhood days, up until he was writing the autobiography. Franklin’s book shows us how he was shaped into the man that helped with the formation of the United States, how he learned from his father and mother, as well as his personal life experiences. Benjamin Franklin was an intelligent man, an inventor, and probably most importantly just a person …show more content…
In the letter to his son Benjamin Franklin wants his son to know the circumstances of his life, some of which he may already be familiar with and many others he may not yet know. Franklin describes how he has been blessed by God throughout his life and if he were offered a choice he would not object to a repetition of the same life. As we all know this is not an option for Benjamin Franklin (to repeat life), so Franklin decided to recollect his life, as well as make that recollection as durable as it can be by putting it in writing. “The felicity, when I reflected on it, has induced me sometimes to say that were it offered to my choice, I would have no objection to a repetition of the same life from its beginning, only asking the advantages authors have in a second edition to correct some faults of the first.”(Franklin …show more content…
This idea of Franklin’s was generally frowned upon by scientists. Franklin publishes his research papers, which include his famous kite experiment and quickly becomes a very well-known man. Franklin would go on to receive from the Royal Society a medal of honor. As a young man Franklin’s family instilled traits in him that carry him to greatness. Benjamin Franklin learned the advantages of humility and not being prideful. Franklin states many times in his autobiography the difficulty of fending off a prideful feeling and in some of his statements throughout you might agree. Benjamin states “In reality, there is perhaps, no one of our natural possessions to subdue as pride.”(Franklin 72) Franklin as he looks back at his life also learned the value of honesty, dating back to even before he was a teenager and even before. Franklin throughout his biography looks back at his younger days recollecting the events that shaped his life, and the people that shaped his life. Franklin did not like the trade of being a candle and soap maker as his father was, but instead had a love for reading and writing. Franklin understands the importance that reading and writing had on developing his intelligence and developing him into a beneficial member of the colonies. There were many factors in his success throughout his life and Franklin is quick to show how fond he is of each of them. To me the