David Herbert Richard Lawrence was a British essayist, playwright, poet, and literary critique that lived from 1885-1930. His harsh criticism of literary works was due to the impact of industrialization and modernity that he lived throughout his life which he found dehumanizing.
In chapter 2 of Studies of Classic American Literature, D. H. Lawrence spends 13 pages criticizing the aspirations of Franklin’s self-perfection. Lawrence starts with the exclamation “The Perfectibility of Man!” (Lawrence, pg. 9). Lawrence sees the idea of being perfect as an unreachable goal. Which man inside us are supposed to perfect? What forms of education are we supposed to engage in? Who is the ideal man that we must strive to be like? Franklin? Roosevelt? …show more content…
9). He says that the only person who would possibly have all of these answers would be the great Benjamin Franklin. To reach these goals that Franklin made for himself, Franklin drew up a list of 13 virtues that would be his guideline for achieving this self-perfection. Lawrence then takes section 9 of Franklin’s Autobiography, “Plan for Attaining Moral Perfection”, and line by line mocks Franklin. Franklin states that there is One God who knows all and should be worshipped and praised and the best service to this God is to be in the service of doing well to men and God will reward you (Franklin, Part 9). Lawrence uses this as a window of opportunity to harshly attack Franklin. Lawrence states that Franklin was making himself his own God who, by no choice, would reward Franklin for being such a perfect …show more content…
Lawrence clearly dismisses the good intentions of Franklin’s Autobiography. Franklin wanted to present a guideline that one could better themselves one step at a time, not to take the entire list at once. Lawrence questions “Which of these do you choose to perfect, the expense of every other?” (Lawrence, pg. 9) when Franklin clearly states his intentions regarding the virtues in his Autobiography, “My intention being to acquire the habitude of all these virtues, … not to distract my attention by attempting the whole at once, but to fix it on one of them at a time” (Franklin, part 9). Franklin wants us to take the list of virtues and not work on them all at once, but work on them one at a time until you have mastered that trait then move onto the next. Franklin specifically uses the word “habitude” to show that he wants the carrying out of these traits to be customary behavior in everyday life and not a burden to
In chapter 2 of Studies of Classic American Literature, D. H. Lawrence spends 13 pages criticizing the aspirations of Franklin’s self-perfection. Lawrence starts with the exclamation “The Perfectibility of Man!” (Lawrence, pg. 9). Lawrence sees the idea of being perfect as an unreachable goal. Which man inside us are supposed to perfect? What forms of education are we supposed to engage in? Who is the ideal man that we must strive to be like? Franklin? Roosevelt? …show more content…
9). He says that the only person who would possibly have all of these answers would be the great Benjamin Franklin. To reach these goals that Franklin made for himself, Franklin drew up a list of 13 virtues that would be his guideline for achieving this self-perfection. Lawrence then takes section 9 of Franklin’s Autobiography, “Plan for Attaining Moral Perfection”, and line by line mocks Franklin. Franklin states that there is One God who knows all and should be worshipped and praised and the best service to this God is to be in the service of doing well to men and God will reward you (Franklin, Part 9). Lawrence uses this as a window of opportunity to harshly attack Franklin. Lawrence states that Franklin was making himself his own God who, by no choice, would reward Franklin for being such a perfect …show more content…
Lawrence clearly dismisses the good intentions of Franklin’s Autobiography. Franklin wanted to present a guideline that one could better themselves one step at a time, not to take the entire list at once. Lawrence questions “Which of these do you choose to perfect, the expense of every other?” (Lawrence, pg. 9) when Franklin clearly states his intentions regarding the virtues in his Autobiography, “My intention being to acquire the habitude of all these virtues, … not to distract my attention by attempting the whole at once, but to fix it on one of them at a time” (Franklin, part 9). Franklin wants us to take the list of virtues and not work on them all at once, but work on them one at a time until you have mastered that trait then move onto the next. Franklin specifically uses the word “habitude” to show that he wants the carrying out of these traits to be customary behavior in everyday life and not a burden to