...Benjamin Franklin Every kid, at some point in their life, reads about Benjamin Franklin in school. He is one of the most popular historical figures ever, but why is Franklin so popular? Ben was one of seventeen children, he was not very religious, and at the age if seventeen he ran away from his home and family. At first glance these do not seem like the characteristics of a successful human being, but it was these very things that helped shaped Ben’s life, and allowed him to become the most distinguished man of the 18th century. Franklin, being a part of such a large family, had no choice but to fend for himself. In order for Franklin to flourish he had to self-educate, self-motivate, and self-improve himself, which he became obsessed with. Franklin had to look out for number one, and when he left he never looked back. Throughout his travels Franklin sought opportunity, and he seized each one he came across, whether it be “flirting” or socializing, making important friendships and connections, or spreading his image throughout the globe Franklin was determined to succeed. The formula for Franklin’s success doesn’t seem to be an extremely difficult one, but it was how he executed it that separated him from the rest. Ben was a very strict, regimented, self-critical man. Every move Franklin made was pre-analyzed, and had a specific purpose to better his life. In a nutshell Franklins formula was “self-hood” and networking, or creating and enhancing his image. However, Franklin had...
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...THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF BENJAMIN FRANKLIN WITH INTRODUCTION AND NOTES EDITED BY CHARLES W ELIOT LLD P F COLLIER & SON COMPANY, NEW YORK (1909) INTRODUCTORY NOTE BENJAMIN FRANKLIN was born in Milk Street, Boston, on January 6, 1706. His father, Josiah Franklin, was a tallow chandler who married twice, and of his seventeen children Benjamin was the youngest son. His schooling ended at ten, and at twelve he was bound apprentice to his brother James, a printer, who published the "New England Courant." To this journal he became a contributor, and later was for a time its nominal editor. But the brothers quarreled, and Benjamin ran away, going first to New York, and thence to Philadelphia, where he arrived in October, 1723. He soon obtained work as a printer, but after a few months he was induced by Governor Keith to go to London, where, finding Keith's promises empty, he again worked as a compositor till he was brought back to Philadelphia by a merchant named Denman, who gave him a position in his business. On Denman's death he returned to his former trade, and shortly set up a printing house of his own from which he published "The Pennsylvania Gazette," to which he contributed many essays, and which he made a medium for agitating a variety of local reforms. In 1732 he began to issue his famous "Poor Richard's Almanac" for the enrichment of which he borrowed or composed those pithy utterances of worldly wisdom which are the 1 basis of a large part of his popular reputation...
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...Benjamin Franklin Benjamin Franklin wasn’t only just an inventor, publisher, diplomat, or philosopher. Benjamin Franklin was an educator; he used life as his classroom and his acquaintances as his pupils. He used his life experiences as well as his mistakes as the curriculum. He then taught it to others. Throughout his life he helped others to better themselves. Whether it was with his training of young apprentices in the printing trade, or with his political advice to governors, Benjamin Franklin was always willing to help others to better their situations and to educate themselves. Franklin felt that everyone needed an education no matter what diverse background they were from. Franklin was vital in the formation of the first public school and first public library. He knew that education would be needed for success in life. He also partook in the formations of the first fire and police departments. Throughout Benjamin Franklin’s autobiography he tends to point out his short falls or mistakes, which he calls “erratas”. For instance, when he broke into Vern’s money or when he printed a pamphlet entitled "A Dissertation on Liberty and Necessity, Pleasure and Pain" to impress Mr. Palmer. Neither party was pleased with his actions. In Franklin’s mind this reinforced his father’s belief he was too young to manage an important business and Mr. Palmer was neither impressed or in favor of the pamphlet; which he found to be detestable. Franklin learned from these mistakes and did...
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...Benjamin Franklin: New World Physicist Benjamin Franklin was born on January 17, 1706 in Boston Massachusetts. He was one of seventeen other brothers and sisters. His father, Josiah Franklin, who emigrated from Oxfordshire, England, worked as a soap boiler and tallow chandler. Benjamin’s mother, Abiah Folger, was from Nantucket but her family derived from England as well. Benjamin Franklin’s entire life, which lasted almost the entire eighteenth century, was based upon order and systematic discipline in addition to his dependence on wisdom and intelligence. Franklin was sincere, honest, and was apt to self-examination. He acquired long lasting friends from persons of every age. Franklin found unquestionable delight in living. Benjamin Franklin started attending school at the age of 8 and was at the head of his class by the end of his first year. After only attending his first school for one year he moved on to math and arithmetic school. He failed out of that school by the time he was 10. He then quit school completely in order to assist his father in the soap and candle making business. At age 12 he moved on to be an apprentice to his older brother James, who was a printer. Soon Franklin had ambitions to write and by age 16 he had written a series of letters by an imaginary author. The letters were printed in the New England Courant, which was published by his brother. Still pursuing his writing career, he ran away to Philadelphia and continued working...
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...Rebecca Williams 10/22/08 Benjamin Franklin’s Autobiography: a guide to wealth and success in colonial America By writing his Autobiography, Benjamin Franklin hoped to leave behind “the conducting means I made use of, which, with the blessing of God, so well succeeded, my Posterity may like to know, as they may find them suitable to their own situations, and therefore fit to be imitated” (pg. 1). Taking from his writing the principles he lived by and his personal attributes that benefitted him most, the book can be interpreted as a guide to success in colonial America. These principles and attributes are mainly a strong work ethic and determination, self-discipline, and desire for self-improvement. It is clear from the first lines of the Autobiography that Franklin displayed a strong work ethic throughout his entire. There are several instances throughout his Autobiography that indicate that he was never fully satisfied with settling for second best, but rather always strove to achieve the best. This characteristic was shown early on in life, when, at the age of 17, Franklin left his home town of Boston. Ending up in Philadelphia, “without the least recommendations or knowledge of any person in the place, and with very little money in my pocket” (pg.17), he relied solely on his determination and ability to work hard to make his way. Later in his Autobiography there is another mention of this characteristic. “I had on the whole abundant reason to be satisfied with my...
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...BENJAMIN FRANKLIN I. INTRODUCTION Benjamin Franklin was an exceptionally intelligent and gifted individual. He went from being a poor uneducated child into a wealthy intelligent man through his self improvement and determination. He was a scientist, diplomat, printer, writer and political philosopher. In the first part of his autobiography, he wrote to his son telling him about his family and wrote his life Story. He explained his experiences, struggles and accomplishments. Through out his life he worked on self improvement, he shared his own experience in hopes that his son and others would learn from it. He started his self improvement when he was a young teenager, by improving his writing skills. He was also inspired to work on his own character. He wrote the thirteen virtues to help improve his own character. Franklin established a group of people who wanted to improve there own character and help others. They were called Junto. II. BODY At an early age, Franklin worked as an apprenticeship in printing for his older brother James. He began on improving his writing skills. He would read articles and then try to rewrite and compare them. He would take an article or part of a book and put them into poetry. At age sixteen he published his first article in his brother’s newspaper anonymously. He did this because he knew his brother would not publish it if knew it was him. He then heard James friends praising the articles, which then Franklin told his...
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...Charlie Belanger American Lit 2510 Professor Jeffers 09/26/2011 Benjamin Franklin: Example for Humanity Benjamin Franklin once said, “Humility makes great men twice honorable.” In his renowned autobiography, Benjamin Franklin wrote about his life with a great deal of self-respect and pride, but at times, to the discretion of the reader, came across as an egotist. Rather than boasting about his accomplishments, Franklin gave readers a guide on how to become happy and successful, with him as the example for humanity. Not one soul, with the exception of Jesus Christ, in the history of civilization has proven perfect; it’s simply unfeasible. Benjamin Franklin strived to become as close to perfect as he could throughout his life. Continually obsessed with self-betterment, Franklin created an original list of twelve virtues to live by that are, in order: Temperance, Silence, Order, Resolution, Frugality, Industry, Sincerity, Justice, Moderation, Cleanliness, Tranquility, and Chastity. He set about creating a weekly plan by which he developed one virtue per week, eventually perfecting them all. He focused on one virtue per week, keeping track of his successes and failures in a small book he kept with him at all times. Spending a lifetime on trying to achieve the unachievable for self-betterment is truly praiseworthy. On the quest of achieving perfection, it is imperative to take in and utilize the advice of others. “But a Quaker Friend having kindly inform’d me that...
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...Benjamin Franklin begins his Autobiography by stating the reasons for writing it. He wished to share his life story with his son and tell him anecdotes about his ancestors. Since Franklin had grown up in a poor family, he wished to share his rags to riches story with others as they may be inspired to do better. Franklin knew he could not relive his life and in fact would not have changed much of it had he been given the opportunity to live it over, but he wished to relive those memories from his early life through his manuscript. Another reason was that, through writing, he would not bore people as he would have by telling his stories in person. And finally, he wrote it for himself to satisfy his own ego and sense of self-worth. The story of how the Benjamin Franklin Autobiography became published is a story in itself. It was intended as a private collection and not supposed to be made public. However, based on the number of copies made before he died, it is hard to believe that he did not intend for it to be seen by all. As the story is read, different views can be ascertained. This would depend on various reasons but my thoughts are that it is also self-promoting in some ways. As Franklin offers stories of his early life, he is offering evidence that anyone can make it if they strive to improve upon what they have accomplished thus far. The story of his ancestry and early years is an intriguing glimpse into the inner workings of the family during this period. The Autobiography...
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...age, the opportunity to move up through the social hierarchy seems to disappear. In Gordon S. Wood’s biography, The Americanization of Benjamin Franklin, he tells a unique story that allows us to take a deeper look into almost every social class of the 18th century. As Franklin makes his way through the social hierarchy, Gordon Wood paints a picture of what society was like and how it works around Franklin. Franklin portrays this hierarchy through his own work and his interactions with other members of society. Also as Franklin moves up the social ladder, Wood gives different perspectives from Franklin on his social standing and how he is a “self-made man”. From being a child of a lower-class family to becoming a huge influence on the Revolutionary War, Benjamin Franklin is one of the most interesting Founding Fathers. Starting with Franklin’s father, who has one of the lowliest jobs as a candle and soap maker, the social hierarchy begins at the bottom and with all of the artisan jobs that fall into that category. Franklin being the 15th of 17 children in the family shows that low class families were very large in size, making it very difficult for the youngest children of the family to gain any property or status. Primogeniture being the custom of the American colonies in the early 18th century makes it difficult for Ben Franklin to advance, putting him at a disadvantage. This disadvantage only helps to spark his desire to pursue knowledge and skill in writing Life long careers...
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...Ben Franklin January 17, 1706, is when ben franklin was born. He was known for finding out what electricity was. He found this out by tieing a key to a kate. Ben Franklin lived in a small house in boston. He lived with all his family members. When he was eight his dad sent him to grammar school. He was a lot older then most of the kids in this school. He finished with no problems and was way ahead of everyone else. When he started high school he finished in only one year. Ben had a very good early life with school. But he had started late.He did a lot with his life back then. Ben was a very good inventor and just a good all around person.He was a very good inventor he had invented a lot of good things in the past. He had invented the bifocals...
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...Ben Franklin Fallacies Paper One of the most important aspects of effective persuasion is avoiding being caught in the traps of logical fallacies. The word “fallacy” comes from Latin, meaning “deceit,” “trick,” or “fraud.” Although sometimes these types of errors are hard to catch, so learning to recognize logical fallacies can help to be a better writer, listener, student, and voter. Don’t be fooled by the twisted rhetoric of another. Likewise, you need to avoid misleading your own audience when you write persuasively. ("http://ksuweb.kennesaw.edu/ ," ) I would like to address some fallacies presented throughout Benjamin Franklin’s speech at the 1787 Constitution Convention. After a thorough review of the speech and the statements therein, I realized that the eloquence of Benjamin Franklin could frequently be mistaken for fallacy. So, it was a fairly challenging endeavor to distinguish fallacy from eloquent verbiage. To explain, the first fallacy I want to discuss is when Benjamin Franklin speaks on many men thinking they are infallible and “in possession of all truth”. He goes on to say “Steele, a protestant in a Dedication, tells the Pope that the only difference between our Churches in their opinions of the certainty of their doctrines is, the Church of Rome is infallible and the Church of England is never in the wrong.” This reference demonstrates the ethical fallacy Dogmatism because it shuts down discussion by asserting that the speaker's beliefs are the only...
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...i Study Guide for The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin by Benjamin Franklin T H E G L E N C O E L I T E R A T U R E L I B R A R Y The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin Study Guide 9 Copyright © by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. Benjamin thought that his older brother James was too hard on him, and they often fought. When his apprenticeship ended, Franklin went to Philadelphia. This city, far more than his birthplace of Boston, became Franklin’s home. In Philadelphia he established his own business and raised his family. After Franklin retired from business in 1748, he embarked on a new career as a civil servant. He served in the Pennsylvania Assembly and became deputy postmaster-general. Sent to England as a representative of the Assembly, he spent five years there. During that time, he made the acquaintance of statesmen and scientists alike. Years later, he returned to England and found himself caught up in the growing tension between the thirteen colonies and the British government. Franklin’s loyalties were divided. He felt affinities to the colonies and to King George II of England. When he could tolerate the British government’s policies toward the American colonies no longer, he sailed back to the colonies. By the time his ship arrived, the first battles of the American Revolution had already been fought. Franklin was chosen to serve on the Second Continental Congress, which, acting as the government for the colonies, declared independence...
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...Franklin’s Puritan Influence Ben Franklin help steer a path for equal rights for all Americans, and not only talked about these rights, but lead by example. Franklin was one of the Enlightenment movement’s assets, however, traces are still seen of the Puritan influence in Franklin’s writings and everyday life through his discipline, constant improvement of oneself, and religious duty. Franklin demonstrated discipline throughout his life by example he set in multiple jobs and with multiple friends. While employed in London he unlike all his other fellow employees chose not to partake in drinking beer on the job, primarily for saving money, also for the clearness of head while working. Franklin states, “I thought it a detestable Custom.” (Franklin,...
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...Franklin's Argument in "Remarks Concerning the Savages of North America” In Ben Franklin’s Remarks Concerning the Savages of North America, he expresses his views and opinions towards the white settlers and the Native Americans as ‘Savages’. He has used a fluctuating style of tone while writing this argument and this feature of his writing cannot be overlooked. His approach in expressing his views and perspective about the white settlers, as well as the Native Americans keeps the audience guessing who the real ‘savages’ are. Franklin really hit it on the head in this oppositional essay written in 1784. In this brilliant essay Franklin makes observations on how the society of Indians (mostly the six nations of the confederation of Iroquois tribes) differs from that of the white English in America, the main point of his essay being how the Indians are anything but savages. He makes a lot of interesting observations in this essay, first being when he compares the government in the Indian public councils to that of the British House of Commons. First, he talks about how in the Indian council when someone is to speak he rises while the others stay quiet and listen, then wait after he is done for him to recollect anything he has missed, for they see it as "highly indecent" to interrupt the speaker (Lawrence, 1961). Then, he talks about how in the British House of Commons people talk over each other so much that frequently the speaker has to call the house to order. He goes further...
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...THE GOOD LIFE Lessons from Ben Franklin’s 13 Virtues WHY THIS TOPIC? ● ● Ben Franklin created these 13 virtues at the age of 20 (!) and practiced them most of his life. He focused on one per week I love the diversity and simplicity of his virtues. They cover large and small aspects of the good life :) WHO’S THE AUTHOR? Franklin is a fascinating historical figure: a Founding Father and Renaissance Man (scientist, journalist, businessman, statesman), he was well-respected and enormously influential in his time; his writings, teachings, and discoveries deeply improved our lives. WHAT’S IT ABOUT? Franklin always carried a booklet with these 13 virtues. Each time he disobeyed a virtue, he’d mark it in his booklet. Since he focused on one virtue per week, he’d complete 4 cycles each year (13 virtues, 52 weeks). Here’s my (loose) interpretation of his virtues: 1. Temperance. Don't overeat or overdrink 2. Silence. Speak only when you have something good to say 3. Order. Organize your life; pay attention to ALL aspects of your work 4. Resolution. Always do what you say you'll do 5. Frugality. Spend little and spend wisely 6. Industry. Use your time wisely; stop doing wasteful things 7. Sincerity. Don't lie; be honest and fair 8. Justice. Don't harm others or ignore your obligations to them 9. Moderation. Avoid extremes; don't hold grudges 10. Cleanliness. Regularly clean your body, your clothes, and your home 11. Tranquillity. Don't get upset at small or...
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