Benjamin Franklin:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=
LPh-On4vQpQ&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0
I044I8LdE0&feature=related
Walter Isaacson: "Benjamin Franklin:
An American Life"
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EpNcBBi4gFo&feature=
related
• In this University of Pennsylvania program, Walter Isaacson,
president and CEO of the Aspen Institute, discusses the life
of one of Americas most influential figures: Benjamin
Franklin. In his recent book, "Benjamin Franklin: An
American Life," Isaacson reveals the personal life of
Benjamin Franklin and all the intricate details of this
revolutionary leaders life that have made him unique
among a group of leaders. The presentation was given at
the School of Arts and Sciences at the University of
Pennsylvania.
10 Things You Didn't Know About:
Benjamin Franklin
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RHMIYVA
2x0k
• A noted polymath:
• A polymath – Greek "having learned much” , sometimes referred to as a
Renaissance man, is a person whose expertise spans a significant number of
different subject areas.
– Leading author - printer – Satirist
• the Junto; The Pennsylvania Gazette; Poor Richard's Almanac; aphorism
– Political theorist – Statesman – Diplomat - Politician
• Franklin was foundational in defining the American ethos as a marriage of the
practical and democratic values of thrift, hard work, education, community
spirit, self-governing institutions, and opposition to authoritarianism both
political and religious, with the scientific and tolerant values of the
Enlightenment
• Franklin earned the title of "The First American" for his early and indefatigable
campaigning for colonial unity; as an author and spokesman in London for
several colonies, then as the first United States Ambassador to France, he
exemplified the emerging American nation.
– Postmaster – Abolitionist - Scientist - Inventor
• he was a major figure in the American Enlightenment and the history of physics
for his discoveries and theories regarding electricity.
• He invented the lightning rod, bifocals, the Franklin stove, a carriage
odometer, swim fins, and the glass Armonica.
– Civic activist
• He formed both the first public lending library in America and the first fire
department in Pennsylvania, and the first Hospital.
Franklin’s Favorite Invention: The Glass
Armonica
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8D9BBMD
WoNM
What Franklin Represents
• In the words of historian Henry Steele
Commager, "In a Franklin could be merged the
virtues of Puritanism without its defects, the
illumination of the Enlightenment without its
heat.”
• To Walter Isaacson, this makes Franklin "the
most accomplished American of his age and the
most influential in inventing the type of society
America would become."
The Autobiography
• It was not written in a continuous stretch, but rather
pasted together out of separate fragments that were
written years apart from one another; often, the
author could not remember what he had even written
in the previous sections.
• The work often takes an arrogant, condescending tone,
yet it praises the virtue of humility. But Franklin's use
of humor and his attempts to poke fun at himself so as
to not seem arrogant.
• And perhaps most egregious of all, the part of Ben's life
with the most historical significance--the American
Revolution--is entirely omitted from the work.
• Franklin's style is predominantly didactic as
the Autobiography is intended to be read
partly as a self- help manual.
• Franklin contributed to the development of
journalism as type of writing that presents the
facts in the order of most important to least
important, using as few words as are
necessary.
The American Dream
• Franklin shows from a sociological standpoint the
possibilities for economic mobility in colonial America.
• Franklin himself arrived in Philadelphia at 17 years old
without a penny to his name, and from those
beginnings he worked his way up to being a successful
printer, a talented inventor and a Founding Father of
America.
• Second, Franklin's idealism and faith in the betterment
of mankind, as well as his Deism and utilitarianism,
places him intellectually in the Age of Reason, a time
when people often believed optimistically that the
world and man could be perfected through science.
• Religion was also questioned during this age, and that
questioning manifests itself in Franklin's philosophy.
• Franklin's creation of the Junto is a testament to his
interest in the importance of debate, another 18th
century intellectual ideal.
• Third, Franklin shows us how people went about their
day to day lives in the 1700s.
• While this isn't a major thrust of the book, we learn
about the way apprenticeships worked and how the
government operated in the colonies, among a variety
of other glimpses into 18th century life.
The American Dream
• When we think of the American Dream today-the ability to rise from rags to riches through
hard work--we are usually thinking of the
model set forth by Franklin in this
autobiography.
• Known today as "The Autobiography of Benjamin
Franklin," this classic piece of Americana was originally
written for Franklin's son William, then the Governor of
New Jersey.
– The Autobiography remains a classic for historical reasons.
– The work was one of the premier autobiographies in the
English language.
– The autobiography as a literary form had not emerged at the
time Franklin lived, at least not in non-religious format.
– His autobiography defined a secular literary tradition; he
established the autobiography as a work that is meant to not
only tell about a person's own life but also to educate the
reader in ways to better live life.
– It also helped spawn the genre of the mainstream self-help
book.
The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin
• The work portrays a fascinating picture of life in
Philadelphia, as well as Franklin's shrewd observations
on the literature, philosophy and religion of America's
Colonial and Revolutionary periods.
• Franklin wrote the first five chapters of his
autobiography in England in 1771, resumed again
thirteen years later (1784-85) in Paris and later in 1788
when he returned to the United States.
• Franklin ends the account of his life in 1757 when he
was 51 years old
The Autobiography
• tells us today what life was like in
18th century America.
• In an age when literacy was low
and writing not widespread, any
surviving documents are of value
to historians who wish to learn
how people lived from day to day.
• A reflection of 18th century
idealism.
• Often called the Age of Reason,
the 18th century was the age of
men such as John Locke and Isaac
Newton.
• Intellectualism flourished
along with scientific inventions
and advances in political
thought.
•
Many people held to the
optimistic belief that man
could be perfected through
scientific and political
progress.
•
Franklin ascribes to these
beliefs partially, and Part Two
of the Autobiography shows
him trying to live them out.
• Benjamin Franklin - The author and protagonist
of the Autobiography; he writes the work
ostensibly to tell his son about his life and to
provide a model of self-betterment for anyone
interested.
• Born into a modest Boston family, Franklin moved
to Philadelphia in his late teens and eventually
opened up his own newspaper, The Pennsylvania
Gazette.
• The Autobiography tells of the major events of his
life and many of his important scientific and
political ideas, but the work does not discuss the
American Revolution, in which Franklin was a
major participant.
Part 1
• Tells us his reasons for writing the
Autobiography, saying that since you
can't live your life over again, the next
best thing is to recapture it by writing
it down.
• The governor, Sir William Keith, offers
to set Franklin up on his own as a
printer and sends him to England to
get supplies.
•
He describes his early life in Boston,
his love for reading, and his job
training.
• Once in England, though, Franklin
finds out that Keith's a liar and a cheat
– and he's stuck in London without
money or a way to get back to
America.
•
Franklin apprentices as a printer to
his brother James, but he hates
working for him, and runs away to
Philadelphia at age sixteen.
• Franklin works hard at Watts' printing
shop, learns about his craft, and
makes some important connections.
• In Philadelphia, Franklin begins
working for a printer named Keimer.
•
After he saves up enough money, he
returns to America with his friend Mr.
Denham, who's offered him a job.
Dedicated to William…
• William Franklin - Benjamin's son
and royal governor of New Jersey
in 1771 when Ben begins writing
the work.
• Begins the Autobiography as a
letter to William with the intent of
telling him about his life.
• Opens with a salutation to William
Franklin who at the time was the
royal governor of New Jersey.
•
Franklin is writing in the summer
of 1771 on vacation in a small
town about 50 miles south of
London.
• Franklin says that because his son
may wish to know about his life,
he is taking his one week vacation
in the English countryside to
record his past.
• Franklin says that he has enjoyed
his life and would like to repeat it,
although he would like to correct
some small errors if the
opportunity arose - But since
Franklin cannot repeat life, he can
instead recollect it.
• He thanks God for allowing him to
live a good life.
Part 1
• Franklin recounts some of his
family's ancestry.
• He has been the youngest son of a
youngest son for five generations,
although Franklin does have two
younger sisters.
•
He tells of his grandfather and
uncles, and he includes some
poetry from his well respected
uncle Benjamin, the man after
whom he was named.
• The Franklins have always been an
active clan; they were involved
very early on in the Reformation in
Europe…
• He discusses his parents.
• His father, Josiah Franklin, moved
from England to America in 1682
with his wife and three children.
• He had four more children with
that wife, and ten more children
with Abiah, whom Josiah married
after his first wife died.
•
Ben himself, the 15th of 17
children, was born in Boston on
January 17, 1706.
Part 1: Self-Betterment
• The opening part of the
Autobiography addresses some
themes that will come up later
on in the book, namely, selfbetterment and religion.
• Franklin's tone at the beginning
of the book is humble and
indicative of a belief in
utilitarianism.
• He claims to write only so that
his own life may be an example
for his son of how one can live
well and how one can get
through hardships.
• Franklin's book, a story of selfbetterment, is written so as to
be a model for the betterment
of others.
•
This general motive for writing,
as well as Franklin's mention of
correcting some errors were he
to relive his life, both indicate
Franklin's constant interest in
self-improvement.
• This is perhaps the largest
theme in the Autobiography; it
dominates Part Two and recurs
often in Part One.
The Autiobiography
• The work portrays a fascinating picture of life in
Philadelphia, as well as Franklin's shrewd observations
on the literature, philosophy and religion of America's
Colonial and Revolutionary periods.
• Franklin wrote the first five chapters of his
autobiography in England in 1771, resumed again
thirteen years later (1784-85) in Paris and later in 1788
when he returned to the United States.
• Franklin ends the account of his life in 1757 when he
was 51 years old
Thirteen Virtues
•
Franklin sought to cultivate his character by a plan of thirteen virtues, which he
developed at age 20 (in 1726) and continued to practice in some form for the rest of his
life. His autobiography lists his thirteen virtues as:
•
•
•
1. "Temperance. Eat not to dullness; drink not to elevation."
2. "Silence. Speak not but what may benefit others or yourself; avoid trifling conversation."
3. "Order. Let all your things have their places; let each part of your business have its
time."
4. "Resolution. Resolve to perform what you ought; perform without fail what you
resolve."
5. "Frugality. Make no expense but to do good to others or yourself; i.e., waste nothing."
6. "Industry. Lose no time; be always employ'd in something useful; cut off all unnecessary
actions."
7. "Sincerity. Use no hurtful deceit; think innocently and justly, and, if you speak, speak
accordingly."
8. "Justice. Wrong none by doing injuries, or omitting the benefits that are your duty."
9."Moderation. Avoid extremes; forbear resenting injuries so much as you think they
deserve."
10. "Cleanliness. Tolerate no uncleanliness in body, cloaths, or habitation."
11."Tranquility. Be not disturbed at trifles, or at accidents common or unavoidable."
12."Chastity. Rarely use venery but for health or offspring, never to dullness, weakness, or
the injury of your own or another's peace or reputation."
13."Humility. Imitate Jesus and Socrates."
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Thirteen Virtues
• Franklin did not try to work on them all at once.
Instead, he would work on one and only one each week
"leaving all others to their ordinary chance".
• While Franklin did not live completely by his virtues and
by his own admission, he fell short of them many times,
he believed the attempt made him a better man
contributing greatly to his success and happiness,
which is why in his autobiography, he devoted more
pages to this plan than to any other single point; in his
autobiography Franklin wrote, "I hope, therefore, that
some of my descendants may follow the example and
reap the benefit."
• Satire and Revenge:
– His use of Keimer to show his own virtue is particularly interesting because
Keimer holds a position of authority over Franklin; he is Franklin's boss.
– Franklin, as we know, does not think much of Keimer as a printer, and so
criticizing Keimer in the Autobiography is a means of getting revenge on Keimer
for all time.
– Many literary critics have often thought of Franklin's Autobiography as a
prototypical revenge narrative.
– The book itself outlines all the ways in which Franklin rises up to become better
than the people who were superior to him earlier on in life.
– He writes about his conflicts with his brother who thought himself superior,
and so as a means of getting revenge Franklin goes to Philadelphia and ends up
printing the most successful newspaper in Philadelphia if not the New World.
– Franklin gets revenge on all the Royal Governors who looked down on him by
becoming a great political figure himself and condemning them in his book.
He gets revenge on John Collins by forever
immortalizing him as a drunk who never
achieved close to what Franklin achieved
because Collins had no work ethic.
Franklin even admits to a type of "aristocracy
worship" when he discusses how pleased he
was and how special he thought it was to
meet the New World Governors and see them
take an interest in him.
The Autobiography
• Franklin carried that style
into his newspaper writing,
and it has survived there
right up into the present.
• Franklin played a major role
in developing journalism as a
terse form of writing, always
sticking to the point.
• Pragmatism:
– Furthermore, he always finds
the shortest way to express
any particular thought, a fact
that is evidenced by his prolific
coinage of aphorisms.
• Its accessibility may be
another reason for the
enduring popularity of
Franklin's Autobiography; as
an 18th-century work, it is
certainly among the most
easily read and understood.
Part 2
• In Part Two, the work begins to address an
audience specifically interested in selfimprovement.
• Part Two has a particularly didactic tone
because it is designed to educate using
Franklin himself as a model.
Moral Perfection – part 2
• Franklin's mention of his goal of achieving "Moral
Perfection" is meant to be humorous.
• Franklin is stating in a tongue-in-cheek fashion that he
does not think man can really be perfected, and he is
mocking the 18th-century optimism that promoted the
belief in the perfectibility of man.
• In one sense, Franklin may also be mocking his own
youthful idealism.
• Franklin enjoys being ironic and humorous throughout the
biography, and this is one of the times in which he does so
Part 2 and the Criticism of Franklin’s Pride
• At the end of Part Two, we
see Franklin again struggling
with the issue of his own
vanity.
– he is more than willing to
confess that he could never
quell his pride, even though he
did his best to feign humility.
• Nevertheless, the very act of
publishing an autobiography
in order to lay out one's life
as a model is itself a vain act.
• This is one of the more
common criticisms of
Franklin.
• Many have argued that he is
too hypocritical in his overt
praise of humility.
• Other critics, however, have
been unfazed by this
apparent contradiction.
• Either way, Franklin himself is
clearly aware of the humility
vs. pride problem, and there
are times in the
Autobiography when he is
obviously confessing his own
faults so as to be honest.
Part 3
• Part Three changes tone once again, detailing the
events of Franklin's life not so much as highlighting all
his major accomplishments so as to enshrine him.
• The later pages of Part Three seem to be devoted
particularly to Franklin's contemporaries who are
interested in the details of American history before the
Revolution.
• Franklin's tone reflects the purpose of accounting for
the major events of history as Franklin witnessed them
and took part in them.
Part 3
• Part 3 picks up five years
later, with Franklin in
Philadelphia.
• He writes Poor Richard's
Almanac; it and his
newspaper, the Pennsylvania
Gazette, are really successful.
• Franklin's club, the Junto,
gets bigger and founds the
first American fire
department.
• The Role of Religion:
– Franklin develops his ideas
about religion in two
encounters with preachers,
both of whom he likes:
• The first, Samuel Hemphill,
advocates virtue.
• The second, George Whitefield,
is a great traveling preacher
who, Franklin says, has amazing
rhetoric.
Part 3
• Franklin is writing Part Three
from his home in America….
August 1788, about four years
after ceasing work on Part Two
and 17 years after completing
Part One.
• Political Greatness:
– Franklin in 1731, begins a project
"great and extensive" to create a
new political party with
international appeal.
– He writes a note outlining his
political beliefs as they relate to
parties, which he believes carry
on and effect "wars, revolutions,
etc."
– He thinks that someone ought to
found a international Party for
Virtue, open only to the wise.
• The Party for Virtue:
– Franklin begins forming this party
by preparing a condensed set of the
essential principles of every major
religion (it includes such basics as
the existence of God, the power of
God and the immortality of the
soul).
– All the people in the Party for
Virtue would have to subscribe to
the thirteen virtues from Part Two
as well as these religious principles,
and they would each have to form a
plan for helping mankind.
• However, due to constraints of
time and the necessity to focus
on other issues, his ideas for
such a party were abandoned.
Poor Richard's Almanac
• In 1732, Franklin begins Poor
Richard's Almanac, a
publication that lasts 25 years.
• He uses parts of his newspaper,
The Pennsylvania Gazette, to
the same educational purpose.
• Its purpose: "both entertaining
and useful."
• The paper, with its circulation of
1,500, comprises over half of
Franklin's income.
• He also wants something to
instruct "the common people,"
which he does via his many
aphorisms.
– An aphorism (literally
"distinction" or "definition", from
the Greek, "from/to bound") is an
original thought, spoken or
written in a laconic and
memorable form.
• He makes sure at all time to
keep the paper free from libel
and abuse, and he never allows
private arguments to make
their way into his presses.
• Franklin's discussion of Poor Richard's Almanac is
oftentimes regarded as overly arrogant because of
Franklin's reference to his desire to educate the
"common people." :
– for the first part of his life, one of the "common people“
– He was not born into any natural aristocracy
– all the good repute he gained he did so through luck and
his own hard work.
– But he seems distanced as a young man from the roots
from which he emerged.
– While he does not seem to condemn common folk, he
certainly looks down on them from an educated perch
he himself has not known for a very long period of time.
Book 3
• Most mythologization of
Franklin:
– discusses most of his
common inventions that we
have always associated with
him:
• --the discovery of electricity in
lightning, the invention of the
fire brigade, the work as
Postmaster General, the
funding of a hospital, the
organization of a streetsweeping force…
• The Legend, the Myth, the
Man:
– The Autobiography is still
read today in part because it
enshrines Franklin as an
American legend who is
responsible for many
improvements in American
life that we today take for
granted.
• Style and Purpose:
– concise
– usually only discusses important events without writing
tangentially.
– seems to gloss over the death of his son without giving it
any real attention.
– He does not discuss his emotions or circumstances any more
than to tell other parents that they ought to deliver
inoculations to their children.
– He is very concerned about his growth in the public sphere
rather than the circumstances of his own private life.
– He is writing to solidify his image and the memory of him as
a great public figure rather than as a great father.
– His initial goal of writing a personal, private memoir to his
son, as he initially seems to have set out to do, has been laid
aside.
Whereas Part One was directed towards people interested in the
details of Franklin's personal life, and whereas Part Two was aimed at
those seeking self-improvement advice, Part Three seems more
interested in enshrining Franklin as an early American hero
responsible for so many life improvements.
• Early on - Franklin stresses
again that his ideas of virtue are
not meant to be adopted
simply for moral reasons but
rather for utilitarian benefits.
• The tone becomes less personal
in Part Three as Franklin
focuses less on the year-toyear events in which he is
engaged and more in general
activities of which he is a part.
• Franklin tries to make the case
that living virtuously makes life
easier and more enjoyable.
•
• Part Three of the
Autobiography in general takes
a different tone from the first
two parts.
In particular, Franklin spends
much time here recounting the
events of the French and Indian
War as he took part in them.
• Franklin also uses Part Three to prove how well
rounded he is:
– emphasizes that he was a part of the military as though
to ensure the reader that he took part in all manner of
services towards his country.
– While Franklin did not see much action, he does point
out his promotions and successes in the armed forces
while foreshadowing of course the growing strength and
independence of the colonists and the arrogance of the
British.