The Autobiography af Benjnmin Franklin tells about the life of Benjamin Franklin, known as a political leader in the early United States, and is often referred to as the “First American“. The book discusses the main events of his life and his ideals, as well as some of the events happening at the time. The book is also seen by many literary critics as the prototypical self-help book, as well as telling the story of the classic American Dream. The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin is a truly unique book because while it tells the life story of an American legend, it also tells the story of someone achieving the classic American Dream, details the lifestyle of someone living in Colonial America, and tells of their struggles with the English, and it serves as a guide on better living.
The Autobiography had several recurring themes; one of these themes was self-improvement. Franklin was borderline obsessed with being the perfect human being. As a youngster, he read and studied the styles of acclaimed writers, and he would try to imitate their style to make himself a better writer. As he grew older, he came up with a list of 13 virtues: Temperance, Silence, Order, Resolution, Frugality, Industry, Sincerity, Justice, Moderation, Cleanliness, Tranquility, Chastity, and Humility. He practiced one of these every week hoping to master them all. He admits that his efforts were in vain; but, even though he did not achieve every virtue, he stated in the Autobiography that he was happier after trying to achieve the virtues. While it can be argued that he shouldn’t have bothered trying to be perfect because nobody is perfect, striving for perfection made him a happier person, so it did have some benefits.
Benjamin Franklin, the Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin, the virtue he struggled with most was humility; he would often contradict himself by boasting about his humility, then saying that he didn‘t have much humility because he boasted about it. Someone could say that because he recognised his vanity he wasn’t excessively vain, but 1 thinks that that recognition made up for anything; he still talked highly about everything he did. Another theme in the Autobiography ofBenjamin Franklin is the American Dream. The classic American Dream is the dream that a common person has the chance to rise up from nothing and be significant. Benjamin Franklin is the first known person to live the American Dream, and he is the first to record it. The Autobiography shows the possibilities of life in Colonial America and that the American Dream can be achieved through a solid work ethic and determination.
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This book illustrated the perfect example of what most colonists wanted when they came to America. Something that I thought was strange was the fact that he didn’t mention anything about the Revolution. The Revolution was a major part of the time period, and Benjamin Franklin played a major part in it; this would cause the reader to think that he would mention it a little bit. Overall, The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin is a very unique piece of literature. It exemplified the achievement of the American Dream, served as a guide, and told the story of one of the United States’ founding fathers, Benjamin Franklin. It illustrates his life, his ideals, and it gives people today an idea of what Colonial America was like. The Autobiography does this while discussing the themes of self-improvement, the American Dream, and vanity. People of any background, whether they have any interest in American History or not, can learn valuable information from this book.
