Hius 221 - the Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin

The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin

Geannie Sanders

HIUS 221

April 9, 2012

Benjamin Franklin was a very interesting person. During his lifetime, he was the epitome of what a man should have been. Though was a man of many talents, he mostly honored family, virtue, honesty and character. His autobiography is a pleasant read. He begins by telling his son how he was inspired to write about his life because he had an interest in reading about his ancestors. He recalls his life's ups and down and the lessons he acquired from those experiences. He describes the importance of and his journey through self-improvement. This is important because the entire autobiography is based on how he evolved into a person he was proud to be.

Benjamin Franklin was one of seventeen children. His father dedicated Benjamin to the church as a tithe of his sons (Franklin 1771, 8). The influence of the church played a major role in the person he became because he continuously worked on becoming a good person. In Proverbs 22:6 the Bible says "Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it." Benjamin Franklin was living proof of this verse. Franklin enjoyed reading so much; he would borrow books from wherever he could. He would save up all his money to buy books as a child. At the age of fifteen, he encountered books that questioned his religious beliefs (Franklin 1771, 53). It was the first time he doubted what he had learned as a child. Through his readings, he eventually decided to become a Deist.

Throughout the autobiography Franklin displays several writing patterns. One of the things he continuously wrote about was the mistakes he made. It is important to recall the mistakes he recounts while reading the autobiography because he later describes how he corrected the mistake. A friend of Franklin's brother named Vernon lent him 30 pounds. This was to be an investment and was to be repaid later. Benjamin writes about how using that money was a mistake in his life (Franklin 1771, 32). He later describes how he corrected the mistake by paying off with interest (Franklin 1771, 59). He writes to his son about how during his engagement to his mother he left for London and only wrote once (Franklin 1771, 40). He returned to Philadelphia to find his fiancé divorced from another marriage. He was still interested in her and corrects the mistake by marrying her (Franklin 1771, 65). These are only a couple examples of how he lived to correct his mistakes.

Franklin had many friends throughout his life. Some such as John Collins and Hugh Meredith took advantage of him and lost their friendships with Benjamin mostly due to owing him money and drinking too much. Other friends of his truly appreciated his character. He always seemed to have a friend when he needed one. He opened a