English 11 Literature #6

Mr. Rinka

Benjamin Franklin

Biography

Benjamin Franklin

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benjamin_Franklin

http://quietube2.com/v.php/http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ptb9koYCom0&feature=related

Join, or Die: This political cartoon by Franklin urged the colonies to join together during the French and Indian War.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benjamin_Franklin

from The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Autobiography_of_Benjamin_Franklin

from The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Autobiography_of_Benjamin_Franklin

The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin is the unfinished record of his own life from 1771 to 1790.

Franklin appears to have called the work his Memoirs.

from The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Autobiography_of_Benjamin_Franklin

One of the most famous examples of an autobiography ever written.

Franklin's autobiography is divided into four parts, reflecting the different periods at which he wrote them.

Part Onehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Autobiography_of_Benjamin_

Franklin

Part One is addressed to Franklin's son William in 1771.

William is the Royal Governor of New Jersey.

Franklin is in England at the estate of the Bishop of St Asaph in Twyford.

Part OneFranklin is 65 year old.

He begins by saying that it may be agreeable to his son to know some of the incidents of his father's life; so with a week's uninterrupted leisure, he is beginning to write them down for him.

Part TwoPart Two begins with two letters Franklin received in the early 1780s while in Paris which encouraged him to continue the Autobiography.

There had been a break with his son William after the writing of Part One.

Part TwoFranklin sided with the Revolutionaries and William had remained a loyalist.

In 1784 at Passy, a suburb of Paris, Franklin begins Part Two which gives a more detailed account of his public library plan.

Part Two

He then discusses his "bold and arduous Project of arriving at moral Perfection", listing thirteen virtues he wishes to perfect in himself.

Part ThreeIn August 1788 Franklin returns to Philadelphia and continues writing.He says he will not be able to utilize his papers as much as he had hoped since many were lost in the War. He has, however, found and uses a couple of his writings from the 1730s.

Part Four

This part was written between November 1789 and Franklin's death on April 17, 1790. This section is very brief.

from The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin

http://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/148/pg148.html

The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin

from The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin

Why did Franklin find it difficult to live a perfectly moral life?

While my care was employ'd in guarding against one fault, I was often surprised by another; habit took the advantage of inattention;…

I concluded, at length, that the mere speculative conviction that it was our interest to be completely virtuous, was not sufficient to prevent our slipping; and that the contrary habits must be broken, and good ones acquired and established,

What process would he employ to conquer the list of 13 virtues?

I judg'd it would be well not to distract my attention by attempting the whole at once, but to fix it on one of them at a time; and, when I should be master of that, then to proceed to another, and so on,

Under which virtue would you find the opposite of the following bad habits?

Lying to a friendThrowing away extra foodTalking about another personWorking two tasks at a timeNot completing a task on time

Lying to a friendsincerityThrowing away extra foodfrugalityTalking about another personsilenceWorking two tasks at a timeorderNot completing a task on timeresolve

What virtue gave Franklin the most trouble?

My scheme of ORDER gave me the most trouble; and I found that, tho' it might be practicable where a man's business was such as to leave him the disposition of his time, that of a journeyman printer, for instance

it was not possible to be exactly observed by a master, who must mix with the world, and often receive people of business at their own hours. Order, too, with regard to places for things, papers, etc., I found extreamly difficult to acquire. I had not been early accustomed to it,

and, having an exceeding good memory, I was not so sensible of the inconvenience attending want of method.

What was conclusion did Franklin come to in regards to acquiring a perfect character?

…such extream nicety as I exacted of myself might be a kind of foppery in morals, which, if it were known, would make me ridiculous; that a perfect character might be

attended with the inconvenience of being envied and hated; and that a benevolent man should allow a few faults in himself, to keep his friends in countenance.

What were Franklin’s thoughts on aiming for perfection?

tho' I never arrived at the perfection I had been so ambitious of obtaining, but fell far short of it, yet I was, by the endeavour, a better and a happier man than I otherwise should have been if I had not attempted it; as

those who aim at perfect writing by imitating the engraved copies, tho' they never reach the wish'd-for excellence of those copies, their hand is mended by the endeavor, and is tolerable while it continues fair and legible.

from Poor Richard’s Almanac

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poor_Richard's_Almanack

Poor Richard's Almanac was a yearly almanac published by Benjamin Franklin, who adopted the pseudonym of "Poor Richard" or "Richard Saunders" for this purpose. The publication appeared yearly from 1732 to 1758.

Almanacs were very popular in colonial America with people using them for the mixture of seasonal weather forecasts, practical household hints, puzzles, and other amusement. The Almanac contained calendars, weather forecasts, poems, sayings and astronomical and astrological

information for the year. Franklin also included mathematical exercises as well as his famous aphorisms and proverbs, many of which live on in American English. These maxims were based on his strong feelings for virtue, hard work and politeness “seasoned with a dash” of cynicism.

from Poor Richard’s Almanac

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poor_Richard's_Almanack

http://quietube2.com/v.php/http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WHQo6l2n3Cw

from Poor Richard’s Almanac

What makes short proverbs and aphorisms so effective?

They allow for quick understanding without a lot of reading.

They are easy to remember.

They appeal to the common man yet contain great wisdom.

They allow the reader to think about and discover the meaning.

They are often clever, witty and occasionally cynical.

Discussion

In a Socratic Seminar discuss the following entries from the video.

Ben Franklin Proverbs

Journal #9: In your journals create three original wise quotes from your own personal experiences.

Additional Assignment #1

Read the Introduction to Benjamin Franklin’s Poor Richard’s Almanac.

Introduction to Poor Richard

Additional Assignment #2

Read about Noah Webster and his influence on American language and education.

Noah Webster

English 11 Literature #6

Mr. Rinka

Benjamin Franklin