1. What elements of Franklin’s family tradition and upbringing help partially to explain the man’s later versatility and achievements? 2. How did Benjamin try to improve himself while he was still an indentured apprentice? 3. What personal qualities besides charm seem most evident in Franklin during his journey to Philadelphia? […]
Read more Study Help Essay QuestionsCritical Essays Critical Opinions of The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin
No man has shed such copious good influence on America; none added so much new truth to the popular knowledge; none has so skillfully organized its ideas into institutions; none has so powerfully and wisely directed the nation’s conduct, and advanced its welfare in so many respects. No man now […]
Read more Critical Essays Critical Opinions of The Autobiography of Benjamin FranklinCritical Essays Franklin and the Spirit of Capitalism
Representative of the suspicion and occasional hostility with which the twentieth century has sometimes regarded Benjamin Franklin is Max Weber’s treatment of him in his classic The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism. In this study Weber argues that a capitalistic economic system depends on the unnatural inclination of […]
Read more Critical Essays Franklin and the Spirit of CapitalismCritical Essays Franklin and the American Dream
Franklin’s works written to instruct or improve the public — of which the Autobiography is best-known — all rest on assumptions about the possibilities open to the individual, which have come to be called “the American dream.” The essence of the dream is that any man can earn prosperity, economic […]
Read more Critical Essays Franklin and the American DreamCritical Essays Franklin’s Humor
Franklin’s humor is so different from that which students may be used to that they are sometimes baffled when teachers speak glowingly of the humor suffusing the Autobiography. While certainly present, the humor is marked by understatement and irony, modes of speech most effective when elaborate social rituals define “polite” […]
Read more Critical Essays Franklin’s HumorCritical Essays Franklin’s Writing Style
Franklin believed that good writing was smooth, clear, and short. It is an amusing commentary on the lesser talents of his critics that they have needed so many words — “simple,” “clear,” “terse,” “limpid,” “economical,” “plain,” etc. — to say that Franklin’s prose met his personal criteria. The simplicity of […]
Read more Critical Essays Franklin’s Writing StyleSummary and Analysis Part 4: Section 18 – Assembly Agent in England
Summary Franklin’s first step as Assembly Agent was to visit Dr. Fothergill, who advised him to approach the Pennsylvania Proprietors before complaining about them to the government. A Virginia merchant introduced Franklin to Lord Granville, President of the King’s Council, who informed him that the King’s instructions to the governors […]
Read more Summary and Analysis Part 4: Section 18 – Assembly Agent in EnglandSummary and Analysis Part 3: Section 17 – Trouble with Loudoun
Summary Finding Governor Denny like his predecessors, the Assembly appointed Franklin their representative to petition the King about tax grievances. Franklin was prepared to sail from New York when Lord Loudoun arrived at Philadelphia to arrange a compromise between the Governor and the Assembly. Having heard all arguments on both […]
Read more Summary and Analysis Part 3: Section 17 – Trouble with LoudounSummary and Analysis Part 3: Section 16 – The Military Leader and Scientist
Summary Franklin had scarcely got his fort supplied and the frontier farms protected when the Governor recalled him to the Assembly. On his way, he rested at Bethlehem, though he could hardly sleep in a comfortable bed any more. While there, he asked about Moravian customs and was told of […]
Read more Summary and Analysis Part 3: Section 16 – The Military Leader and ScientistSummary and Analysis Part 3: Section 15 – General Braddock and Preparations for War
Summary England would not permit the Colonies to unite and defend themselves, preferring to send English troops instead. When General Braddock and two English regiments landed in Virginia, the Pennsylvania Assembly sent Franklin, as Postmaster General, to confer with Braddock about sending dispatches and to tactfully change the General’s reported […]
Read more Summary and Analysis Part 3: Section 15 – General Braddock and Preparations for War