benjamin franklin way of wealth

Benjamin Franklins known to most people as an inventor and scientist, possibly even as a politician. Most people probably are not aware of are Franklin’s contributions to the literary world. His one of a kind views and intellect provided his generation and ours with a different perspective on society and political events. In his writing “The Way of Wealth” Franklin showed how he was able to step outside the common “norm” to share his unique perspective on wealth and spending.
In “The Way of Wealth” Franklin explores the topic of wealth and how to achieve it. In his generation it was common amongst the upper classes to flaunt their wealth through their purchases, and most of them lived a very lavish lifestyle. It was not considered appropriate for someone with wealth to live humbly while saving money. Many went into great debt to support their lifestyle. Franklin went against this tradition and extolled the virtue of preserving and investing wisely.
Franklin created a fictional character that he called Poor Richard, who wrote helpful tips in Poor Richard’s Almanac. In it Franklin emphasized the need for society to control their spending and maintain their wealth. The Way to Wealth is written from the perspective of the humorous Poor Richard who was quoting a so-called reader of his work name Father Abraham. By using a secondary source that was praising the wisdom of Poor Richard, Franklin was lending an element of validity and importance to his work.
Benjamin Franklin also felt that too many people were focused on buying items that were not necessary. Father Abraham tells his audience that going into debt is like giving control of your lie over to another: “think what you do when you run in debt; you give to another power over your Liberty.” This is a very comparable problem in modern society. Many people today still have the problem of going into debt to live a certain lifestyle. We have mixed up our priorities and confused necessities with luxury.
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