Benjamin Franklin's Life And Accomplishments

Benjamin Franklin, one of the Founding Fathers of the United States, is known for his extensive list of accomplishments, including politician, printer, scientist, musician, inventor, and diplomat. He has always been proud of his working class roots after growing up in a poor family. He involves himself with public affairs and causes aimed at improving the lives of others. However, Benjamin Franklin is in no way perfect. He often manipulates people to get what he wants and becomes narcissistic later in life. He establishes myths in his Autobiography that represent American society. Although Franklin believes that he can spin the truth to achieve his goals to be more respected by society, he feels stronger about the idea that determination will lead to success and the admiration of the public.
By over exaggerating
stories from his childhood and adulthood, Franklin gains respect from society by achieving his dreams. He uses his Autobiography as a tool to retell stories from his childhood to make readers perceive him as a brilliant kid well beyond his years. According to Franklin, as a child he makes a proposal to “build a wharf there fit for us to stand upon, and I showed my comrades a large heap of stones…when the workmen were gone, I assembled a number of my play-fellows, and working them diligently like so many ants, sometimes two or three to a stone, we brought them all away and built our little wharf” (Franklin Reading 1). This story from Franklin’s past seems to be exaggerated, because as a young boy, he implausibly refers to his friends as comrades, as if he is at battle, and treats them as if he is a higher power. This power over his friends displays to Franklin’s audience that he has leadership qualities even as a child, which makes them look up to him more as a role model. Franklin also feels that he needs to embellish his accomplishments because he cares about how people perceive him. In portraits painted of Franklin throughout his life, he tends to boast about his wealth when it is necessary. He hires people to paint portraits of him, and displays himself as a wealthy and successful man with expensive suits that depicts an image of prosperity. However, in circumstances where he must appear more modest, he adapts very well. By doing this, he demonstrates that he is influential and he can trick people into believing whatever he wants them to. Franklin is deceiving, however he manages to influence society based upon the merits of his actual achievements and hard work. It is this belief that is more meaningful to Franklin, which is that determination will lead to success.
Franklin feels that working hard to be successful is paramount to him, because he starts his life as an entrepreneur, and works his way up in society.
Ben Franklin grows up in a poor family and has to distinguish himself from his siblings. Franklin is the “youngest son of the youngest son for five generations back…” (Franklin Reading 1). His father has two wives, and 17 children in total, which make it difficult for Franklin to find his passion. When he is about 15 years old, he writes an anonymous letter and delivers it to his brother’s printing shop to verify his writing skills and to display his talents. In the letter, signed under the pen name of Silence Dogood, Franklin confirms that he is a self-made man who does not need college to become successful. His parents cannot afford college for him, because of his large family, so he writes this letter in an angry tone to publicize the message that college is not everything. While doing this, Franklin shows society that his determination has led to success, even though he did not attend college. People can relate to him not being able to afford school and it initiates his progression from rags to
riches.
Ben Franklin proves his idea that determination will lead to success through his desire to influence American society. Franklin building a library demonstrates how he wants to be remembered as creating an institution that others would look up to him for. The main topics from his club, JUNTO, are from books, so Franklin suggests it would be convenient to store the books together so everyone can use them. Franklin then expands this into a public project, and claims “these libraries have improved the general conversation of the Americans, [and] made the common tradesmen and farmers as intelligent as most gentlemen from other countries…” (Franklin Reading 3). Franklin obviously believes that his library has not only improved America, but it has made America better than other countries, specifically Europe, and that his ideas outshine his European counterparts, signifying his influence and success. On the very first page of his Autobiography, Franklin immediately introduces his drive to influence others around him. Franklin writes that “having emerged from the poverty and obscurity in which I was born and bred, to a state of affluence and some degree of reputation in the world, and having gone so far through life with a considerable share of felicity…my posterity may like to know, as they may find some of them suitable to their own situations, and therefore fit to be imitated” (Franklin Reading 1). Here, he admits that he has created a reputation for himself, and encourages his future generations to follow in his footsteps.
While Franklin learns how to manipulate people to garner praise, he cares more about working hard and achieving greatness. He builds institutions that improve the lives of Americans, shares his intellectual ideas, and establishes him as one of the great success stories by starting his life as a poor boy, and slowly becoming one of the wealthiest men in Philadelphia. However, his values differ from other people during this time. In “Some Versus Upon the Burning of the House”, Anne Bradstreet remarks on her home being burnt to the ground. Her values diverge from Franklin’s, because while he believes in materialistic success, Bradstreet believes in spiritual success. She relies on religion and emotions and values, while Franklin relies on money, attention, and personal achievement. Bradstreet reflects the age of the Enlightenment, which was occurring at this time. Benjamin Franklin created myths that represented American culture and valued success over all else, while the rest of the country was relying on religion and faith to guide them through life.