From Rags To Riches: The autobiograpy of Benjamin Franklin

From Rags to Riches: The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin Benjamin Franklin was one of the founding fathers of the United States. He helped write the Declaration of Independence, and co-wrote the U.S Constitution. However, he is remembered more as the face on the $100 bill than the man that invented electricity. Despite all of his accomplishments and contributions in the United States, Franklin believed himself to be more of a scientist than a political thinker. This irony is evident is his autobiography which does not even discuss the revolution or anything of that nature. Instead we see a full picture of Ben Franklin as a scholar. He was very fascinated with learning and was interested in making a difference in the lives of all mankind. He believed that the way to please God was to help others and this manifested itself in his public services and contribution to science. The beginning of the autobiography addresses two themes; bettering yourself and religion. The tone in the beginning is very humble. Franklin claims that his only reason for writing this was so that his son can look at it as an example on how one should live their life and how he can get through the hardships of life. His motive for writing in general was to be a role model for the betterment of others. He doesn’t show a religious side too often however, he makes sure to thank God for helping him lead a good life. Franklin explains later on that he is a deist, which leads us to believe that there was false humility in the beginning or that he just eventually grew in his faith. He had a strong determination to better his writing and we see him at a young age practically teaching his self how to write. He checks himself to make sure he’s improving and seeks help from no one. This is an original rags to riches story. Here we see a boy rise up from humble beginnings to a man of great wealth and pretty good social standing. Benjamin Franklin essentially created the legend of The American Dream.