literature analyzation essay

One of America’s founding fathers had a great influence in American History and what it is to be American. Benjamin Franklin wrote his Autobiography as a letter addressed to his son in two parts. Franklin knew they would be public and wanted people to read them because he felt he was worth following as an example. He grew up in a big family where his dad did not make a large income. He worked his way up to become more knowledgeable and eventually be a founding father of The United States of America. He wants the rest of Americans to follow his example he set forth as his life autobiography. His life, his mistakes, his journey was meant for others to see. To be American was to be like Benjamin Franklin. Benjamin Franklin was the youngest son of the youngest son for five generations back. He was from Boston, New England and in his autobiography he discusses how he grew up. He only went to one year of grammar school but always was reading. He could not remember a time where he could not read, so he shows that you do not need to go to school to be an intelligent person. To be American to him was to soak up what knowledge you could despite your situation. Franklin did not have a rich privileged childhood, he talks about how he did not go to college on page 252 “But my father in the meantime, from a View of Expense of a College Education which, having so large a family, he could not well afford.” and he also failed out of a school for Writing and Arithmetic, and made no progress in it. Though that did not stop him from becoming an educated man and America gave him the opportunity to become more. Benjamin Franklin sees Americans as leaders. He considers himself to always have been a leader. On page 252 he discusses his natural leadership “…and when in a Boat or canoe with other boys I was commonly allowed to govern, especially in any case of difficultly; and upon other cases I was generally a Leader among the boys…” So he wants Americans to follow his example