Summary: The Autobiography Of Benjamin Franklin

When thinking of Benjamin Franklin, two thoughts come to my mind. His part in the founding of electricity due to his experiments with the kite and the key was engraved in my head from a young age. Also, the familiar face found at the center of possibly my favorite piece of paper I could have in my wallet at any time. But what lead to Benjamin Franklin being a figure so known and idolized, not only in early British American history but, in our world today? The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin outlines the life of a proclaimed self made man whose knowledge and hard work lead him to be a powerful and admired public figure in British North America. By implementing Toby Ditz’s idea surrounding masculinity that “the larger gender order within which masculinity is embedded is also fundamentally about
Though his hard work and expanding thirst for knowledge helped him grow successful in his works, he had an extreme thirst for public approval. In 1732, he used his connection to the printing industry to publish the first version of his Almanack. Franklin’s Almanack consisted of annual public news but also of ideal household ways to live and hints to becoming a better being. These small hints over time would couple together to form what Franklin saw as a desirable and acceptable piece of society and result in personal gains and betterment. Franklin felt that “Human Felicity is produc’d not so much by great Pieces of good Fortune that seldom happen, as by little Advantages that occur every Day. Thus if you teach a poor young Man to shave himself and keep his Razor in order, you may contribute more to the Happiness of his Life than in giving him 1000 Guineas (Franklin, 133).” These “little advantages” that Franklin was giving to the common people of society served as his feeling of having dependents and gave him credibility to the public of British North