One of the major themes of The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin is that of self improvement. Although there may be certain points during the story where the reader may get the impression Franklin was more into bragging about his lifetime accomplishments than encouraging readers to improve their lives, but one also had to bear in mind the primary purpose of writing his autobiography was to leave his son a type of family legacy to pass on. The lesson of self improvement is one that has survived the generations and still rings as true today as it was when Franklin originally wrote his life story.
In the first chapter of his autobiography, Franklin addresses his son stating he is writing this account of his life including some tales of their ancestry so he can have a sense of who the Franklins are and where they originally came from (earlyamerica.com, 2012).
Genealogy seems to be of great importance to the older man, who explains during the course of the book how he sought out his relatives while visiting England. Also, the reader finds Franklin stating he devoted his life to improving his existence from being raised in poverty to achieving great things which the world will remember him for (earlyamerica.com, 2012). The older man's sentiments help to set the stage for explaining the reasons for him writing the story of his life and explain why he devoted his life to consistently improving himself and his lot in life.
[...] In conclusion, it is safe to say that Benjamin Franklin is successful at portraying himself as a benevolent man who was devoted to inspiring others to improve themselves. He made numerous contributions to this endeavor which have survived the centuries and have earned him a permanent place in history. Additionally, although there may be certain aspects of this autobiography that may hint at self promotion, this only shows the man was human with flaws like anyone else. This story is truly inspiring and should continue to be shared with current as well as future generations. References Earlyamerica.com (2012). The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin Digital Copy. [...]
[...] This in itself shows the reader that Benjamin Franklin was an honest, forthright person. One common theme the reader sees in the first four chapters of Franklin's autobiography is how he spends money he earns mostly on books he reads to gain knowledge (earlyamerica.com, 2012). Being a figure who is well-known for being educated in various disciplines, this is a true inspiration to the reader they can accomplish any goal once they set their mind to doing so. There are so many people in today's society who claim to want to have a better education, yet do nothing about it. [...]
APA Style reference
For your bibliographyOnline reading
with our online readerContent validated
by our reading committee
