from The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin from Poor Richard’s Almanack

Background Benjamin Franklin arrived in the city of Philadelphia in 1723 at the age of seventeen. He knew no one, and he had little money and fewer possessions. However, his accomplishments shaped the city in ways that are still visible today.

Franklin’s Accomplishments He helped to establish Philadelphia’s public library and fire department. He helped to develop the city’s first college. Through his efforts, Philadelphia became the first city in the colonies to have street lights. While Franklin was a brilliant man, some of his success can be attributed to sheer self-discipline which we will explore in this excerpt from his Autobiography.

Literary Analysis An autobiography is the story of a person’s life. Autobiography was a new form of literature when Benjamin Franklin wrote The Autobiography. His work helped set the rules for this new type of writing.

Autobiography An Autobiography presents events in a person’s life according to how that person sees them. An autobiography can give personal views of history. Information about the politics, habits, ideas, and values of a society can be found in autobiographies.

Reading Strategy Franklin tells his readers details about his life. He explains his goals and interests. You can draw conclusions about Franklin and his life. A conclusion is an opinion you reach by pulling together facts and details.

Drawing Conclusions Use this pattern for drawing conclusions about Franklin’s character while you read. Details: Franklin changes his plan when he sees he is not meeting his goals. Personal Experience: You also thought of a different way to meet a goal that was not being met. Conclusion: Franklin makes adjustments to meet his goals.

Literary Focus: First Person Point of View Benjamin Franklin writes his story using the pronoun I – using the first person point of view. A first person point of view shows events from the narrator’s perspective. When a story is told from the first person point of view, two important things happen First, we share directly the narrator’s thoughts and feelings Second, we know only what the narrator knows.

Reading Skill: Making Inferences Making inferences is like being a detective. You use your own experiences and knowledge as well as evidence from the text to make inferences, or educated guesses, about what is happening.

Making Inferences Evidence: Franklin gave What little money he had to Some people on the boat. Inference Franklin is a generous Man. He is willing To help people Who need money Knowledge: Giving money is Always generous. My Experience: My brother Gave me the money I needed To buy a new CD.

Into the Autobiography Franklin began The Autobiography when he was sixty-five. He continued working on it off and on until his death, at eighty-four, leaving it unfinished.

Summary Franklin is working on a plan to reach moral perfection. He will work on thirteen virtues or qualities. Franklin writes the virtues in a notebook to see how well he is doing. He makes a black mark beside a virtue every time he forgets to follow it. He works on a different virtue each week. Franklin thinks his plan is helpful but not completely successful.

from Poor Richard’s Almanack - Summary Franklin gives advice about how people should behave. He presents his thoughts in aphorisms, or short sayings with a message. Many of his aphorisms come from traditional folk sayings. Sayings such as “Well done is better than well said” tell something about Franklin and what he values.