Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790)

Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790) Mini Bio: Leading proponent of scientific reasoning and experimentation in American Colonies Famous for his Autobiography. For what else is he known?

Franklin the Puritan: While Benjamin Franklin is usually thought of as representative of Enlightenment thought, he was greatly influenced by New England Puritanism. As a young man, he read Essays to do Good, a volume written by Cotton Mather, a famous Puritan preacher and defender of the Salem witch trials. Many of Mather’s and other Puritans’ ideas about practicality and self-improvement found their way into Franklin’s life and writings. Challenge: Can you locate examples of resemblance between Franklin’s ideas and Puritan thoughts?

Make Inferences About the Author Franklin created a list of 13 virtues or rules for how to live his life. Name the virtues that are related to succeeding in the world. What does this list tell you about Franklin’s ideas about success?

Analyze Autobiography Format: Dual perspective: Often an autobiography is written by an older person looking back on him- or herself as a younger person, providing opportunities for reflection. Name one way that the old Franklin looking back on his younger self was different from the young Franklin. Name one way the old and young Franklins are alike.

Analyze Aphorisms Reread the aphorisms—brief, clever statements that make wise observations about life—on page 271. Have you ever heard any of these or a form of these? Which of these aphorisms might help someone today?

Create Aphorisms: Share Your Advice In pairs, create three aphorisms of your own aphorisms conveying a statement about people, how to live, and how to cope with life. Hint: first identify the sentiments/message you want to convey and then to write aphorisms that capture those statements. 2nd class today will be ‘Art’ class allowing you to create a visual copy of ONE of your aphorisms. We will present these 1st class tomorrow.