Colonial: Benjamin Franklin: The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin, Part 1

• First self-made man in American literature
• Opposite of Puritan ideals that you are who you are from birth
• Proponent of the enlightenment
• Autobiography was addressed to his son on the nature of their relationship
• Not sure you can trust the account of his life... he wrote it... is he embellishing it?
• Fault of pride is harder to subdue than others. That's a fault that he had.
• He downplays his abilities like Bradstreet. He does it because he has false humility
• Franklin is concerned with his image. juxtaposition to people he's with
• Bradstreet Portrait of a humble mom and a writer... being a very humble mom writer
• Generous to his own detriment
• Erada - errors of his life
• Religious beliefs - creator/higher being but not all Christian aspects. Often times the divinity of Christ is questioned
• God as a cosmic watchmaker. Deist belief - made it and let it be free.
• His brother's paper was the New England Currant
• Not likely for it to succeed
• People who are writing - the silence do-good letters come from. He was still a boy and figured his brother wouldn't print anything, so he made himself anonymous
• Left Boston and went to Philadelphia
• Reasonable creature - reason for everything that one has a mind to do.
• Is this one of his 13 virtues?
• Speckled axe, likes best
• think about images rather than biographical information
• puff bread carried when 1st entering Philadelphia.
• Through hard work, study, you can make yourself a better person
• Didn't accept that he had no say in his life from birth
• 2 major reoccurring themes: self-betterment & religion 
• Idea that one can improve one's life through education, human urgency, hard work, and determination (life not predetermined)
• Franklin is a deist: God as watchmaker (non-intervening God) with no ascribed religious denomination - big belief in human urgency rather than fate or providence.
• Book written about his own self-betterment so as to be a model for others to better their own lives.
• Franklin as prototypical American & 1st real example of the classic American dream in action.
• Autobiography can be thought of as a series of revenge tales. Franklin showing how he became a better and more wealthy man than his earlier superiors (lasting in vegetarianism while Keimer can't be a successful printer in Phili after his brother thought himself superior to Franklin. Revenge on friend John Collins by immortalizing him as a drunk.
• Images to cling to: Franklin eating his bread upon reaching Philadelphia, being generous enough to give the other two to a woman and child - a very religious virtue
• Throwing his friend Collins overboard for not doing his part in rowing.
• So humble he was proud of his humbleness
• tried to speak with indifference so he would seem humble
• Often has an arrogant, condescending tone
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