Preview

Benjamin Franklin's Self-Improvement

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
535 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Benjamin Franklin's Self-Improvement
There are many realities that we must come to terms with. Everyone does this in their own time and in their own way. It's not always pleasant, in fact, it rarely is. One of these many realities is that humans are not perfect. Despite all the ideals of what perfection should look like physically, personally, and socially; no one has achieved perfection. However, one person in particular set a very good example of self-improvement. Benjamin Franklin, a leader in many ways and beloved by many, was the very person who attempted to achieve perfection. When he set out to do this he was unaware how difficult it would be. Instead of perfection, he focused on self-improvement. He set goals that were his ideals of perfection or areas of improvement …show more content…
Order dealt with making sure all possessions have a place and each item of business had its time and place. Industry referred to always doing something useful or productive and to prioritize your duties. These were the most difficult for Franklin, especially order. Being able to schedule his day and stick to his original plan was difficult do to the unexpected circumstances of life. Industry was also difficult for Franklin because in his views he didn't accomplish enough. These two virtues have effected society in several ways as well. We follow Franklin's footsteps in trying to plan ahead and manage our time better. Two other values included in his self-improvement plan was; sincerity and silence. He defined sincerity as being honest, and thinking innocently and justly. Silence meant only speak when it not only benefits you, but others as well, and to avoid gossip or degrading conversation. Franklin found that these two were easier, simply because it allowed him to listen. It also helped him to be more serious and focused. In modern society, honesty is still highly valued, while avoiding gossip is not quite so highly

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Satisfactory Essays

    Franklin also writes books and that could change the way people think. Its putting them in a different setting…

    • 184 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Franklin” because he writes what he thinks, especially about his past experiences, rather than just telling the events as they happened. Part two of his writing, written in 1783, completely devotes this section to what his vision is for a moral, just, and virtuous individual. Featuring his beliefs on being productive, moral, and religious this section gives a great deal of insight into Benjamin Franklin. This means that his autobiography can not be expository because it does not only state facts, he describes how he feels and what he understands to be true. He often…

    • 164 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Thesis Statement: Ben Franklin’s virtues may have worked well for the “New Republic”, but as things have evolved today not all can or should apply in government such as Humility; religion, and welfare, this has caused our youth today to be self-entitled believing everything should be given to them without earning it. The completed opposite would have applied when Ben Franklin Wrote these 13 virtues for his fellow countrymen to follow in government and in life.…

    • 634 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    What we read in class of Ben Franklin's writing showed a new concept called rationalism. His ideas were about how self-improvement is reflected in a rationalist’s beliefs. There were virtues that he believed were important for how a person should live their lives,…

    • 354 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    What probable reason does Franklin suggest for his giving the boatmen his only shilling, even though Franklin did the rowing?…

    • 503 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    All his life he explored the role of civic and personal virtue, as expressed in Poor Richard's aphorisms. Franklin felt that organized religion was necessary to keep men good to their fellow men, but rarely attended religious services himself. When Franklin met Voltaire in Paris and asked this great apostle of the Enlightenment to bless his grandson, Voltaire said in English, "God and Liberty," and added, "this is the only appropriate benediction for the grandson of Monsieur Franklin."Franklin’s parents were both pious Puritans. The family attended the old South Church, the most liberal Puritan congregation in Boston, where Benjamin Franklin was baptized in 1706. Franklin’s father, a poor chandler, owned a copy of a book, Bonifacius: Essays to Do Good, by the Puritan preacher and family friend Cotton Mather, which Franklin often cited as a key influence on his life. Franklin’s first pen name, Silence Do good, paid homage both to the book and to a famous sermon by Mather. The book preached the importance of forming voluntary associations to benefit society. Franklin learned about forming do-good associations from Cotton Mather, but his organizational skills made him the most influential force in making voluntarism an enduring part of the American ethos. Franklin formulated a presentation of his beliefs and published it in 1728. It did not…

    • 1305 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    “The Autobiography” establishes in literary form the first example of the fulfillment of the American Dream. He writes of the possibilities of life in America through his own rise from the lower middle class as a youth to one of the most admired men in the world as an adult. Furthermore, he states that he achieved his success through a solid work ethic. For instance he writes, “It was about this time that I conceived the bold and arduous project of arriving at moral perfection” (Franklin 307). He wants have that American dream, so he comes up with the thirteen virtues to help him. He proved that even undistinguished people can, through industry, become great figures of importance in America in his writings. His “The Autobiography” also reflects idealism. He somewhat writes of intellectual flourishment and political thought and during part two, he is trying to live them out. According to Betsy Erkkila, “while the Revolution is not present as part of the manifest content of Franklin's narrative, it is present as the political or narrative unconscious of Franklin's "Life"--as a scene of social crisis, bloody contest, and challenge to traditional structures of authority in family, society, church, and state” (Erkkila). This meaning that even though it wasn’t spoke of directly, the revolution was desired by Franklin so others could have the American dream and achieve as he…

    • 716 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Much of the success had by Benjamin Franklin coming from a poor family and turning into a wealthy individual was due to a few important people in his life. Franklin had about him very desirable qualities, for most people that he had met quickly gained interest in him and were willing to help him, Franklin however, never took any of this for granted. Benjamin Franklin had outstanding core values about him that were installed by a select few people growing up. The person who taught him the most important values in his life was his father, Josiah Franklin. Josiah, as described by Benjamin as “ingenious”, taught at a very young age the fundamental properties of thinking…

    • 1257 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Franklin gives advice without recognizing he is doing it. When the reader views his thoughts on his own work, they see that he strived to be better and was improving himself as much as he could. For example, he writes of how he “discover’d some of my Faults and corrected them” when comparing his works to the original. Throughout the first piece, he showed ambition, improvement, and self-motivation. Franklin also writes about not giving up when he couldn’t find work as a Printer. He went from Boston to New York to Philadelphia to find a job. During this time he underwent sickness and fever, hunger, poverty, etc. Not only that, but he had to start from the beginning in each place to get to know people and make connections in order to get him a job.…

    • 217 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    We know Franklin is serious because throughout all of his works, he clearly placed morality and public service higher than anything. Even though he was very ambitious and business was very…

    • 804 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Franklin when he was young had the chance to learn many different hobbies, such as riding, shooting, polo and lawn tennis, and he also frequently traveled around Europe. This is certainly not the majority of the ordinary Americans could experience. Also, Franklin went to Groton school, a very privileged school, where he met a lot of rich friends, this again limited the chances for him to understand the concerns of ordinary Americans.…

    • 729 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Benjamin Franklin: A Hero

    • 789 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Did you know Benjamin Franklin had 17 brothers and sisters while living in poverty? Benjamin Franklin lived a hard cruel life to get to his position and importance. There are many reasons to look up to Benjamin Franklin. There are so many wonders that can found about him including Franklin’s childhood, inventions, and his involvement in government proving that Franklin should be looked up to as a hero.…

    • 789 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Benjamin Franklin said "tell me and I'll forget. Show me and I may remember. Involve me and I learn." I know exactly what Mr. Franklin means. I always learn best when theories explained in the classroom can be applied to the real world. The purpose of this essay is to demonstrate my efforts to participate fully in LAWS 2302V whilst taking this course online. In fact, I have watched all the available lectures for this class, which totals a total 17 hours, 8 minutes and 50 seconds. I have participated in class discussions in my own way. I have read the assigned readings for each and every class. I have also watched all the film recommendations mentioned during class. A combination of these factors makes me feel that I deserve an 80% for participation in this course.…

    • 670 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    November 2003. I jump through the hole in the Button as a last resort. I don’t want to lose the game of hide-and-seek that my brother and I started to entertain ourselves during Homecoming. November 2008. I laugh as I race around the Button, attempting not to get tagged. We’re older now, but the energy is still there, just like it is every Homecoming. September 2015. I stand with my college tour group and smile at that Button, thinking of the memories it holds and the new ones it will help create. I turn to the statue of Benjamin Franklin and look around at the institution he created. It’s then that I make a decision several years in the making. I’m going to be Benjamin Franklin. Sound crazy? Let me explain.…

    • 648 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    The main reason that Franklin had to write his autobiography was to show how to live the life in a better way, at least in Franklin´s experience. Franklin added two letters that eventually convinced him to finish his project of writing his autobiography. The letters (one from Mr. Able James and the other from Mr. Benjamin Vaughan) said to Franklin about the importance that had others would know about his life. Actually this book was not destined to talk about his role during the American Revolution. In fact, this book is about a way to get a life of excellence. During his autobiography Franklin remarked the facts that he thought more relevant for the auto-betterment. The main factors that I like were: the importance of reading, the education that Franklin´s father gave him and the accepting mistakes.…

    • 644 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays