One of my favorite parts of this excerpt was Benjamin describing growing up and how his father would conduct his dinner table. He learned the lesson that good conversation fed you more than soup and meat. This allowed him to never go hungry or be dissatisfied with actual food, because you can always spark conversation with those willing to have it.
Franklin speaking about how much he read by candlelight after a long days' work, made me feel horribly inadequate as an English Major. Autobiographies tend to make me think of all the things I should be doing. He also, on a whim, became a vegetarian. That screams self-control to me.
I loved how he described his friends Colin and Charles Osborne to be exact, as what they did better or worse than he. Colin was naturally more eloquent and fluent and wore Franklin down with that rather than his strength of reasons in debates. His conversations and depth of purpose in his friendships reminded me of "The Dead Poet's Society". Their love of books and strolling by the Schuylkill River in Philadelphia seemed so natural and it suited their young manhood.
He showed self control in not drinking while he was in London for strength purposes and monetary savings. This put him ahead of the other men by not taking on more debt or having an expense that wasn't necessary. He also lived according to these virtues:
1. TEMPERANCE: Eat not to Dullness. Drink not to elevation.
2. SILENCE: Speak not but what may benefit others or yourself. Avoid trifling conversation.
3. ORDER: Let all your things have their places. Let each part of your business have its time.
4. RESOLUTION: Resolve to perform what you ought. Perform without fail what you resolve.
5. FRUGALITY: Make no expense but to do to others or yourself. Waste Nothing.
6. INDUSTRY: Lose no time. Be always employed in something useful. Cut off all unnecessary actions.
7. SINCERITY: Use no hurtful deceit. Think innocently and justly. Speak accordingly.
8. JUSTICE: Wrong none.
9. MODERATION: Avoid extremes.
10. CLEANLINESS: Tolerate no uncleanness in body, clothes, or habitation.
11. TRANQUILITY: Be not disturbed at Trifles, or Accidents common or unavoidable.
12. CHASTITY: Rarely use venery but for health or offspring; never to dullness, weakness, or the injury of your own or another's Peace or Reputation.
13. HUMILITY: Imitate Jesus and Socrates.
He was respectable and his autobiography gave us a deeper insight into him as a person, not just as a leader.
Hi Sarah, Thanks for the postings on BF. I know the PG was strange to read, but it's good to get an idea of what people read, and what BF printed. I thought your post on the Autobiography was great. I find a lot of humor in the list of virtues, especially so when we learn how miserably he failed in attaining moral perfection. dw
ReplyDeleteI agree with your comment of feeling inadequate in all of BF's ambitions. I often wish I read more and had the constant urge to always improve myself like BF did. I love how determined and how much self control he had. His vegetarian conquest definitely sparks ambition inside me. I like how you commented on how BF's autobiography gave us more insight on BF as a person. I like how I understand BF more as a individual now other than just his accomplishments.
ReplyDeleteI really liked reading BF's autobiography because I thought his incorporation of humor into his personal accounts of ambition and value was refreshing, unique, and more relatable because he allows himself to be honest and individualistic. He openly fails in attaining his 13 values/guidelines showing the reader that he is human and honest. I also enjoyed learning about BF's personality, family, his inner thoughts and personal experiences because I too felt like I got to know him as a person instead of just a symbolic figure in history.
ReplyDelete