Franklins Autobiography

The autobiography of Benjamin Franklin included many of Franklins thoughts and virtues of life. His writing reflects more of the rationalism period rather than the Puritan period for many reasons.

The rationalism period is reflected throughout Benjamin Franklin’s autobiography. One reason is because his writing is more logic and analytic thinking as compared to always referring things back to God. The rationalism style of writing uses more of the persuasive talking and figurative language. The Puritan period uses more of the straight to the point words and everything is based off of God. Franklin is a deist. He does not use God or reference religion in his autobiography. He was more of a man that God could go without mentioning, which is why he does not resemble anything near the Puritan writing style.

Franklin was also an inventor. He created many things that helped the human race advance in technology. Not once did he mention that God helped him make his inventions. The reader can see that Ben was aware of his surroundings through this quote: "Tho’ I never arrived at the perfection I had been so ambitious of obtaining, but fell far short of it, yet I was, by the endeavor, a better and a happier man than I otherwise should have been if I had not attempted it.”  (The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin 90).

The Puritans believe that God is a part of everything that happened. They believe that God created the world and therefore he creates everything in it, no matter what. Well, that is what sets the two religious views apart from each other. The fact that Franklin is a deist helps his writing because at the time, he helped write the constitution and made technology advances. Instead of filling his autobiography up with all references to God, he uses the power and persuasion of his words to make people listen and read what he has to say.

Another reason Franklins writing reflects more of the rationalism period is through the virtues. He lists thirteen virtues he thinks people should live their life by. To make sure that he was abiding by these rules, and to make sure that he was on the right track for becoming a better person with better morals he created a system that was to keep track of the all the times be stuck to them.  The system was a checking system that had a chart and boxes to mark in labeled with the appropriate titles for the appropriate virtues.  To work the chart, it meant that when he had violated a virtue and did not live up to what the virtue read, he would make a mark in the box for that day that he failed.  The goal was to minimize the marks in the chart and to keep a clean life.  None of these values included God.  It was obvious to see that Franklin focused on his beliefs instead of God’s. If his writing reflected the Puritan period, he would be basing his virtues on God and God’s beliefs.

Throughout the autobiography the reader can clearly see the writing reflects the rationalism period. Franklin was an avid thinker and inventor whose ideas helped shaped the world today.

 

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