Upon reading Franklin's "Autobiography," I found that one centralized topic of Part I, was the creation of the "American dream." Franklin never refers to his hard work and continuous search for happiness as the "American dream;" however, he describes everything we have presently come to know as such. Throughout this section of "Autobiography," Franklin continuously informs his son of his hard work, acquired skills, sacrifices to achieve his goals, and, most importantly, self improvement. It is clear what a hardworking youth, and man, Benjamin Franklin was. He tells his son of his first jobs with his father and brother and then with other publishing companies and literary businesses. At the young age of twelve, Franklin even signed an eight year contract to work for his brother. During this time, it is also evident that he traveled around quite a bit while pursuing his dream. From Philadelphia, to London, to New York, and everywhere in between, Franklin moved in hopes of finding steady and secure employment within the literary industry.
What intrigued me most about Mr. Franklin was his undauntable nature. He experienced numerous disappointments and false information; nonetheless, he continued in the pursuit of his goal. It is mentioned how he was supposed to be able to find a job with Bradford in Philadelphia; yet, when he reaches the Pennsylvania city, there is no job available. Whereas I would have been extremely discouraged by this, Franklin simply moves on until he crosses paths with Governor Keith who initially proves to be promising. However, Keith is just another let down for Franklin when he doesn't write a letter of recommendation as he had promised. Franklin continues to push forward.
Another key element of the first part of "Autobiography" was his dedication to bettering his skill and his continued dedication to self improvement. This appears to be a theme that will continue throughout the remainder of Franklin's piece. The American dream consists of equal opportunities at work, at home, and throughout the community, and such ideals are laced with the notion that achieving such will take hard work and dedication. Franklin refuses to be deterred by any "road blocks" and the audience is led to believe that he eventually achieves the "American Dream." In the first paragraph, he tells his son that he led a good life with minimal things that he would change, and this obviously implies that he was very pleased with what he had gained.
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I agree that Franklin somewhat embodies what has come to be known as the “American Dream.” However, I do not believe he rose from poverty to riches simply through hard work and determination. Franklin was quite a manipulative man. Franklin uses his appearance to influence others’ opinion of him. This is especially evident in the passage where he pushes around the wheelbarrow of his own papers, dresses plainly, and takes no leisure time in public. Franklin also uses connections to get ahead. Multiple times he mentions all the people he knows, including five kings. Franklin is not afraid of appearing vain, a trait most see as unappealing. He was also a very arrogant man who made sure he got credit for all his hard work and intellect. It seems that when Franklin acted humble it was just that, an act.
While Franklin achieved the classic “American Dream” of rising from rags to riches he did not do it in what might be labeled the ideal American spirit. He was manipulative, vain, and arrogant but no doubt still inspired many new Americans to work hard and reach for their dream.
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