Franklin's 13 Virtues analysis

It seems that the main goal of Benjamin Franklin when creating and implementing his thirteen virtues was that he aimed to be a better person. Franklin was successful in his goal of becoming a better person by having his thirteen virtues because he became self disciplined and he learned what it takes to overcome flaws.

One of the ways that Franklin was able to become a better person through his virtues, is that he learned to be self disciplined. No one made Franklin create a list of virtues to use in his everyday life (Franklin 89). He did this for himself, and so that he could be a better person. After creating the list, no one was going to be looking over his shoulder watching to make sure that he was carrying out his virtues like he had promised. He had to do this all on his own, and the only obstacle in obtaining his goals would be himself. Franklin, however, was able to make himself carry out the virtues (Franklin 88). He did this in an organized way and says in his autobiography, "I made a little book, in which I allotted a page for each of the virtues...I might mark, by a little black spot, every fault I found upon examination to have found"(Franklin, 85). It took self control to make sure that he went through his book and marked down all of the times he did not follow the virtue (Franklin 85). He could have lied and put down no mistakes for that virtue, but this would have been redundant in the fact that he was lying to himself instead improving himself.

In addition to learning self discipline from his thirteen virtues, Franklin also was able to overcome the flaws that he saw in himself. Some people saw Franklin as wise, far sighted, and useful ( Tuckerman 5). Yet, this great Founding Father too had flaws. It is almost impossible to improve yourself if you do not recognize your flaws. Franklin did this, and he was able to write down a list of thirteen things that he needed to improve on (Franklin 83). The next step is trying to prevent yourself from breaking the virtues. Franklin also did this by having a little book (Franklin 85). In his book he would observe a virtue every week and make a mark when he strayed from the virtue of the week (Franklin 85). This helped Franklin to see what he was doing wrong, and where he needed to improve. After Franklin became accustomed to living his life with the virtues he was able to see his mistakes diminish with time (Franklin 88). Franklin says in his autobiography, "After a while I went thro' one course only in a year, and afterward only one in several years, till at length I omitted them entirely" (Franklin 88). This quote shows that Franklin got to a point where he no longer needed his book because he had implemented the virtues into his life without straying from his goals. He successful incorporated his thirteen virtues into his life, and did not need to observe himself. 

In conclusion, Benjamin Franklin was able to become a better person by following his thirteen virtues. Franklin was able to teach himself self discipline and the process in which flaws can be eliminated. Franklin's virtues can be compared to the Michael Jackson song, "Man in the Mirror". The song talks about that the way to make the world a better place, is to improve yourself first. Franklin realized this and was able to change his whole existence by implementing his thirteen virtues, and becoming an overall better person.






Bibliography:
Franklin, Benjamin. Autobiography. London: J.M. Dent, 1948. Print.

Tuckerman, Henry T. The Character of Franklin. N.p.: n.p., 1856. Print.

Journal 12

I think today's American dream starts with going to college. Many people nowadays go to college, so they can learn more and be able to get a good job. College is instrumental in developing the skills that you will need for the rest of your natural life.Despite the fact that so many Americans go to college it is still a dream instead of reality. The thing is that higher education is very expensive, and some people that deserve to go to college cannot because they do not have the money. This is what makes college an American Dream instead of a reality. The next part of today's American Dream is to go out and find a job. In today's economy this is no easy feat at all. Job positions are no longer as plentiful as in times past.Many times people are not able to get a job that they had prepared for in college. A lot of people just have to settle because something is better than nothing at all. Jobs are very important because they provide financial security.With a job you can also pay off the mountain of student debt gained from college.  Once you get a job you can start investing in other things like a car or a house which is the next step of the American Dream. Many people like to buy houses or cars because it gives them a sense of ownership and a tie to where every they live. Another part of the American Dream is getting married. Many people find marriage good because it gives them someone they can be with for the rest of their lives.I think marriage is apart of the American Dream simply because everyone else is getting married. After marriage comes children. Biologically speaking we are supposed to want to pass along our set of genes, so for many people children are a must. Then people want to send their kids to college. This starts the American Dream all over again.

Journal 11

My list of virtues are a code by which I try to live my life. My virtues that I live with are very important to me because they are apart of my identity. One of the virtues that I try to live by is to be compassion. Sometimes I have to look outside of my self and understand what other people are going through. It is easy to caught up in my own life, but I find it very important to be there to support others as they go through hardships and whatnot. Forgiveness is also apart of the compassion I try to live by. This means that even though I may be upset with someone else, I forgive them because everybody makes mistakes because we are only human. Forgiving others allow you to move on and live a happier life. Forgiveness is also important because when I make a mistake I want forgiveness, and I may be more apt to receive forgiveness if I give it in return. I also want to live life to the fullest. Life does not have a redo button, and I want to live the best life I can since you only live once. I do not want to be on my death bed wishing that I had done something different with my life. I want to be able to die satisfied with the existence I have led. Another one of my virtues would be doing my best at all times. Like I said you only live once, so why do anything halfway? I am not satisfied if I do not do my best and this tends to bother me a lot. Doing my best means that I dedicate myself to anything that I do. I do this because my results will be a lot better if I do the best that I can. I can apply this virtue on almost anything that I do, including my school work. My education is very important so I do the best I can. This enables me to learn and receive the most that I can get out of my education.

Literary Analysis of Ben Franklin's Autobiography

While reading Benjamin Franklin's work of literature entitled Autobiography, I was able to identify that Franklin too had been apart of the American Rationalist writing movement. I was able to determine that Franklin had a rationalist writing style due to his use of logic and experimentation in his virtues and the way he carried them out.

One element of Rationalist writing that Franklin used in the making and execution of his virtues was logic. I can see that his thought process that led him to making the virtues used logic and reason. For example, Franklin states in his Autobiography that he was displeased by the morals being preached to him at church, and he says in the passage, "...since not a single moral principle was inculcated or enforced, their aim seeming to be rather to make us Presbyterians than good citizens."(Franklin 81) So, Franklin decided in his dissatisfaction that he would make up his own list of virtues that he would like by to be a good person, instead of listening to morals that he did not agree with (Franklin 82). This is a very logical to solve a problem because Franklin thought the situation at hand thoroughly and was able to come up with an answer that satisfied his moral needs. Franklin also logically looked up several different thoughts on the different virtues that he wanted to include to find the best definition for his list of virtues (Franklin 82).

Besides logic, Franklin also used experimentation in his quest to find a set of virtues right for him. Franklin used experimentation when he made a little table for himself that had a spot for each virtue on his list (Franklin 85). Franklin says in the passage, "..I might mark, by a little black spot, every fault I found upon examination to have been committed respecting that virtue upon that day."(Franklin 85). This means that Franklin could go through his daily life and see what virtues on his list he was breaking his rules on (Franklin 85). After observing himself and his habits for awhile, then he would be able to see what virtues he needed to improve on or what virtue were not so important to him after all. He was also able to determine his strength in a particular virtue and whether he could move on to the next virtues on his list or not (Franklin 86). This experimentation with his habits allowed Franklin to fully observe his results so he could fix them according to logic.

In conclusion, two elements of Rationalism that Benjamin Franklin uses in the making and execution of his virtues are logic and experimentation. By using a rational approach to creating morals for himself, Franklin was able to create a system of virtues that met his morality needs.



Bibliography: Franklin, Benjamin. Autobiography. London: J.M. Dent, 1948. Print.

Propaganda in the Declaration of Independence

While the Enlightenment influenced many people during the eighteenth century to use logic and rational thinking, there is use of propaganda in documents like the Declaration of Independence that suggest writers of the time did not only rely on strong reason, but had weak arguments as well. In the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson uses propaganda like name calling and an appeal to the people to persuade the public.

One of the weak propaganda techniques that is used in the Declaration of Independence is the use of name calling. The reader can see name calling in the Declaration of Independence when Jefferson lists all of the reasons that America is deciding to sever ties with England and declare independence (Jefferson 124). An example of this is the part of the document that states, "He is at this time transporting large armies of foreign mercenaries to complete the works of death, desolation, and tyranny already begun with circumstances of cruelty and perfidey scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous age, and totally unworthy the head of a civilized nation." (Jefferson 124).  In the passage the author is tearing apart the British and criticizing them for be barbarous and cruel. In this passage the reader sees how Jefferson only mentions the bad things that England did to America. He chooses not to include the things that the British did do for the colonists like defending them from threats. This name calling and tear down of the British is a way for the author to effectively get his point across, but he is not presenting all of the facts to the readers("Recognizing Propaganda Techniques and Errors of Faulty Logic."). This is what makes this part of the Declaration of Independence propaganda. The author is using emotional appeals and keeping information from the reader instead of using a rational approach that includes pure reason and logic. 

Not only does Thomas Jefferson, the author of the Declaration of Independence, use propaganda in the form of name calling, but he also uses the weak argument of appealing of the people. It seems like that in the Declaration of Independence, Jefferson is trying to persuade the general public with emotion instead of reason to cut off ties with Great Britain (Jefferson 122). It seems that he thinks that he knows best and a portion of the document states," Such has been the patient sufferance of these colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former systems of government." (Jefferson 122). In this passage Jefferson is trying to justify the break with England by including all of the people of the colonies having the right to break away from unjust forms of government (Jefferson 122). It is clear that he involves everyone to make them sure that they all have a right to break away from England, and will be an asset in declaring independence.

In conclusion, The Declaration of Independence is not based solely on logic, but also propaganda that appeal to emotion, which is a weak argument. In the Declaration of Independence, the author uses propaganda like name calling and an appeal to the people.



Bibliography:

Jefferson, Thomas. "Declaration of Independence." Glencoe American Literature. N.p.: McGraw Hill, 2009. 122-24. Print.

"Recognizing Propaganda Techniques and Errors of Faulty Logic." Recognizing Propaganda--Guide to Critical Thinking--Academic Support. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Sept. 2012. <http://academic.cuesta.edu/acasupp/as/404.htm>.

Journal 10

It is my belief that our English class should be provided mints. This is my belief because this will add an incentive to the class that will motivate my classmates and I. When provided mints we will feel as if we have earned something special and continue to strive for many more rewards in the future. A possible result in bringing in mints to the classroom would be a renewal of enthusiasm for coming to class. Rewards will award the students and may make us more willing to be engrossed in the subject matter at hand. Another possible reason that bringing mints into the class would be beneficial is that studies done by scientists suggest that eating mints stimulates the brain. While we were taking standardized tests in middle school, the teachers would provide us mints for the reason of stimulating our brains so we could end up doing well on them. I feel that our English class would be much more productive and engaged with out brains stimulated by mints. This could lead to our class staying on task well and being able to learn and absorb new information about what we are discussing in class. Having our brains stimulated would be essential to learning because we have class the last period of the day. I ,personally, am starting to feel mentally strained at this time of the day and I just want to go home. Eating mints will rejuvenate the whole class for our last hour class, so we will be able to do more and will be much more willing to take in new information. The mental weariness that the whole class could be experiencing after a long day may even vanish because we would have something special that will ignite a sense of goodwill feeling throughout the whole entire class. Overall, I think that mints should be brought into class to encourage students with rewards and stimulate our mentally strained minds.

Journal 9

I love autumn with all of my heart. Honestly, I could gush about the wonders of autumn all day long. First of all I love the violently vivid colors of the Fall. I cannot but help to love how beautiful the earth looks as it changes into various colors of orange and red. These colors brighten the whole world and are very appealing to me. Another thing I love about the autumn is the weather. I cannot stand the summertime because it is way too hot for me and I love being cold. Autumn is my saving grace from the oppressive summer heat and I am eternally grateful for this. The weather becomes perfect for me. I love to emerge outside and feel the cool pristine air of the Earth in my lungs. This is a time where I feel perfectly content. The weather is especially nice in October and I cannot be outside enough. In the autumn the stars at night are also a lot more bright. Even though I know little about the names of the constellations, I love to look at them because they are so bright. The stars always make me realize how big the universe is that I get to play a part in. The stars are to me as gorgeous as the turning of the leaves, and seeing the stars always has a way of comforting me. I am also a huge fan of all of the holidays that occur in Fall. Halloween always excites me even though I no longer dress up and go trick or treating. I still use Halloween though to stuff myself with an inappropriate amount of candy and other goodies. I also enjoy seeing all the kids dressed up in their funny costumes and how they how much joy they experience  in the special days in life like Halloween. I also love Thanksgiving because who doesn't love all of that delicious home cooked food and time with family?