Benjamin Franklin (1707-1790) - Autobiography
REIII IFR = 1 nov
Founding Father (founder of
Declaration of
Constitution of the
Treaty of
Renaissance Scholar - learner + self learner (master in many fields of knowledge); progress / make life better
established the autobiography as a literary form
one of the first in English
a classic - new literary form
- still read/valid today
first popular self-help manual/book (didactic)
established the tradition of the American Dream (first real account of the American Dream in action: a man who experienced it firsthand)
a reflection of 18th century idealism (optimistic belief that man can embetter through science/politics) = Bandila I.
a glimpse into 18th c life = Blaga I
sense of humor = Bogdan C.
focus on reason not intuition = Borbely J
Deist = Bandila I.
Man = center of the universe = Blaga I
Self-reliance, independence = Borbely J
Belief in man's moral perfectibility= Bandila I.
Self-made man, self-betterment/improvement = Blaga I
Hard work = key to material success = Bogdan C.
Betterment of society (public services; the Junto; through science) = Borbely J
Universal benevolence = willing to help all people = Bandila I.
Utilitarianism = useful life = Blaga I
Exaggerated optimism = Bogdan C.
Didacticism (moral lesson) = Borbely J
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