American Literature

   Reading Journals for Franklin  

 
Pick the question that you feel that you can answer the most completely.
There is no one question that is "better" than the other one

  1. Identify what you think led Franklin to be so successful in his life. What factors worked together to create the man we all read about and know from the history books? You may also want to deal with whether or not these were factors unique to Franklin, or if they really are factors that other people could emulate to acheive their own success.    answer this journal 
      
  2. Explain whether or not you feel that Franklin is conceited. Be sure to give evidence based on the readings.     answer this journal 

  3. Franklin makes a big deal out of his "errata" in his life, the mistakes that he made and how they helped him learn and become a better person. Take any one errata that he brings up and show whether it really did help make him a better person.   answer this journal   

  4. Identify the appeal of the American Success Story to people around the world--then and now. Show how Franklin's autobiography is connected to the successful spread of this story -- it was present before Franklin's autobiography, obviously, but he is almost always cited as the first important example of it in action. (Feel free to connect Crevecouer's ideas about the appeal of America as well, if you wish)  answer this journal 

  5. Benjamin Franklin is often considered the primary example of the "American Success Story" -- how anyone, even the most poor or downtrodden, willing to work hard and be a good citizen can come to America and succeed. For this journal, identify how well you think Franklin does or does not fit this story -- having read his actual story, does it really fit, or do people just THINK it fits?  answer this journal