Franklin/Twain Essay
Throughout history and in current times, Benjamin Franklin has been greatly revered and admired by a large majority of American citizens. In the attempt to achieve prosperity, a multitude of people have strived to emulate Franklin’s lifestyle. Accordingly, this emulation was the source of Mark Twain’s disdain toward Benjamin Franklin, which Twain expresses in his satire, “The Late Benjamin Franklin.” Correspondingly, in “The Late Benjamin Franklin,” Mark Twain displays hostility toward Benjamin Franklin through the utilization of a derisive and mocking tone as well as the elements of satire. The ridicule and degradation of Franklin that is displayed in Twain’s satire highlights Twain’s belief that Franklin’s accomplishments are exaggerated upon, placing unrealistic expectations on all males, including Twain.
To begin, Mark Twain utilizes tone to portray Benjamin Franklin as unworthy of the emulation that he receives. Twain writes, “The simple idea of it is to snub those pretentious maxims of his, which he worked
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up with a great show of originality out of truisms that had been wearisome platitudes as early as the dispersion from Babel” (7). Mark Twain ridicules Benjamin Franklin's axioms, which played a prominent role in Franklin's fame during his lifetime. Twain's criticism of Franklin's proverbs highlights the derisive tone that he utilizes throughout his satire. Additionally, in “The Late Benjamin Franklin,” Mark Twain states, “Never put off til to-morrow what you can do day after to-morrow just as well-- B.F” (1). Twain’s statement, which he credits to Benjamin Franklin, portrays a contrary view on procrastination and sloth than Benjamin Franklin expressed within his Autobiography. Mark Twain uses a mocking tone to deride the wisdom Franklin frequently conveyed through the utilization of maxims. Moreover, Mark Twain utilizes elements of satire to further his purpose of reducing the veneration that is expressed toward Benjamin Franklin. In “The Late Benjamin Franklin,” Twain states, “In order to get a chance to fly his kite on Sunday, he used to hang a key on the string and let on to be fishing for lightning. And a guileless public would go home chirping about the ‘wisdom’ and the ‘genius’ of the hoary Sabbath-breaker” (3). Mark Twain implies that Franklin’s scientific contribution regarding electricity was simply coincidence, rather than the result of intelligent experimentation. Twain uses diminution to make Franklin’s accomplishments appear less significant than the public believes them to be. In addition, after Twain discusses his weakness and poverty (2), Mark Twain states in his satire, “When I was a child I had to boil soap, notwithstanding my father was wealthy, and I had to get up early every morning and study geometry at breakfast, and peddle my own poetry, and do everything just as Franklin did, in the solemn hope that I would be a Franklin some day. And here I am” (7). Twain mocks Franklin’s lifestyle as well as the American belief that mimicking such a lifestyle would result in success. Twain employs a sarcasm to illustrate that Benjamin Franklin’s way of life was unrelated to his prosperity. Within his satire, “The Late Benjamin Franklin,” Mark Twain’s tone, as well as the satirical devices he employs, illustrate his belief that Benjamin Franklin should not be the object of tremendous admiration.
In the satire, Twain attempts to destroy the idea “among heads of families that Franklin acquired his great genius by working for nothing, studying by moonlight, and getting up in the night instead of waiting til morning like a Christian” (7). Twain demonstrates his belief that Franklin’s constant labor and dedication were not the causes of his prosperity. I believe that Mark Twain is incorrect in his assessment of Benjamin Franklin. Franklin’s achievements were purely a result of his determination and desire to educate himself, which are two attributes that are difficult to possess and preserve. Consequently, Franklin’s rise to success was not an accomplishment that “anybody could have done” (5) as Twain implies in his
satire.
Ben Franklin of Old Philadelphia is a children’s nonfiction book about Ben Franklin and his life from a boy to a successful adult. This book was written by Margaret Cousins. The 141 pages in the book was published in 1952.
Mark Twain in his essay “A Presidential Candidate” uses hyperbole, irony, and diction to accost politicians and show their faults to the well-read voters. Twain’s use of hyperbole, which is seen through his past stories such as the incident involving his grandfather, establishes an exaggerated sense of himself as a candidate which creates the image of a forthright yet malicious man running for office. He also uses reductio ad absurdum to show the ridiculousness of the politicians running for office and how they are deceitful about small things while he is willing to tell how he killed his grandfather for snoring. Twain’s diction as seen through such phrases as “prowl”, “heartless brutality”, and “Napoleonic” set up a sarcastic tone that was
Mark Twain’s use of humor in the story mocks and shines light on the issues of our society’s political system from back then that continue
Throughout the book it is obvious that there are characteristics that Mark Twain either detests and despises, or respects and values them. Twain quite obviously is making fun of the undesirable characteristics such as the natural curiosity of people and also the greed for money. Although there are not many values that he respects, there is one that is shown in this book, friendship.
Benjamin Franklin has been without a doubt one of the most relevant individuals in US history. His autobiography gives us a brief but detailed summary of what his life was like and how society worked in the eighteen century. This autobiography gives us many details of how the colonies where and offers and an overall image of the development of British North America which later turned into the United States. Due to the fact that this book was originally written for Franklin's son, the book concentrates in personal information and has very little information about other topics. However, there are some topics that can be extracted from his writings; one of them is gender. Even though, Franklin never talks openly about gender, we can observe how in his writing these roles are clearly assigned. In this paper, we will analyze how Benjamin's Franklin autobiography showcases the importance of gender in the early eighteenth century. Gender can be analyzed in Franklins book by looking at different topics. This given to men and women by society can be seen in the workspace, in the education of each individual, and in the family and family structure.
...ple, Benjamin Franklin developed his own style of writing which was adopted by many liberal writers who shaped Franklin’s political views a great deal. It is also worth noting that Benjamin drew a lot from his father Josiah who he viewed as all round. He was particularly impressed by his ability to make sound judgment a skill also seen by other locals.
The tone of the essay is pretty straightforward. Benjamin Franklin means what he writes and thinks. There is no pun or sarcasm in this piece. He does however seem to put an apostrophe where the "e" of the past participle goes. This is something that they did during his lifetime. It is something that the audience can recognize right away because it catches your eye right off the back. An example of this is "...that I conciev'd the bold and..." Benjamin Franklin lists his virtues in a numerical order of their importance. A person could also think by looking at Benjamin Franklin's essay that it could be more of a science lab report. The way it is written could look easily like that because it has a list and a table and steps on how to be perfect.
The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin is a representation of the new prospect of upward mobility in colonial America during the 18th century and the development of the Age of Reason, which assisted in the conception of the idea of the “American Dream”; a dream that includes fundamentally social ideals such as democracy, equality, and material prosperity. Furthermore, Franklin’s autobiography exemplifies a significant shift in focus from religion to enlightenment and reason. Additionally, there were forces specific to Benjamin Franklin's Philadelphia, that played an important role in his perspectives and the changes that occurred within colonial America during the 18th century.
Twain’s novel was greatly influenced by the times and criticizes the imperfections in society. These errors in society were subjective to the current events during the Gilded Age. The following show the effects of the current times that influenced the context of the novel. One of America’s leading historians of America in the west, Patricia N. Limerick well elaborates on what happened in the Gilded Age. The following quote fro...
And, as many of mentioned in Peter Salwen’s article that, “(Twain’s) writing is offensive to black readers, perpetuates cheap slave-era stereotypes, and deserves...
In The Autobiography, Benjamin Franklin recounts the many paramount experiences throughout his life that shaped him into great American figure he was known to be. On the opening page, Franklin reveals the book’s epistolary format by writing, “Dear Son,” going on to admit that he’s made some mistakes in the past and to recollect that past is a way to relive it. By divulging his desire to “change some sinister Accidents & Events” (Franklin 3) the author indicates how important it is for his son to observe as he amends his mistakes. Pride, virtue and vanity play a pivotal role in Benjamin Franklin’s life and the way he portrays himself to others. Instances occur where the author is shown gloating about his great accomplishments and he puts emphasis on his need to live a virtuous and morally perfect life. Throughout his story, Benjamin Franklin tells his son of his many virtuous acts and momentous achievements, motivating the question as to whether he seeks his own approval more so than the approval of his peers.
Mad Magazine, The Simpsons, Saturday Night Live. In our society, satire is among the most prevalent of comedic forms. This was not always true, for before the 18th century, satire was not a fully developed form. Satire, however, rose out of necessity; writers and artists needed a way to ambiguously criticize their governments, their churches, and their aristocrats. By the 18th century, satire was hugely popular. Satire as an art form has its roots in the classics, especially in the Roman Horace's Satires. Satire as it was originally proposed was a form of literature using sarcasm, irony, and wit, to bring about a change in society, but in the eighteenth century Voltaire, Jonathan Swift and William Hogarth expanded satire to include politics, as well as art. The political climate of the time was one of tension. Any criticism of government would bring harsh punishments, sometimes exile or death. In order to voice opinions without fear of punishment, malcontented writers turned to Satire. Voltaire's Candide and Swift's Modest Proposal are two examples of this new genre. By creating a fictional world modeled after the world he hated, Voltaire was able to attack scientists, and theologians with impunity. Jonathan Swift created many fictional worlds in his great work, Gulliver's Travels, where he constantly drew parallels to the English government.
Benjamin Franklin is considered to be one of the most well-known Founding Fathers, as he helped in writing the Declaration of Independence and the very first Constitution of the United States. Who was he other than a man who fought for colonist’s rights however? Franklin was a brilliant inventor who created many innovating and life changing mechanisms, such as the world’s very first almanac, bifocals, and the lightning rod. He was also a major figure in the American Enlightenment, which restored art, science and music, spreading moral philosophy all across the colonies. Although he was never elected to the role of President of the United States, Franklin served in several other parts, such as the first postmaster general for the colonies in
Benjamin Franklin was a very prominent figure in shaping our nation. Many people look at him as a role model or just as an amazing individual. He had his faults just like every human being had, and he shouldn’t be discredited because of a few minor glitches to his character. As being the only person that had signed The Declaration of Independence, The Constitution, and the Treaty of Paris, this immediately separates him from all others. One of the things that he wrote about in Benjamin Franklin: The Autobiography and Other Writings, was trying to be the ideal person, and even made a list of virtues to live by. His virtues were very important to his lifestyle, and he followed them to a great extent.
Samuel Langhorne Clemens, better known by the pseudonym Mark Twain, has been central to American literature for over a century. His seemingly effortless diction accurately exemplified America’s southern culture. From his early experiences in journalism to his most famous fictional works, Twain has remained relevant to American writing as well as pop culture. His iconic works are timeless and have given inspiration the youth of America for decades. He distanced himself from formal writing and became one of the most celebrated humorists. Mark Twain’s use of the common vernacular set him apart from authors of his era giving his readers a sense of familiarity and emotional connection to his characters and himself.